Agenda - 05-26-2015 - C-2 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

What merchantable timber was present in the stand was removed in the late nineties with the exception of trees immediately adjacent to the stream channel and trees of exceptionally poor quality. The stand now contains two age classes of trees. The first is composed of larger residual trees, mostly between 80 and 100 years old, including tulip poplar, American beech, sweetgum and red maple. Where the land drops sharply to the creek bottom, older American beech, upland oaks, and tulip poplar are common with the more water tolerant trees growing adjacent to the streams. The younger cohort regenerated naturally after the last harvest and is now between 1 and 12 years old. 173 The beaver population in this stand is high and these animals are a major force of change here, actively expanding their territory and changing the vegetation and hydrology. Ponds, active and abandoned, are present throughout the stand (see figure 3 below). The active ponds are providing excellent habitat for waterfowl, fish, reptiles and amphibians. The abandoned ponds are becoming re- vegetated with diverse early successional wetland plant species and providing a unique cover type on the property, used by a wide variety of animal species. Figure 3: Active beaver pond, lodge in front left The beavers have recently cleared several areas on higher ground for food and materials, creating areas that are actively regenerating to hardwood stump sprouts, but also contain a diverse layer of more upland bunch grasses and forbs.