INVENTORY, CLASSIFICATION, AND DESCRIPTION OF RIPARIAN NATURAL COMMUNITY REFERENCE TYPES FOR WEST KILL WATERSHED, NEW YORK REVISED FINAL TECHNICAL REPORT NOVEMBER 2009 Prepared for Greene County Soil and Water Conservation District and NYC DEP Stream Management Program NNeeww YYoorrkk NNaattuurraall HHeerriittaaggee PPrrooggrraamm A Partnership between The Nature Conservancy and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation 625 Broadway, 5th Floor Albany, NY 12233-4757 (518) 402-8935 Fax (518) 402-8925 www.nynhp.org INVENTORY, CLASSIFICATION, AND DESCRIPTION OF RIPARIAN NATURAL COMMUNITY REFERENCE TYPES FOR WEST KILL WATERSHED, NEW YORK FINAL REVISED TECHNICAL REPORT Frederick C. Sechler, Jr. New York Natural Heritage Program 625 Broadway, 5th Floor Albany, New York 12233-4757 Cover photo: Cobble Shore Community Carex torta - Apocynum cannabinum - Cyperus spp. herbaceous vegetation (CEGL006536) (Plot WK19A) along West Kill main stem Photograph by: Frederick C. Sechler, NYNHP Greene County Soil and Water Conservation District 907 County Office Building, Cairo, NY 12413 NYC DEP Stream Management Program 71 Smith Avenue, Kingston, NY 12401 The New York Natural Heritage Program is a partnership between NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and The Nature Conservancy. The program's mission is to facilitate the conservation of New York‟s biodiversity by providing comprehensive information and scientific expertise on rare species and natural ecosystems to resource managers and other conservation partners. i Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................... II FIGURES ............................................................................................................ IV TABLES .............................................................................................................. VI APPENDICES .................................................................................................... IX EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................. X ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................... XI INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... 2 METHODS .......................................................................................................... 4 Study area description .............................................................................................................. 4 Topography and Geology of West Kill Watershed ............................................................. 4 Field methodology.................................................................................................................... 6 Plot Quality Ranking System .................................................................................................. 7 Plant Stewardship Index .......................................................................................................... 9 Statistical analysis .................................................................................................................... 10 RESULTS ............................................................................................................ 11 Statistical Analysis Results ..................................................................................................... 13 NATURAL COMMUNITY DESCRIPTIONS AND COMPOSITION ........... 16 HEMLOCK-NORTHERN HARDWOOD FOREST DESCRIPTION ........... 18 PLOTS AND RANKING OF FACTORS ........................................................... 20 PLOTS SELECTED AS REFERENCE EXAMPLES ARE HIGHLIGHTED IN YELLOWHEMLOCK-NORTHERN HARDWOOD FOREST DISCUSSION/RECOMMENDATIONS .......................................................... 21 HEMLOCK-NORTHERN HARDWOOD FOREST DISCUSSION/RECOMMENDATIONS .......................................................... 22 PINE-NORTHERN HARDWOOD FOREST DESCRIPTION ..................... 25 PLOTS AND RANKING OF FACTORS ........................................................... 27 PINE-NORTHERN HARDWOOD FOREST DISCUSSION/RECOMMENDATIONS .......................................................... 29 FLOODPLAIN FOREST DESCRIPTION ....................................................... 32 PLOTS AND RANKING OF FACTORS ........................................................... 35 FLOODPLAIN FOREST DISCUSSION/RECOMMENDATIONS .............. 37 BEECH-MAPLE MESIC FOREST DESCRIPTION ....................................... 43 PLOTS AND RANKING OF FACTORS ........................................................... 45 ii BEECH-MAPLE MESIC FOREST DISCUSSION/RECOMMENDATIONS .......................................................... 47 SHRUB SWAMP DESCRIPTION ..................................................................... 52 SHRUB SWAMP DISCUSSION/RECOMMENDATIONS............................. 55 COBBLE SHORE DESCRIPTION ................................................................... 60 COBBLE SHORE DISCUSSION/RECOMMENDATIONS .......................... 64 SHALLOW EMERGENT MARSH DESCRIPTION ....................................... 68 SHALLOW EMERGENT MARSH DISCUSSION/RECOMMENDATIONS .......................................................... 70 CONCLUSIONS/SUMMARY ........................................................................... 74 APPENDIX 1: KEY TO SUITABLE RESTORATION TYPES ALONG THE WEST KILL ............................................................................................... 79 APPENDIX 2: VEGETATION PLOT SAMPLING FORM ............................. 82 APPENDIX 3: HAND-HELD DATABASE SCREEN SHOTS ....................... 85 APPENDIX 4: PLOT QUALITY RANK SYSTEM ........................................... 88 RANK SYSTEM FOR FORESTED WETLANDS/UPLANDS ........................ 88 APPENDIX 5: NATIONAL LAND COVER DATA CLASSIFICATION ....... 99 APPENDIX 6: BOWMAN HILL WILDFLOWER PRESERVE DEVELOPMENT OF PSI FOR SITE ............................................................. 101 iii FIGURES FIGURE 1: West Kill Valley Study Area.........................................................................................5 FIGURE 2: Cluster analysis results Tree Graph (color-coded)..................................................14 FIGURE 3: Natural Community Reference Plots along West Kill………………………..17 FIGURE 3: Location of hemlock-northern hardwood forest Plot WK20A............................21 FIGURE 4: Location of hemlock-northern hardwood forest Plot WK13J.............................21 FIGURE 5: Hemlock-northern hardwood forest Plot WK20A................................................21 FIGURE 6: Hemlock-northern hardwood forest Plot WK13J..................................................21 FIGURE 7: Location of pine-northern hardwood forest Plot WK91F....................................29 FIGURE 8: Pine-northern hardwood forest Plot WK91F.........................................................29 FIGURE 9: Location of floodplain forest Plot WK12H............................................................37 FIGURE 10: Location of floodplain forest Plot WK91G...........................................................37 FIGURE 11: Floodplain forest Plot WK12H................................................................................37 FIGURE 12: Floodplain forest Plot WK91G...............................................................................48 FIGURE 13: Location of beech-maple mesic forest Plots WK12A and WK12C..................48 FIGURE 14: Beech-maple mesic forest Plots WK12A (left) and WK12C (right)..................48 FIGURE 15: Locations of shrub swamp Plots WK17H and WK17L......................................56 FIGURE 16: Shrub swamp Plots WK17L (right) and WK17H (left).......................................56 FIGURE 17: Location of cobble shore Plot WK34A.................................................................65 FIGURE 18: Cobble shore Plot WK34A......................................................................................65 iv FIGURE 19: Location of shallow emergent marsh Plot WK17I...............................................72 FIGURE 20: Shallow emergent marsh Plot WK17I...................................................................72 v TABLES Table 1: Plot Quality Rank System..................................................................................................8 Table 2: Summary of NY Natural Community Plots Sampled.................................................12 Table 3: Ecological Indicator Analysis, Output table (B-MMF and FF).................................15 Table 4: Plot Quality Rank Summary Table.................................................................................18 Table 5: Hemlock-northern hardwood forest Plot Quality Rank System/Plant Stewardship Index Quality (Conservation Coefficient) Summary Table.........................................................19 Table 6: Hemlock-northern hardwood forest Plot WK20A species and PSI Conservation Coefficient............................................................................................................................................22 Table 7: Hemlock-northern hardwood forest Plot WK13J species and PSI Conservation Coefficient...........................................................................................................................................23 Table 8: Hemlock-northern hardwood forest Plot WK13J growth life form summary...............................................................................................................................................23