Julian Pozzi

2010 Journal

21 January NJ Atlantic County Richard Stockton College 1020 hrs

Clear ~ 40 deg. F, wind light to variable out of the
south west. We conducted a field walk with Ecology
Lab. The field walk started at A&S building courtyard
and ended on the path between A&S building and Lake
Fred.

Path between A&S building and Lake Fred. The area is

lightly scattered with 15 to 20m White Oak (Quercus
Alba), Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana), and
Atlantic White Cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides). Dead
leaves covered the ground. Scattered amongst the
ground cover were thin shoots that might be trees
growing from the root systems. A large dead cedar tree
was in the center of the area. Some of the Eastern Red
Cedars (Juniperus virginiana) were only 3 to 5m in
height. There was a trench that dissected the area from
south west to north east filled with standing water; also
several more pools of standing water were near the
trench. With Mr. Castro’s I-phone app we were able to
call over two or three Carolina Chickadee (Parus
carolinensis) which returned the calls exactly like the
phones calls. I was amazed that we could accomplish
this. Ended walk at 1200 hrs.

Species List

Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana)

White Oak (Quercus Alba)
Atlantic white cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides)
Carolina Chickadee (Parus carolinensis)

28 January NJ Atlantic County Richard Stockton College 0925 hrs

Overcast skies 100% cloud cover ~39 deg. F, SW
winds light to variable. The field walk started at the
A&S flag pole and proceeded east toward the open field
across the parking lot. We stopped at an Eastern Red
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Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) on the edge of the field.

The field was covered in grass except for a few trees all
15 to 20m high. Several types of trees dotted the field
to form small clusters American Holly (Ilex Opaca),
White Oak (Quercus Alba), Black Oak (Quercus
Velutina), Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus Virginiana),
Red Maple (Acer Rubrum), and Black Cherry (Prunus
Serotina) were all present. We examined the needles
on the Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) and
saw that they were awl-shaped. Also, there were
berries on the branches. Next we wandered over to a
White Oak (Quercus Alba). We discussed the texture of
the bark the shape of the leaves and the buds on the
branches. Our next tree was an American Holly (Ilex
Opaca) where we talked about the berries and the
evergreen and prickliness of the leaves. Our next tree
was the Black Cherry (Prunus Serotina) which we
noticed had multiple stems probably due to some earlier
stress in its life. Then we talked about the dark bark,
inner yellow wood, pointy leaves, and angular buds of
the Black Oak (Quercus Velutina). Next we checked
out the opposite leaf scars, flowering buds, and the red
stems of the Red Maple (Acer Rubrum). At this time
we ended the first walk and took a break.

On dirt road to pump station 1120hrs Sun is out clear

blue sky with a few cirrus clouds. ~45 deg F. Here the
water table is right on the surface of the ground, there is
a water channel extending perpendicular from the road
on either side. The area is very wooded with several
deciduous trees scattered about. The ground cover is
very wet leafy and scattered with dead pine needles.
Several dead branches litter the forest floor, with trees
of varying different sizes from 5m to 20 m tall. We
look at a Sweet Bay Magnolia (Magnolia Virginiana)
and talk about how the buds look like a small grenade.
Lots of Red Maple (Acer Rubrum), and White Oak
(Quercus Alba) dot the area near the water.
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2010 Journal

Road on the back side of the water treatment plant. Not

as much standing water here, there seems to be a bit of
a gradient from the lower swampy area, because here
we find a lot of undergrowth about a meter tall, we
figured mostly Huckleberry although I’m not sure
which kind. What was really interesting was the land
was significantly higher only 50 meters from the
swampy area. The water table was much deeper here
than the previous area. Walk ended here.

Species List

Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana)

American Holly (Ilex Opaca)
White Oak (Quercus Alba)
Black Oak (Quercus Velutina)
Red Maple (Acer Rubrum)
Black Cherry (Prunus Serotina)
Sweet Bay Magnolia (Magnolia Virginiana)

4 February NJ Atlantic County Richard Stockton College 0951 hrs

Blue skies !00% clear ~320F the walk started at the
A&S parking lot and went past the water treatment
plant. We took the first road to the right and stopped at
a Pitch pine (Pinus rigida). The tree was about 30m tall
pitch marks in the bark, we observed the reason they
were called pitch pine. Huckleberry was the dominant
scrub brush and covered most of the ground However,
there was a small amount of pine needle coverage but
mainly around the pine. We observed two more trees at
this location a Post Oak (Quercus stellata) and a Scrub
Oak (Quercus ilicifolia). The walk continued toward
Lake Pam.

