RIVER BENDS PARK-WEST AND HOLLAND ... - Shelby Township

EXISTING CONDITIONS FOR 'STAND 7. SWAMP FOREST'
Land area: 9 Acres
Land use history: The soils map shows this entire Holland Ponds area as a former gravel pit. Yet some of
the larger cottonwoods are estimated to be close to or over 100 years old. Those trees may have been spared
during the gravel extraction.
Forest Type:
-Existing: Cottonwood-Sycamore-Basswood
-Potential: Same
Successional trend: Cottonwoods were dominant here, from small to large sawlog size. Next in abundance
were American basswood, American elm and sycamore, mostly small pole-size. Other trees were paper
birch* and black maple. Understory trees and shrubs included elm, basswood, ash, pignut hickory,
buckthorn, autumn olive*, gray dogwood, tartarian and amur honeysuckles and multiflora rose. Virginia
creeper, wild grape, poison ivy, swamp white oak seedlings*, white avens, enchanter‟s-nightshade, marsh
and swamp horsetails, Queen-Anne's-lace, black swallow-wort*, American raspberry*, wood sorrel*, white
sweet-clover* and birdfoot trefoil were also present (* along road). There were also a few black cherries
and large sycamores along the canal.
Forest health: There were no signs of poor health among the trees and shrubs present, except that the ash
trees encountered were dead.
Site quality: Site index is estimated at 70 for eastern cottonwood. This appeared to be a slightly better than
average site for cottonwoods.
Approximate age: 76 Size Class: Small Sawlogs (11.5 - 17.5")
Trees per acre: 136 Mean Stand Diameter: 12 in.
Basal Area (BA): 53.3 Acceptable BA:
Growth Rate: % Timber Quality: medium
Stocking: Cottonwood made up 38% of the estimated basal area, with basswood and elm each making up
19%. Sycamore accounted for 13% of basal area, and paper birch and black maple each made up 6%. By
timber management standards this is an understocked stand, almost as sparse as a savannah.
Stand volume: 13 Gross total cords/acre
Habitat and wildlife use: This habitat is similar to the floodplain forest of Stand 1, but with ponds rather
than river as the water bodies. Some of the wildlife species will use both plant communities, but this stand
is too small and broken up for deep woods species such as pileated woodpeckers or veeries. It offers
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