college woods assessment

College Woods Assessment

Prepared by the Advisory Committee on Land and Property Use

For the Ecosystem Task Force

What we were asked to do…

1) Conduct an inventory of natural resources and current and past uses of College Woods and Woodman Farm

2) Within these properties, use spatial analysis to identify those areas that have greatest value in the undeveloped state

3) Make recommendations about future use and delineate a boundary for what should be designated as undeveloped land

Accomplished in part by College Woods Assessment, Part 1


What is College Woods?

1891

Thompson

1921

Mathes

1921

Weld

1921

Weld

1986Ellison

1934

Teeri

1935

EllisonNiemi

1934

1942

Moore


1939


Plantations 1941-42

Current stand cover types

1 white pine-hardwoods

2 hemlock- beech-oak-pine

3 mixed hardwoods

4 white pine-hemlock

NATURAL RESOURCES

PHYSICAL

• Topography• Geology• Soil• Watersheds• Water bodies

BIODIVERSITY

• Vegetation, natural communities

• Species• Unique wildlife habitat• Wildlife corridors• Invasive species

Soil Types

Reservoir

College Brook

Oyster River

College Brook

Swamp Brook

Watersheds and Water Bodies

Natural Communities

UPLAND FORESTSfour types

WETLANDS15 unitssix types

Species Richness: Estimates

• Vascular plants >292 species

• Insects and spiders >280 species

• Fish 16 species

• Mammals, birds, herps >108 species

• Fungi?• Most invertebrates?• Protists?• Eukaryotes?

Unique Natural Features

B1

Old white pine trees(>300 years)

Old pine-hemlockforest

Unique wetlands

*

A

B,C

Wildlife Corridors

I

Invasive Plants

USES

• Drinking water• Teaching• Research• Recreation• Resource management

– timber harvest– wildlife management

• Other uses

COLLEGE PROGRAM

# COURSESUSING COLLEGE

WOODS

NUMBER OF VISITS PER

COURSE

MEAN NUMBER OF STUDENTS PER COURSE

COLSA Biology 2 3.5 86.0Forest Technology 7 1.6 15.0LSA Freshman seminar 1 1.0 30.0Natural Resources 26 3.7 35.5Plant Biology 2 1.5 63.0Zoology 2 3.5 6.5Overall 40 3.1 34.2

HHS Kinesiology 3 4 20Recreation Management 1 3 50Overall 2 3.5 35

LA English 1 2 48Geography 1 10 15Overall 2 6 31.5

ROTC Air Force 1 3 60

Army 1(?) ? ?Overall 2(?) 3 60

Overall 48 3.3 33.9

UNH TEACHING

5,240 student visits to College Woods annually

RECREATION

MAIN ST

CAMPUS

MILL RD

Recreational Use of College Woods: Field Survey

OBSERVATIONPERIOD

(A) NUMBER

OF PEOPLE ENTERING

WOODS PER HOUR

(B)NUMBER

OF PEOPLE LEAVING WOODS

PER HOUR

NUMBER OF PEOPLE ENTERING/

LEAVING PER HOUR

(average of A and B)

%WALK-

ING

%RUN-ING

%WALK-

ING DOGS

% BICYC-LING

#OBS

CAMPUS ENTRANCE

7-9 AM 2.4 1.2 1.8 0 31 68 1 612-1 PM 11.3 6.8 9.1 40 44 14 2 8

4-5:30 PM 19.2 15.3 17.2 35 47 6 12 4OVERALL (mean) 11.0 7.7 9.3 25 41 29 5 18

MAIN ST. ENTRANCE

OVERALL (mean) 12.5 7.5 10.0 13 52 24 10 6

MILL RD. ENTRANCE OVERALL (mean) 1.3 1.4 1.3 7 54 22 17 3

Data exclude persons doing academic work or on athletic teams. “#OBS” means number of observation periods (each 0.5 to 2 hrs long)

If these data hold from May through October, College Woods would register 29,000 recreational visits over this period.

What we were asked to do…

1) Conduct an inventory of natural resources and current and past uses of College Woods and Woodman Farm

2) Within these properties, use spatial analysis to identify those areas that have greatest value in the undeveloped state

3) Make recommendations about future use and delineate a boundary for what should be designated as undeveloped land



College Woods Assessment: Spatial Analysis

THE RUBRICECOLOGICAL VALUE ASSESSMENT (100 points)

Category 0% of points 25% of pts 50% of points

75% of points 100% of points Possible Points

Proximity to water supply

No impact Within water-shed

Within 200’ buffer

Contains feeder streams, source wetlands

waterfront 40

Biodiversity Minimal buffers critical habitat on adjacent land

biodiversity unusual for UNH land

biodiversity unusual on community or regional scale

High diversity, exemplary communities, or likely species of concern

25

Connectivity Surrounded by development

Supports local wildlife popn’s

Barriers but movement possible

Barriers but areas < 100 feet apart

Abuts area of likely wildlife movement

25

Remoteness Adjacent to development

>500’ from road

>500’ from road or rec trail

< 2 per. visits per year

< 2 per. visits per year within 500’

5

Timber production

Not permitted Poor access, poor growth

High rec or teaching value

Good growth, competing uses

Good growth, past harvest

5

EDUCATIONAL USE ASSESSMENT (100 points)

