Rocky Brushy Creek Watershed Mgmt. Plan (2007) -- Part 2

CHAPTER 8Mangrove swamps (612)The areal coverage of this habitat has decreased from 1.6% of the watershed to 1.3% over theperiod 1950-2004. Remaining habitat exists in the estuary of the Creek where considerabledisturbance from transportation facilities, trash disposal, invasion by Brazilian pepper, anduntreated stormwater runoff has occurred. This land cover type is especially important in that itprovides cover and foraging habitat for invertebrates and fish, roosting and nesting habitat forbirds, and shoreline protection.Wetland coniferous forest (620)In the Rocky Creek - Brushy Creek watershed,the wetland coniferous forest is a wetland forestdominated by pond cypress but which has otherconiferous species (slash pine, bald cypress,red cedar) as common associates. The wetlandconiferous forest formerly (1950) covered 0.1%of the land in the Rocky Creek - Brushy Creekwatershed, and currently (2004), it covers 0.16%of the watershed.Wetland Forested Mixed (630)Wetland forested mixed is a wetland forestwhere neither hardwoods nor conifers achieve a66% dominance of the crown canopy composition. Formerly (1950) occupying 3.1% of the land inthe Rocky Creek - Brushy Creek watershed, the stream and lake swamp community currently(2004) covers 3% of the watershed. Species common to this community are those describedStream and Lake Swamp community (FLUCFCS 615).Freshwater marsh (641)The areal coverage of freshwater marsh inthe Rocky Creek - Brushy Creek watershedremained the same over the period 1950 –2004. In 1950, this land cover typerepresented 2.5% of the watershed, while itoccupied 2.47% of the watershed in 2004.This habitat is typically characterized bylarge basins with peat substrates, seasonalto year-round inundation, and infrequentfire. Freshwater marshes usually occur asopen expanses of grasses, sedges, rushes,and other herbaceous species in soils thatare usually saturated or covered withsurface water for two or more months during the year (Brown et al., 1990). Freshwater marsh ishighly diverse and marshes may differ significantly from one another even though located in8-11Rocky/Brushy Creek Watershed Management Plan