HAL Plant Target List Includes 22 Vascular Plants and 2 Non Vascular Plants (Table P+AT1)
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High Allegheny Plateau (HAL) Ecoregional Plan Final Draft Report First Iteration July 2002 Slightly revised October 2002 Copyedited May and December 2003 Robert E. Zaremba, Team Leader Eastern Conservation Science, Boston The Nature Conservancy Report Archive: Conservation Science Support Northeast & Caribbean Division The Nature Conservancy 11 Avenue de Lafayette Boston, MA 02111-1736 The Nature Conservancy gratefully acknowledges all Heritage Programs, their cooperating institutions, and other cooperators for the time and energy that has gone into collecting and maintaining the data contained in this report. This information was assembled for use by The Nature Conservancy and the Natural Heritage Network in conservation planning for the High Allegheny Plateau Ecoregion. Sensitive and confidential information has been removed for this ecoregional plan distribution TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .......................................................................................................................................... 1 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................... 2 2. INTRODUCTION, GOALS, AND DESCRIPTION OF THE ECOREGION.................................................. 6 Conservation Goals.................................................................................................................................................. 6 The General Setting ................................................................................................................................................. 6 Significant Natural and Cultural Features................................................................................................................ 7 3. MANAGED AREAS IN THE HIGH ALLEGHENY........................................................................................ 11 4. FINE FILTER TARGETS................................................................................................................................... 13 Rare, Threatened or Declining Species Assessment .............................................................................................. 13 Portfolio Status for Plant Species in HAL ............................................................................................................. 19 Portfolio Status for Animals in HAL ..................................................................................................................... 20 Next Steps for HAL Species Assessment .............................................................................................................. 24 5. NATURAL (TERRESTRIAL) COMMUNITIES ASSESSMENT (PART 1)................................................. 25 Target Selection ..................................................................................................................................................... 25 Development of a Vegetation Classification for HAL........................................................................................... 26 Data Assembly....................................................................................................................................................... 27 Assessing Viability ................................................................................................................................................ 28 Setting Conservation Goals.................................................................................................................................... 30 Results: Summary of HAL Natural Community Portfolio by Group..................................................................... 31 Next Steps for Natural Communities in HAL........................................................................................................ 39 6. NATURAL (TERRESTRIAL) COMMUNITIES (PART 2):MATRIX-FORMING FOREST SYSTEMS. 40 Development and Selection of Matrix Forest Occurrences.................................................................................... 42 Grouping of the Matrix Forest Blocks by ELU Composition ................................................................................ 44 Matrix Forest Block Selection Results................................................................................................................... 47 Next Steps for Matrix Forest Blocks in HAL......................................................................................................... 51 7. AQUATIC SYSTEMS AND SPECIES............................................................................................................... 53 Introduction............................................................................................................................................................ 53 Selecting Ecoregional Targets................................................................................................................................ 54 Setting Conservation Goals.................................................................................................................................... 56 Assessing Viability ................................................................................................................................................ 58 Portfolio Assembly ................................................................................................................................................ 61 Portfolio Results..................................................................................................................................................... 62 Next Steps .............................................................................................................................................................. 81 8. ACTION PLAN..................................................................................................................................................... 83 9. HAL THREATS.................................................................................................................................................... 85 10. CONSERVATION OPPORTUNITIES IN HAL............................................................................................. 86 11. HAL CROSS-BOUNDARY POSSIBILITIES ................................................................................................. 87 12. HAL LESSONS LEARNED DURING PLANNING PROCESS.................................................................... 88 13. NEXT STEPS FOR THE HAL PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT...................................................................... 90 i ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The HAL ecoregional plan was the work of many people, both within the Eastern Conservation Science Office in Boston and in TNC Offices. Numerous outside experts also provided important inputs. The project was coordinated by staff in the ECS Office. Dan Morse conducted all GIS analyses and developed both working group maps as well as final products. His patience and creativity are much appreciated. Arlene Olivero conducted the aquatics GIS assessment and provided detailed maps on aquatic systems and watershed condition to the aquatics working group and did all data management. Her long and hard work has developed new methods for aquatic assessment that will be further refined and used in all Northeastern ecoregions. Shyama Khanna obtained and maintained all Heritage data sets throughout this process, sustaining an optimistic outlook despite frequent small scale changes. Mark Anderson mentored the entire process, developing key concepts to initiate new approaches to ecoregional planning as well as enforcing that standards in use for other plans are maintained. The Aquatics Working Group was let by George Schuler who provided expert leadership and key ideas to the development of the aquatics assessment process. George wrote the aquatics section. The Plant Working Group was led by Troy Weldy with patience and clear thought in defining targets and assessing potential occurrences. The Animal Working Group was led by Tony Davis, who brought together a vast amount of variable-quality data into a sensible conservation agenda and endured a nearly endless series of telephone calls with small questions. Julie Lundgren coordinated the development of the HAL community classification. Others who provided key assistance include: Nick Donelly, Su Fanok, Jim Thorne, Charles Bier, Steve Grund, Jeff Wagner, Tim Tear, Tony Wilkinson, Colin Apse, Randy Grey, Mike VanClef, Anne Heasley, Sandy Bonanno, Jim Howe, Susan Stout, Dan Devlin, Paul Novak, Troy Weldy, Tom Breden, John Kunsman, Greg Podneisinski, Lesley Sneddon, DJ Evans, Adele Olivero, Barbara Bedford, Bob Wesley, Betsy Nightengale, Mark Bryer, and Nicole Capuano. 7/2002 – Edited 10/2002 1 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Brief description of the ecoregion The High Allegheny Plateau Ecoregion is located along the southern tier of New York and the northern tier of Pennsylvania. It includes a small portion of New Jersey. Well known features in HAL include the Catskills, The Shawangunks, The Kittatinny Ridge, The Poconos, Allegany State Park, Allegheny National Forest, and a large mass of Pennsylvania state-owned land. The ecoregion is defined by high elevation features at the northern end of the Appalachian Plateau. Most of the ecoregion is above 1200 feet. The general land form of the area is mid- elevation hills separated by numerous narrow stream-cut valleys. One of