| Aerial Photo Nelson Swamp Cazenovia, New York click photo to enlarge  |
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PHOTO www.nysgis.state.ny.us |
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Nelson Swamp
Cazenovia, New York
Nelson Swamp Unique Area—also called "Cedar Swamp"—is a 1500-acre wetland in west central Madison County in central New York, a few miles east of Cazenovia and 20 miles southeast of Syracuse. The swamp takes its names from Nelson, a small town on U.S. 20 just northeast of the swamp, and from the stunted, twisted cedars that are the dominant species in the swamp. Most of the swamp is south of U.S. 20 in in the Town of Nelson, but a small section (200 acres) extends north of U.S. 20 into the Town of Fenner, and another 200 acres extend west into the Town of Cazenovia. At 1380 feet elevation above sea level, the swamp is near the headwaters of Chittenango Creek, which flows north into Oneida Lake.
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Nelson Swamp |
Nelson Swamp is classified by the Natural Heritage Program as a northern white cedar swamp. White cedar is about 30% of the canopy, in some pure stands, but more frequently as a component in a mixed forest. Travelers passing by mistake the basin as a forest, since their eyes see the dominating canopy of conifer and deciduous trees framed by hills on the east, south and west. Besides cedar, other trees include tamarack, balsam fir, hemlock, white pine, yellow birch, and bur oak. Nelson Swamp contains the State Champion Speckled Alder, with a 40-foot height, 15-inch circumference, and total point score of 58.
"Swamp," "bog" and "fen" are words used interchangably to describe Nelson Swamp. "Swamp" occurs only on mineral soils. "Bog," however, has an organic soil, with a water source almost entirely precipitation, with little inflow or outflow, and acidic water. "Fen" is the erm most accurate for Nelson Swamp, since it has organic soil and gets its water from surrounding terrain and tributaries.
In 1987, Nelson Swamp was identified as an area of special concern by the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC). As a wetland, the swamp had been studied by scientists for decades, and was known as a critical habitat for a rich diversity of plants, animals, birds, and insects, many of which are rare or unusual. The swamp is home to eleven species of orchids, including the mysterious striped coral root, which is only found in Nelson Swamp. One threatened species—spreading globeflower (buttercup family)—is found in several locations in Nelson Swamp.
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History
The region was first settled in 1790, when land acquired by treaty from the Oneida Tribe of the Six Nations Confederacy was surveyed in Military Tracts and conveyed to soldiers who fought in the American Revolution. At this time, the entire region was covered by a forest of tall and ancient trees. Quickly the new settlers cleared the land, and converted those ancient forests into farmland.
Although Nelson Swamp is easily accessible from U.S. 20, trees in this wetland escaped cutting because of the difficulty removing them from the muck and mud. Swamps—along with steep slopes and deep ravines—are a type of landcape where it is common to find ancient trees. Like most of central New York, the land was first settled in 1790 when it was subdivided into Military Tracts to pay American soldiers who fought in the Revolution.
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Nelson Swamp is home to many ancient trees which escaped the land clearing and logging that removed other old growth and first forests in the region. The swamp's most famous resident is a white pine which has been dated at over 450 years by rings counted on a trunk core. This makes this the oldest living white pine documented in New York.
In 1997, Nelson Swamp was first documented as old growth by researchers from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, led by Dr. Donald Leopold, forest ecology professor. One eastern white pine was documented by tree rings to be over 450 years old, documenting it as the oldest living tree of its species, and perhaps the oldest tree in central New York. Increment cores reveal other white pine in the 12-acre stand are at least 300 years old.
The swamp is home to a rich diversity of plant and animal species. It is currently under management by the NYS DEC.
September 29, 2002 Team Leader: Fred Breglia — Assistant: David Yarrow Data Sheet: NelsonSwamp-ds01 |
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The survey team visited Nelson Swamp on Sunday morning, September 29, guided by NYS DEC Senior Forester Greg Owens. Greg led us in along the east edge of a DEC-owned tract. We stretched out single file behind him, snaking our way through the dense tangle of logs, stumps, limbs, blowdowns, muckholes, and other obstacles. The terrain was constant clambering up and down over debris, mounds, pits, holes, and stumps flaring big buttress roots. The dominant tree was white cedar, with many other species mingled in, including blackspruce, hemlock, and black ash.
The consensus of the team was this swamp forest—although small—is a real gem, containing many remarkable specimen trees.
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