Piedmont Upland Depression Swamp
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Piedmont Upland Depression Swamp Macrogroup: Central Hardwood Swamp yourStateNatural Heritage Ecologist for more information about this habitat. This is modeledmap a distributiononbased current and is data nota substitute for field inventory. based Contact © Gary P. Fleming (Virginia Department of Conservation & Recreation Natural Heritage Program) Description: A forested swamp of wetland oaks occurring in small, shallow basins in upland settings where water pools due to limited soil drainage. Most examples are isolated seasonally- flooded wetlands dominated by wetland oaks (pin oak, swamp white oak, laurel oak, willow oak, overcup oak), but a few are treeless or open-canopied ponds. Vegetation is zoned with an outer ring of trees, a more interior ring of shrubs (buttonbush, heaths, greenbrier), vines, and wetland graminoids and ferns, and a central area with or without standing water year round depending on precipitation. Sphagnum moss is sometimes extensive in parts of the pools. State Distribution: MD, VA Total Habitat Acreage: 21,559 Ecological Setting and Natural Processes: Percent Conserved: 4.7% Occurs on nearly level Piedmont uplands with clay hardpans State State GAP 1&2 GAP 3 Unsecured and shallow seasonal flooding. Most known examples are on State Habitat % Acreage (acres) (acres) (acres) mafic bedrock. Flooding depth is typically shallow (< 25 cm). VA 98% 21,055 36 900 20,118 Soils are typically loamy clays. There is substantial variation MD 2% 505 1 76 427 among the pools, related to substrate, basin morphology, and geographic location. Similar Habitat Types: Piedmont Hardpan Woodland & Forest is closely related by the importance of an impermeable clay hardpan and the preference for mafic bedrock, and some intermediate gradations occur. Shares some flora with coastal plain depressional wetlands like Central Appalachian Coastal Plain Non-Riverine Swamp and Wet Hardwood Forest. Crosswalk to State Wildlife Action Plans: Crosswalk to State Name Examples: Upland Depression Swamps (MD), Wetland Habitat - Upland Depression Swamps (MD), Piedmont Upland Forested (VA) Depression Swamp (VA) Places to Visit this Habitat: Habitat Patch Distribution Cumberland State Forest | VA Great Falls Park National Park | VA 10,000 8,000 Pocahontas State Park | VA 6,000 Powhatan State Park | VA 4,000 Acres 2,000 0 Associated Species: Appendix lists scientific names 0 to 1 1 to 5 5 to 10 1000+ PLANTS: common greenbrier (Smilax rotundifolia), manna- 10 to 100 grasses (Glyceria spp.), marsh hedge-nettle (Stachys pilosa var. 100 to 1000 arenicola), overcup oak (Quercus lyrata), rushes (Juncus spp), Patch Size Classes Sphagnum mosses (Sphagnum spp.), Virginia cut grass (Leersia The average patch size for this habitat is 2 acres and the largest single patch is 154 virginica), Wood reed grass (Cinna arundinacea), woolly sedge acres. This chart shows the proportion of the habitat that is in each patch-size class. (Carex pellita), yellow pitcherplant (Sarracenia flava) Age Class Distribution 50 40 30 20 10 0 Percent of Percent Habitat 1 to 20 20 to 40 40 to 60 60 to 80 80 to 100100 to 140 Age (Years) This chart shows the average age of trees associated with this habitat based on forest Inventory data. For non-forested systems or small habitats the average age is Species of Concern (G1-G4): Appendix lists scientific names influenced by the surroundings. PLANTS: Small's purslane (Portulaca smallii), Virginia quillwort (Isoetes virginica) Predicted Habitat Loss to Development 19,500 19,000 18,500 18,000 Acreage 17,500 17,000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 2060 Decade This chart shows the predicted loss of habitat over the next five decades (1,205 acres) if loss continues at the same rate as 1990-2000. The average rate of loss is 24 acres per year. Habitat Connectedness Index 80 60 40 20 0 Percent of Percent Habitat 0 to 25 25 to 50 50 to 75 75 to 100 Degree of Fragmentation (0=Highly Fragmented & 100= Highly Connected) This metric measures how connected or fragmented the land directly surrounding (18 © Gary P. Fleming (Virginia Department of Conservation & Recreation Natural square miles) the habitat is, this the chart shows the proportion of the habitat in each Heritage Program) connectedness class. Piedmont Upland Depression Swamp http://nature.ly/HabitatGuide Central Interior Highlands and Appalachian Sinkhole and Depression Pond Macrogroup: Central Hardwood Swamp yourStateNatural Heritage Ecologist for more information about this habitat. This is modeledmap a distributiononbased current and is data nota substitute for field inventory. based Contact © Elizabeth Byers (West Virginia Division of Natural Resources) Description: A small pond and wetland habitat with variable vegetation found in basins of sinkholes or other isolated depressions on uplands from the Ozarks east to the northern Piedmont. Water depth may vary greatly on a seasonal basis and may be a meter deep or more in the winter. Some examples become dry in the summer. Structure