Lake Pam Tree Sampling Site At this site we noticed

Lake Pam spilling over the banks presumably because
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2010 Journal

of the recent snow fall. Minimal snow coverage was

present throughout the woods but had already seen
significant melting. Once we arrived at our sampling
site I noticed ground cover of Scrub Oak (Quercus
ilicifolia), Huckleberry (Gaylussacia), Teaberry
(Gaultheria procumbens), Low Bush Blueberry
(Vaccinium vacillans) and Dangleberry (Gaylussacia
frondosa). The trees were predominantly Sasafras
(Sassafras albidum), Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida), Black
Gum (Nyssa sylvatica), and one dieing Black Cherry
(Prunus serotina).

Species List

Pitch pine (Pinus ridiga)

Post Oak (Quercus stellata)
Scrub Oak (Quercus ilicifolia)
Huckleberry (Gaylussacia)
Teaberry (Gaultheria procumbens)
Low Bush Blueberry (Vaccinium vacillans)
Dangleberry (Gaylussacia frondosa)
Sasafras (Sassafras albidum)
Black Gum (Nyssa sylvatica)
Black Cherry (Prunus serotina)

18 February NJ Atlantic County Richard Stockton College 1030 hrs

Its Partly cloudy, 360F. There is a west wind moderate
to breezy. Snow is present on the ground about 6
inches. The purpose of this lab was to test salinity in
snow, water bodies, and runoff. Three snow samples
were taken altogether, which were collected in quart-
sized bags. One snow sample was taken north of A & S
building, another was taken on the dirt path west of
Lakeside center, and the last one was taken on our way
back to A & S.
We also took readings of conductivity (using a probe
that surprisingly did not need to be calibrated) as well
as temperature. This probe was used in all the aqueous
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solutions. A total of 11 readings were recorded in my

notes. The locations and readings are as follows:

1. North side of A & S—reading: 1.8 µS/cm;

5.4 oC.
2. Storm drain between A & S and A-wing—
reading: 20,000 µS/cm; 0.7 oC.
3. Ditch across from sidewalk north of A-
wing—reading: 1,010 milliseman/cm,; no
temperature reading recorded in notes.
4. Seepage from Lake Fred dam (muddy
ditch)—reading: 200 milliseman/ cm; 6.2
o
C.
5. SE side of Lake Fred at bridge—
reading: 58 µS/cm; 1.8 oC.
6. North middle end of Lake Fred—
reading: 52.2 µS/cm; 1.3 oC.
7. Oasis in front of Lakeside center—
reading: 51.4 µS/cm; 1.9 oC.
8. Cove Northwest of Lake Fred—
reading: 168µS/cm; no temperature reading
recorded in notes.
9. Puddle across from Lake Fred—
reading: 47µS/cm; no temperature reading
recorded in notes.
10. Bridge over inlet---reading: 100µS/cm; 4.5
o
C.
11. Westside bridge— reading: 50µS/cm; 3.6
o
C.

Lake Fred Dam

On our walk, the first new plants that we came across
were the pepperbushes (Clethra alnifolia), which were
in the Lake Fred dam red maples (Juniperus
virginiana). We came to another wetlands plant nearby
on the edge of Lake Fred. It was characterized by
having whorls of buds and leaf scars as well as having
dry clusters of fruit at the ends of the branches. The
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2010 Journal

branches tended to branch out quite a bit. The

buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) has white
flowers in the spring.
We were reminded that black oaks (Quercus velutina)
have roughly furrowed bark all the way down the trunk.
There were large buds at the ends of the branches, and
the buds of the black oak were very angular.
Black gums (Nyssa sylvatica) also have short spurs on
the branches. They have lightly colored bark with
branches that jut out at approximately a 90 o angle.
We saw a good example of the ―survival of the fittest‖
in action while looking at cedars. Many of the white
cedars (Chamecyparis thyoides) were badly damaged
from heavy snowfall this winter. The weak ones either
snapped in half or wilted and will probably not recover.

Boat launch north side of Lake Fred

The ice on top of Lake Fred is probably 2-3 inches
thick. I noticed inkberry (Ilex glabra) along the edge of
the lake.
Cromartie picked out some species not on our Woody
Pine Barren’s Key. The Norway spruce (Picea abies),
which he described as a droopy-looking Christmas tree,
the Downy woodpecker (Picoides pubescens), and blue
jays (Cyanocitta cristata) were all identified.
When we got to the clearing where Professor noted that
at one point in the campus’ history there were 4
recreational cabins, we noticed a scarlet oak (Quercus
coccinea) that had lost a large branch in the snowstorm.
We saw trees with light orange bark that looked like a
white oak to me. Cromartie said that these were not
native to the Pine Barrens and were probably planted as
ornamental trees around the cabins. Cromartie also
saw what he thought was either a swamp chestnut oak
(Quercus michauxii) or some sort of oak hybrid. He
said that swamp chestnut oaks were uncommon on
campus.
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2010 Journal

On our way back to the A & S building, we saw a tree

which I decided to call the ―army tree‖ because it
looked like it was wearing camouflage. This tree
turned out to be the American sycamore tree (Platanus
occidentalis). We got back to A & S at 1218 hrs.

