Key Wildlife Habitat Features

Monday, October 10, 2011

Key Wildlife Habitat Features

Habitat Feature	Class
high exposed perches	minimal
low exposed perches	very apparent
% canopy closure	31-70
tree cavities (DBH)	all sizes, from <6" to >18"
midstory	deciduous
shrub layer	deciduous
% ground vegetation	30-75
vernal pools/ wetland vegetation	very apparent
dead and downed material	very apparent
overstory inclusions	mixed
water body	seep, vernal pool
proxmity to water	.5 miles to the lake
miscellaneous features	ledges, hard mast

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About Group 1's Hectare

A lot can happen in a hectare, and our site is the perfect example of this. Located directly off the Ledges Trail, it is extremely diverse in the vegetation, trees, and wildlife that inhabit the hectare. The trees of the forest are mostly deciduous, meaning they lose their leaves. There is also a stand of Hemlocks, however, that add even more diversity to the area. Our site is a typical Northern Hardwood forest at first glance, but if you take a closer look, it is evident that there is a lot going on beyond what meets the eye. The most prominent feature of our site is definitely the plethora of ledges that are present. These ledges are full of moss and life. There are also a lot of wet areas in our hectare, called seeps and vernal pools. It is nearly impossible to walk without getting at least a little wet! Dead and downed trees are very apparent, as is herbaceous cover. We have also seen plenty of wildlife on our site, mainly squirrels and chipmunks that scurry through. The most important thing to note about all of these features is that they are working together to form the whole landscape. We, as humans, are a part of this process, too. The end result is a piece of land that is truly unique, with many different parts coming together. Hopefully, the content in this blog will inform readers about this particular hectare and encourage them to go out and explore the plot on their own!

Methods

Week 1 - Navigated to our spot, explored the area, mapped out our hectare using flagging and paces

Week 2 - Tested the bedrock geology of our site using HCl, tested the soil pH using a soil kit, explored the hectare more to collect data for a base map

Week 3 - Assigned stand boundaries, established nine plots, sampled each of the plots and measured basal area, DBH, height, and species of trees, determined the natural communities

Week 4 - Surveyed snags (standing dead trees), surveyed coarse woody debris (CWD), determined wildlife habitats appropriate for our site

Niquette Bay State Park - Group 1

The hectare!

Map Key

Monday, October 10, 2011