varies from open water to herb-dominated to shrub-dominated, where buttonbush is a typical component. Tree-dominated examples typically contain oaks, sycamore, green ash, silver maple, and/or black gum. Many of these ponds have their geologic origin as a more-or-less complete karst collapse feature. State Distribution: MD, NJ, PA, VA, WV Total Habitat Acreage: 1,458 Ecological Setting and Natural Processes: Percent Conserved: 7.9% Soils are very poorly drained, and surface water may be State State GAP 1&2 GAP 3 Unsecured present for extended periods of time, occasionally becoming State Habitat % Acreage (acres) (acres) (acres) dry. Soils may be deep (1 meter or more), consisting of peat PA 45% 653 9 23 621 or muck, with parent material of peat, muck or alluvium. VA 28% 415 54 11 350 MD 16% 232 5 8 219 WV 10% 150 5 0 145 NJ 1% 8 0 0 8 Similar Habitat Types: Core distribution for this system is in the Ozarks and the hilly plateaus of western Kentucky and Tennessee. Because of their association with limestone geology, these ponds often sit in a fragmented agricultural landscape. Crosswalk to State Wildlife Action Plans: Crosswalk to State Name Examples: Upland Depression Swamps (MD), Wetlands - Forested Upland Depression Swamps (MD), Shenandoah Valley Sinkhole Wetlands and Bogs (PA), Wetland Habitat - Forested (VA), Pond (Typic Type) (VA) Floodplain Forests and Swamps (WV) Places to Visit this Habitat: Habitat Patch Distribution C & O Canal National Historical Park | MD 1,200 George Washington and Jefferson National Forest | VA 1,000 800 600 Acres 400 200 0 Associated Species: Appendix lists scientific names 0 to 1 1 to 5 5 to 10 1000+ BIRDS: belted kingfisher, eastern kingbird, green heron, red- 10 to 100 shouldered hawk, willow flycatcher, wood duck 100 to 1000 Patch Size Classes PLANTS: blackfoot quillwort (Isoetes melanopoda), dwarf The average patch size for this habitat is 2 acres and the largest single patch is 15 burrhead (Echinodorus tenellus), northern st. john's-wort acres. This chart shows the proportion of the habitat that is in each patch-size class. (Hypericum boreale), pretty dodder (Cuscuta indecora), seven- angle pipewort (Eriocaulon aquaticum) Age Class Distribution 50 40 30 20 10 0 Percent of Percent Habitat 1 to 20 20 to 40 40 to 60 60 to 80 80 to 100100 to 140 Age (Years) This chart shows the average age of trees associated with this habitat based on forest Inventory data. For non-forested systems or small habitats the average age is Species of Concern (G1-G4): Appendix lists scientific names influenced by the surroundings. INSECTS: Nannaria ericacea (a millipede) Predicted Habitat Loss to Development PLANTS: northeastern Bulrush (Scirpus ancistrochaetus), Virginia Sneezeweed (Helenium virginicum) 1,100 1,050 1,000 950 900 Acreage 850 800 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 2060 Decade This chart shows the predicted loss of habitat over the next five decades (159 acres) if loss continues at the same rate as 1990-2000. The average rate of loss is 3 acres per year. Habitat Connectedness Index 100 50 0 Percent of Percent Habitat 0 to 25 25 to 50 50 to 75 75 to 100 Degree of Fragmentation (0=Highly Fragmented & 100= Highly Connected) This metric measures how connected or fragmented the land directly surrounding (18 © Elizabeth Byers (West Virginia Division of Natural Resources) square miles) the habitat is, this the chart shows the proportion of the habitat in each connectedness class. Central Interior Highlands and Appalachian Sinkhole and Depression Pond http://nature.ly/HabitatGuide North Atlantic Coastal Plain Hardwood Forest Macrogroup: Central Oak-Pine yourStateNatural Heritage Ecologist for more information about this habitat. This is modeledmap a distributiononbased current and is data nota substitute for field inventory. based Contact © Robert Coxe (Delaware Species Conservation & Research Program) Description: A hardwood forest largely dominated by oaks, often mixed with pine. White, red, chestnut, black, and scarlet oaks are typical, and american holly is sometimes present. Sassafras, birch, aspen, and hazelnut are common associates in earlier- successional areas. In the northern half of the range, conditions can grade to dry-mesic, reflected in the local abundance of beech. A heath shrub layer is common; the herbaceous layer is sparse. In southern-more occurrences in Maryland or Virginia, pines (shortleaf, Virginia, and particularly loblolly) may be important, even strongly dominant canopy trees. The pine component is usually an indication of past human disturbance. State Distribution: CT, DC, DE, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VA Total Habitat Acreage: 2,145,627 Ecological Setting and Natural Processes: Percent Conserved: 16.1% These forests occur on sandy to gravelly glacial deposits and State State GAP 1&2 GAP 3 Unsecured outwash from Long Island north, and on deep, acidic, coarse- State Habitat % Acreage (acres) (acres) (acres) textured soils on the flat to rolling landscapes of the coastal VA 30% 640,887 6,989 58,455 575,442 plain to the south.