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Middle and Upper Tellico River Ecosystem Assessment Tellico Ranger District Cherokee National Forest

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Middle and Upper Tellico River Ecosystem Assessment Tellico Ranger District Cherokee National Forest Middle and Upper Tellico River Ecosystem Assessment Tellico Ranger District Cherokee National Forest Table of Contents INTRODUCTION…………..…………………………………....... 1 Description of Watershed………………………………………... 1 PHYSICAL ELEMENTS…………………………………………. 3 Soils/Watershed/Riparian, Wetlands & Floodplains...................... 3 Air………………………………………………………............... 6 Minerals……………………………………………….…………. 11 BIOLOGICAL ELEMENTS…………………………………….... 12 Major Forest Communities………………………………………. 14 Rare Communities……………………………………………….. 23 Successional Habitats……………………………………………. 26 Terrestrial Habitat Attributes…………………………………….. 37 Aquatic Habitats…………………………………...…………...... 40 Threatened & Endangered Species…………………...............….. 45 Demand Species…………………………………………………. 45 Non-Native Invasive Plants and Animals.……………………….. 47 Species Viability.……………………………..……….…………. 48 Forest Health …………………………..……………................... 50 RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS…...……………… 53 Recreation Related Programs…...……………………………….. 53 Heritage Resources………………………………………………. 57 Forest Products……………………………………....................... 59 Special Uses/Lands………………………………………………. 61 Prescribed and Wildland Fires…………………………................ 62 Roads and Access………………………………………………... 64 APPENDIX A - Goals and Objectives……………………………. 67 APPENDIX B – Roads Analysis Process Report………………… Introduction Description of Watershed The Middle and Upper Tellico River (MUTR) Assessment Area is located in Monroe County, Tennessee, in the area adjacent to Tellico Plains. Figure 1 displays the location of the assessment area within the Tellico Ranger District of the Cherokee National Forest (CNF). The area is located in the Southern Metasedimentary Mountain Eco-region. The assessment area is 67.6 square miles (43,300 acres) in size. Land ownership within the assessment area is 67% in National Forest System (NFS) lands. and 33% in private ownership. Most of the private land ownership is concentrated in the western portion of the watershed. Elevation in the area ranges from about 820 feet at the confluence of Wildcat Creek and Tellico River to 5000 feet along Haw Knob. The watershed drains to the Little Tennessee River. The assessment area has an average annual temperature of 55 degrees Fahrenheit. January is usually the coldest month with an average temperature of 35 degrees Fahrenheit, while July is usually the hottest month with an average temperature of 75 degrees Fahrenheit. The area averages about 55 inches of precipitation annually, which is distributed somewhat evenly throughout the year. March is usually the wettest month with an average of 5.9 inches of precipitation, while October is usually the driest with an average of 3.0 inches of precipitation. The length of the growing season is approximately 180 days per year. Prevailing winds in eastern Tennessee are predominantly from the southwest. The majority of the assessment area is in Management Prescription (MP) 7.B of the Cherokee National Forest Revised Land and Resource Management Plan (RLRMP) (USDA 2004). Table 1 displays the approximate land acreages by Management Prescription. Table 1. Management Prescription acreages in MUTR Management NFS land Prescription Acreage 1.A 693 12.B 5,629 5.A 6 7.A 2,419 7.B 7,116 7.D 69 8.B 6,754 9.F 716 9.H 260 11 5,316 Total 28,978 Figure 1. Vicinity Map 2 Physical Elements Soils/Watershed/Riparian, Wetlands, and Floodplains Existing Condition The MUTR is located about one mile northeast of Tellico Plains, Tennessee in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The area is located in the Southern Metasedimentary Mountain Eco-region. The assessment area is 67.6 square miles (43,300 acres) in size. Land ownership within the assessment area is 67% in public (National forest) and 33% in private ownership. Most of the private land ownership is concentrated in the western portion of the watershed. Elevation in the area ranges from about 820 feet at the confluence of Wildcat Creek and Tellico River to 5000 feet along Haw Knob. The assessment area has an average annual temperature of 55 degrees Fahrenheit. January is usually the coldest month with an average temperature of 35 degrees Fahrenheit, while July is usually the hottest month with an average temperature of 75 degrees Fahrenheit. The area averages about 55 inches of precipitation annually, which is distributed somewhat evenly throughout the year. March is usually the wettest month with an average of 5.9 inches of precipitation, while October is usually the driest with an average of 3.0 inches of precipitation. The length of the growing season is approximately 180 days per year. Prevailing winds in eastern Tennessee are