introduction - Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program

The Supporting Natural Landscape is the watershed above the wetlands. This area helps to maintainthe water quality of the wetlands, and its forested condition enhances the long-term viability of thewetland communities. Between the wetland areas, the floodplain is higher and narrower, with smallpatches of shrub or herbaceous wetland and semi-palustrine forest, while upland areas surroundingthe wetland are mainly terrestrial forest.Threats and StressesCore Habitat Area—There is a large cabin and parking area very near the southern edge of theeastern-most wetland area. A broad range of substances harmful to wildlife and ecosystem healthcould potentially be introduced into the wetland by human activity here, including pest controlchemicals, detergents, automotive fluids, septic materials, and exotic species.Supporting Natural Landscape—Any herbicides, pesticides, or other chemicals released in this areawill drain into the wetland, where they may be toxic to its inhabitants. If forest cover is removed, soilerosion could result in sediment pollution in the wetlands, which degrades the habitat for many plantand animal species. Greatly decreased forest cover in this area may also diminish the long-termviability of the wetland community.RecommendationsCore Habitat Area—Users of the cabin should avoid bringing any toxic materials into the area; agood rule of thumb is to avoid substances not safe for human consumption. Septic systems should becarefully designed and/or upgraded to minimize discharge of nitrogen, solids, or contaminants, andregularly monitored to detect any maintenance needs.Supporting Natural Landscape— To maintain good water quality for the wetlands, forest coverremoval should be avoided on steeply sloped areas, appropriate erosion control BMPs should beapplied if forest cover is disturbed in other areas, and toxic materials should not be released.Preservation of forest cover in this area, especially in such a pattern as to connect the wetland withsurrounding forested areas, is likely to enhance prospects for the long-term health of this habitat.Mosquito Creek Tributary-County Line Wetland BDADescriptionThis BDA is designated around an extensive wetland complex in the headwaters of a tributary toMosquito Run.Core Habitat Area—Throughout the area, there are old beaver dams in various stages of succession,from ponds, to meadows, to re-growing shrub thickets. The plant species composition does not fitany of the community types described in the Pennsylvania Terrestrial and Palustrine CommunityClassification (Fike 1999), and thus cannot be easily compared to other wetlands to determine itsuniqueness in the state. The plant species composition is similar to other wetlands observed in thehigh plateau region of the county, suggesting it is unlikely to be of state significance. It is locallysignificant as a wetland habitat.Old stumps scattered throughout the wetland, suggesting it once had a canopy of large white pine orhemlock. Today, almost no tree regrowth has occurred. There are widely scattered individuals of redmaple (Acer rubrum), white oak (Quercus alba), yellow birch (Betula allegheniensis), and smoothshadbush (Amelanchier laevis). The lowest areas of the wetland are saturated, with sphagnum mosscover. Herbaceous species include: swamp dewberry (Rubus hispidus), prickly bog sedge (Carex82