La Branche Wetland Information
| Wetland Category: |
|
Forested Wetlands |
| NWI Classification: |
|
PFO5/EM1C |
| Latitude: |
30.016341 |
|
Longitude: |
-90.314226 |
Image Data |
| Date: |
|
07/30/2011 |
| Direction: |
South |
| State: |
Louisiana |
| Country: |
USA |
| Location: |
From I-10 west of Kenner |
| Author(s): |
Nathan Handley |
| Affiliation: |
CNL World |
|
| 
07/30/2011 | | 
05/22/2014 | | |
|
|
Description:
Freshwater Palustrine Forested of dead Bald Cypress snags. Live Bald Cypress occupies less than 30% of the cover in the foreground area and Scrub-shrub occupies less than 30% of the cover. Emergent marsh covers most of surface. Some pockets of open freshwater.
|
Conditions: Freshwater wetland with new scrub growth. Dead Bald Cypress snags. Marsh flooded to within 2 - 3 inches of surface.
|
| Dominant Plants: |
|
Scientific Name: |
| Bald Cypress |
|
Taxodium distichum |
| Saltmeadow Cordgrass |
|
Spartina patens |
| Easter Baccharis |
|
Baccharis halimifolia |
|
|
Disturbances: The freshwater Bald Cypress swamp has been impacted in the past 15 years by increasing fluctuations of brackish water from Lake Pontchartrain, stressing and killing the bald cypress forest and causing increasing coverage of emergent herbaceous cover of saltwater cordgrass. The area has also been drying out slightly with lower water levels in the forested area causing more growth of marsh and increasing amounts of eastern baccharis and wax myrtle scrub-shrub. Over the last several years the freshwater has been increasing. |
|
Comments: Dead bald cypress snags estimated at more than 10% cover, making the dead subclass dominant. |