predominantly from the southwest. The landform of the area is characterized by steep, dissected mountains and narrow V-shaped valleys. The physical character of the assessment area is greatly influenced by the geology associated with the Blue Ridge Physiographic province. Geology is a mixture of Precambrian- age metamorphic and sedimentary materials such as bouldery colluvium; Precambrian sandstone, siltstone, shale, quartzite, greywacke, arkose, phyllite, slate and schist and Quaternary sandy shaly colluvium; Cambrium shale, sandstone, siltstone, quartzite and conglomerate. The diverse parent material along with other factors such as aspect, topography, and climate has resulted in soil types with different characteristics. Common soil series found within the assessment area includes Jeffery, North Cove, Keener, and Junaluska. Keener and North Cove soils are found on foot slopes, high stream terraces, benches, fans, and coves. They are very deep, strongly acidic, well drained ultisols; textures range from loam to sandy clay loam. Subsoil permeability is moderate to moderately rapid. Keener soils occur on slopes up to 65 percent and North Cove maybe found on slopes up to 80 percent. Runoff is generally low to medium and increases with slope. The 2 inch organic layer found on each of these soils plays a vital role in controlling runoff. If the organic layer is disturbed runoff will increase. Erosion is generally low on undisturbed soils but may increase with disturbance. Keener soils may be found at 1400 to 3500 feet in elevation and North Cove soils are found at 1200 to 3800 feet. These soils are formed from colluvial materials that are subject to slippage and slumping during extreme wet soil conditions. Jeffery and Junaluska soils are found on ridge tops, and side slopes. These are moderately deep, strongly acidic, well drained soils with moderate permeability. The Jeffery series is an inceptisol with a cobbly loam texture throughout the soil profile. The Junaluska series is an ultisol; texture ranges from loam in the upper horizons to sandy clay loam in the subsoil. Each series may be found on slopes ranging from 2 to 95 percent. Runoff is typically moderate but increases with the 3 amount of surface disturbance and slope. Junaluska soils are found at 1400 to 3500 feet elevation and Jeffery soils are found from 3000 to 5000 feet. Depth to bedrock may be a limiting factor for these soil types. Valley types within this assessment area exhibit moderate relief, are generally stable, and have moderate side slope gradients. The upper reaches of streams can be described as A and B types by the use of the classification system developed by Rosgen (Rosgen 1994). Stream gradients are generally steep in the upper reaches of the watershed (10% +) with low stream sinuosity. Channel materials are predominantly cobble with a mixture of bedrock, boulders, gravel and sand. Larger streams generally have a decrease in gradient, and stream types are more characteristic of B and C channels. Both of these stream types are generally stable. Stream flow varies seasonally due to rainfall and evapo-transpiration. Streams within the assessment area have an estimated, average annual discharge of about 2.4 cfs per square mile of watershed (USGS 2008). Higher discharges generally occur in the winter and spring months while low flows generally occur in the late summer and fall. Low flows (7Q10) generally range from 0.1 to 0.5 cfs per square mile of watershed. Drainages within the assessment area include Tellico River, and several tributary streams of Tellico River including the Laurel Branch, McNabb Creek, Hemlock Creek, Turkey Creek, Basin Creek, Caney Branch, Laurel Branch, Rough Ridge Creek, and Sycamore Creek. The water quality of Tellico River and tributary streams within the assessment area can generally be characterized as low in conductivity, low in alkalinity, slightly acidic, and low in nutrients. Tributary streams in the assessment area are generally free of excessive sediment. However, water quality impacts associated with turbidity/sedimentation is of particular importance in the Tellico River. Surface erosion processes are dominant within the assessment area. The primary source of this erosion in this assessment area is from roads, trail systems, and the Upper Tellico OHV Area in North Carolina. National Forests of North Carolina (NFsNC) and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) have been collecting total suspended sediment data in the Upper Tellico Watershed in North Carolina since 1998. Results have shown elevated levels of erosion and sediment delivery to stream channels in the assessment area and downstream in the Tellico River. Thus, sediment from National Forest System lands is considered to be problematic within the Upper Tellico River watershed (NFsNC Watershed Assessment 2005). In the assessment area there are approximately 143 miles of road. Road density is about 2.1
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