Species List:

Sweet pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia)

Red maple (Juniperus virginiana)
Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
Black gum (Nyssa sylvatica)
Black oak (Quercus velutina)
Pitch pine (Pinus rigida)
White oak (Quercus alba)
Cat briar (Smilax)
White cedar (Chamecyparis thyoides)
Norway spruce (Picea abies)
American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis)
Scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea)

4 March NJ Atlantic County Richard Stockton College 0949 hrs

partly cloudy skies ~ 36oF The walk started at A&S
building and moved north to Lake Fred where we
stopped at the boat ramp and we noticed a Ring neck
Duck (Aythya collaris) and a Hooded Merganser
(Lophodytes cucullatus) out on the lake. The walk
continued west along Lake Fred Through low land.
The area was very typical of the hutcheson article for
the description.

Forest by housing 2 This area was mostly Pitch Pine

(Pinus rigida) all about 10 to 15m tall. There area was
littered with pine needles, very little leaf litter was
present. There was one Red Maple (Juniperus
virginiana) amongst the pines and the pines seemed to
be being thinned out by competition or by beetles. One
High Bush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) was
present which Cromartie pointed out may be indicative
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of this area being old farm land. As we continued the

walk west along Louisville road we came across an
Aspen (Populus grandidentata).

Small Foundation at cross roads Here we came across a

small foundation from an old structure. We noticed the
moss growing on the cement and the weathering
patterns were clues that the foundation had been
exposed for some time, possibly 10 – 20 years? We
came across a Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) tree
about 30.5 cm diameter and 20 m tall. We continued
the walk west along college drive trail until we came to
a clearing.

Old Arboretum site This was the site of what Cromartie

said was an old arboretum, a previous professor had
attempted to place one here but it never worked out.
We came across several species of trees a 34 cm
diameter Pith Pine (Pinus rigida), a White Poplar
(Populus alba), Black Walnut (Juglans nigra), and
Balsum Poplar (Populus balsamifera). The Balsum
appeared to have some sort of rotting damage to it. The
center was hollow with what looked like saw dust
packing in it. The walk continued across the street
where we ran into a Norway Spruce (Picea abies), and
an Autumn Olive (Elaeagnus umbellate). We stopped
at a spot where there was a distinct line between lots of
underbrush and no underbrush. Cromartie pointed out
that this was a divider line between old farm land and
natural forest. There was a distinct difference;
according to the aerial maps we saw back at the lab we
could see the out line of the old field. Walk ended 1230
hrs.

Species List

Ring Neck Duck (Aythya collaris)

Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus)
Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida)
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Red Maple (Juniperus virginiana)

High Bush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum)
Aspen (Populus grandidentata)
Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana)
White Poplar (Populus alba)
Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)
Balsum Poplar (Populus balsamifera)
Norway Spruce (Picea abies)
Autumn Olive (Elaeagnus umbellate)

6 March New Jersey Alantic County Edwin B Forsythe Park

1545hrs Cloudless Blue sky ~50oF. The walk started
on woodland trail, a small trail cut through an upland
oak-pine forest. Dead leaves and limbs cover the
ground. Greenbrier (Smilax) seemed to dominate the
ground cover. Several High Bush Blueberry
(Vaccinium corymbosum) were poking out of the shrub
layer. The trail had a few species pointed out with
signs.

First sign
Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana)-10m tall, trunk is
forked at the bottom with lots of dead branches as the
get higher the livelier they get. There were no berries
present.

Second Sign
American Holly (Ilex opaca)- 15-20m tall with dark
limegreen evergreen leaves. The trunk is split in two
possibly from some form of stressor in the past, maybe
building the trail.

Third Sign
White Oak (Quercus alba)- 20-25m tall one solid trunk
with no branches until 10m up. I noticed two squirrels
chasing each other around on one of the branches.

Leeds eco-trail
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2010 Journal

This is a gravel trail leading into the woods. Heavy

Smilax ground cover is on either side of the trail.
Beyond the Smilax south by southeast the ground cover
opens up to wetlands habitat and the sound with
Atlantic city visible on the other side of the water. One
tree of interest that caught my eye was what I thought
to be a Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana), it appeared
to look the same as the one we saw in Thursday’s lab.
The walk ended at 1648 hrs.