No visits 1-24 pers. visits

24-46 pers. visits

46-87 pers. visits

>87 pers. visits 100

RECREATIONAL USE ASSESSMENT (100 points)

No use Abuts block w/ trail

Low use trail High-use trail, junction, or low use entrance

High use entrance or bridge

100

Ecological value by blockRank Block Eco value Rank Block Eco value

1 52 100 41 69 402 53 97.5 42 65 37.53 42 96.25 43 14 33.754 43 93.75 44 25 32.55 44 93.75 45 29 32.56 56 93.75 46 36 32.57 57 93.75 47 16 31.258 58 93.75 48 17 31.259 59 93.75 49 18 31.25

10 48 92.5 50 19 31.2511 49 92.5 51 20 31.2512 45 91.25 52 66 31.2513 46 91.25 53 67 31.2514 47 91.25 54 74 3015 50 91.25 55 77 3016 60 90 56 79 3017 54 61.25 57 7 28.7518 68 60 58 40 28.7519 55 57.5 59 11 27.520 72 55 60 12 27.521 34 48.75 61 31 2522 63 48.75 62 78 2523 33 45 63 51 23.7524 35 45 64 8 21.2525 70 45 65 28 2026 41 43.75 66 5 18.7527 23 42.5 67 6 18.7528 26 42.5 68 75 18.7529 27 42.5 69 15 1530 32 42.5 70 1 12.531 37 42.5 71 2 12.532 38 42.5 72 3 12.533 39 42.5 73 9 12.534 62 42.5 74 10 12.535 64 42.5 75 24 1036 71 42.5 76 4 6.2537 13 41.25 77 76 538 21 41.25 78 30 039 22 41.25 79 61 040 73 41.25300 ft

Educational use by blockRank Block Ed Use Rank Block Ed Use

1 4 100 41 69 752 5 100 42 36 503 8 100 43 1 504 9 100 44 2 505 17 100 45 21 506 18 100 46 23 507 19 100 47 44 508 27 100 48 51 509 28 100 49 54 50

10 29 100 50 61 5011 30 100 51 62 5012 39 100 52 63 5013 40 100 53 64 5014 45 100 54 66 5015 46 100 55 67 5016 47 100 56 68 5017 48 100 57 70 5018 49 100 58 72 5019 55 100 59 75 5020 38 100 60 76 5021 6 75 61 78 5022 10 75 62 79 5023 14 75 63 3 2524 15 75 64 7 2525 16 75 65 11 2526 20 75 66 12 2527 24 75 67 13 2528 25 75 68 22 2529 26 75 69 32 2530 31 75 70 33 2531 34 75 71 42 2532 35 75 72 43 2533 37 75 73 52 2534 41 75 74 53 2535 50 75 75 65 2536 56 75 76 71 2537 57 75 77 73 2538 58 75 78 74 2539 59 75 79 77 2540 60 75

Recreational value by block

Rank Block Rec value Rank Block Rec value1 3 100 41 67 752 9 100 42 68 753 27 100 43 69 754 29 100 44 4 505 31 100 45 5 506 40 100 46 8 507 45 100 47 24 508 51 100 48 33 509 60 100 49 42 50

10 76 100 50 53 5011 78 100 51 75 5012 6 75 52 1 2513 10 75 53 2 2514 16 75 54 22 2515 17 75 55 23 2516 18 75 56 25 2517 19 75 57 32 2518 20 75 58 41 2519 26 75 59 52 2520 28 75 60 54 2521 30 75 61 62 2522 34 75 62 64 2523 35 75 63 66 2524 36 75 64 74 2525 37 75 65 79 2526 38 75 66 7 027 39 75 67 11 028 43 75 68 12 029 44 75 69 13 030 46 75 70 14 031 47 75 71 15 032 48 75 72 21 033 49 75 73 61 034 50 75 74 63 035 55 75 75 70 036 56 75 76 71 037 57 75 77 72 038 58 75 78 73 039 59 75 79 77 0

Overall index by blockRank Block Final Index Rank Block Final Index

1 45 291.25 41 6 168.752 48 267.5 42 36 168.53 49 267.5 43 10 162.54 46 266.25 44 4 156.255 47 266.25 45 67 156.256 60 265 46 76 1557 56 243.75 47 52 1508 57 243.75 48 41 143.759 58 243.75 49 3 137.5

10 59 243.75 50 65 137.511 27 242.5 51 54 136.2512 50 241.25 52 24 13513 29 232.5 53 25 132.514 55 232.5 54 33 12015 40 228.75 55 75 118.7516 44 218.75 56 23 117.517 39 217.5 57 62 117.518 9 212.5 58 64 117.519 38 206.5 59 14 108.7520 17 206.25 60 66 106.2521 18 206.25 61 72 10522 19 206.25 62 79 10523 31 200 63 63 98.7524 34 198.75 64 70 9525 28 195 65 32 92.526 35 195 66 21 91.2527 43 193.75 67 22 91.2528 26 192.5 68 15 9029 37 192.5 69 1 87.530 69 190 70 2 87.531 68 185 71 74 8032 16 181.25 72 71 67.533 20 181.25 73 13 66.2534 30 175 74 73 66.2535 78 175 75 77 5536 51 173.75 76 7 53.7537 53 172.5 77 11 52.538 8 171.25 78 12 52.539 42 171.25 79 61 50

Buffers

Areas of special concern; recommendations.

college woods assessment

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