Species List

High Bush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum)

Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana)
American Holly (Ilex opaca)
White Oak (Quercus alba)
Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana)

11 March New Jersey Atlantic County Richard Stockton College

0940 hrs. ~52oF about 80% cloud cover. The Walk
started at the A&S building flagpole we walked south
east toward cooling tower 1 and looked at a location
that cromartie pointed out as being plowed in the past.
The other area right next to it was pointed out as being
undisturbed. The side that had been plowed was mostly
pine without a lot of underbrush. The side that had
been plowed had significant underbrush and was oak-
pine. The underbrush consisted of Huckleberry
(Gaylussacia). From the cooling tower we walked south
across college drive and up the path south east toward
Lake Pam. Just before reaching the lake lake we
stopped to observe some frogs in the distance.
Cromartie pointed out that they were the New Jersey
Chorus Frog (Pseudacris triseriata kalmi)

Southwest corner of Lake Pam

The area had seen significant lake overflow in the past
few weeks. The class observed several puddles outside
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of the lake where we saw many Mudminow (Umbra

limi) swimming around. Cromartie pointed out that
once it gets warm the puddles would dry out and the
minnow would probably die. The walk continued east
toward the power lines, and then south by southwest
down the power lines. Cromartie pointed out the sand
bar to the west that was probably formed from glacial
retreat. The walk stopped at the flooded sand pits that
were used in highway construction.

Flooded sand pits

Here we went on to investigate the flooded pits were we
found a Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens). The frog
appeared to have endured some sort of trama or was
suffering from sort of negative environmental condition
because the frog didn’t move a lot and seemed to be
somewhat paralyzed. He was handled by most of the
class before getting put back into the water. Someone
pointed out that it could be a fungus problem, one that
causes the skin of frogs to harden so they can’t
adequately respire. Whatever was causing the issue the
frog seemed to have died after being put back into the
water. We then turned west and made out way back to
college drive and back to A&S building. Walk ended
1225 hrs.

Species List

Huckleberry (Gaylussacia)
Chorus Frog (Pseudacris triseriata kalmi)
Mudminow (Umbra limi)
Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens)

20 March New Jersey, Ocean County, Goose Pond 1526 hrs. The
temperature was about 70oF without a cloud in the sky
with winds gusting out of the south about 20 to 25 mph.
The area where I sit is surrounded with fencing and
littered picnic tables The Grass is a tan to brownish
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2010 Journal

color, rattled with green weed sprouts. Either the grass

is dead or lays dormant which would lead me to believe
it’s a type a Bermuda Grass (Cynodon Dactylon). I
wouldn’t think Bermuda would be a very popular grass
for New Jersey. The most dominant tree for the area is
a dual trunked Spanish Red Oak (Quercus falcata). At
the base of the trunk where the two become a single
trunk appears to grow some sort of lichen, and a moss.
On further study the lichen appears to be two different
kinds. One was Goat/Grey Star Lichen (Physcia
aipolia) and the other was Green Shield Lichen
(Pseudoparmelia caperata). The grey and green
sploches rose up the central main trunk and up the two
forks to a height of about 6 feet off the ground where is
slowly tapered of and disappeared. Also, upon further
examination of the trunk base revealed not only a moss
but probably a fungus. The moss appears to be Broom
Moss (Dicranum condensatum) and a Pin cushion Moss
(Leucebyrum albidum). The moss is interesting in the
fact it only grows on the west and east sides of the tree
not on the north side where it is expected to be. The
Lichen follows the same behavior. The moss is limited
to the bottom of the trunk raising only about 2 feet off
the ground. The Black fungus appears only on the east
side of the tree which surrounds a scar on the bottom
end of the trunk just before the appearance of the split.
This might be indicative of some sort of environmental
stressor which caused the trunk to split. The trunk at
DBH estimates to be 40 to 45 inches diameter just
before the split. After the split each trunk estimates at
20 – 25 inches diameter. The lichen predominantly
follows the northern split. The tree is roughly 25 to 30m
tall with branches sprawling out in a symmetrical
pattern to the other trunk. Both trunks only produce
branches on opposite sides from the other trunk. The
lichen which I thought stopped at 6feet actually climbs
the entire tree but only appears on the tops of the upper
branches. Some sort of ball like sac has grown around
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the smaller limbs on the bottom 1/3 of the tree. Not sure
what these are.

Species List

Bermuda Grass (Cynodon Dactylon)

Spanish Red Oak (Quercus falcata)
Goat/Grey Star Lichen (Physcia aipolia)
Green Shield Lichen (Pseudoparmelia caperata)
Broom Moss (Dicranum condensatum)
Pin cushion Moss (Leucebyrum albidum)