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Wetland Classification Terms

Terms in this set (50)

Aquatic
Golet & Larson: Shrub Swamp-Aquatic shrubs dominate such as willow or buttonbush.
Lifeform: Shrub -> Subform: Shrubs up to 7' tall, growing in standing water 6" or more deep.
Aquatic Bed
Wetlands dominated by plants that grow on or below the surface of water for most of growing season
Bog
Floating sphagnum or peat mats
Broad-leaved
Referring to marshes: dominated by broad-leaved marsh emergents such as pickerel weed and water arum
Deciduous
Wooded Swamp: deciduous trees dominate such as Red Maple, Am. Elm, and Black Ash.
Circular 39
Created by Shaw and Fredine in 1956; identifies 20 different wetland types divided into 4 major categories: Inland Fresh Areas, Inland Saline Areas, Coastal Freshwater Areas, Coastal Saline Areas
Cobble
Subclass in classes Unconsolidated Bottom/Shore
Compact Shrub
Class: Shrub Swamp -> Subclass: Compact shrubs dominate such as sweet gale or leatherleaf
Consolidated
Bottoms and shores consisting of big rocks
Cowardin et al. (1979)
National Wetland Inventory (NWI); current system used today; one of two national schemes
Deep Marsh
6 inches to 3 feet of water
Deepwater Habitat
greater than 6 feet of water
Emergent
Rooted herbaceous or semiwoody plants growing mostly above the water surface
Estuarine
coastal areas
Evergreen
retain leaves or needle throughout the whole year
Fen
Minerotrophic wetlands, fed by rainwater, surface water runoff, and ground water
Floating-leaved Vegetation
Lifeform Surface Vegetation -> Subform: rooted plants with leaves floating on water surface
Forested
Wetlands dominated by woody vegetation > 6 meters (20')
Gravel
Subclass in classes Unconsolidated Bottom/Shore
Inland Fresh Areas
Predominant wetland type in Upstate NY
Lacustrine
Lakes
Lichen
Class: Moss-Lichen -> Subclass: Lichens
Live Deciduous
Lifeform: Trees -> Subform: Living trees that lose their leaves of needles during the late fall, winter, and early spring
Live Evergreen
Lifeform: Trees -> Subform: Living trees that retain their green leaves or needles throughout the year
Marine
Oceans
Marshes
Shallow water system with emergent vegetation
Meadow
Flooded periodically with less than 6 inches of water
Moss
Class: Moss-Lichen -> Subclass: moss
Narrow-leaved
Class: Shallow/Deep Marsh -> Subclass: narrow leaved marsh emergents dominate such as burreed and bulrush
National Wetlands Inventory
Created by Cowardin et al. (1979); second national system; classifies wetlands separately from deepwater habitats
Needle-leaved
Black Spruce or Northern White Cedar
Non-persistent Emergent
Class: Emergent -> Subclass: species that fall below surface at end of growing season
Open Water
3 to 10 feet of water
Palustrine
Swamps, Marshes, and Bogs
Persistent Emergent
Class: Emergent -> Subclass: species that remain standing at least until the beginning of the next growing season
Riverine
Rivers
Robust
Class: Deep/Shallow Marsh -> Subclass: Dominated by robust emergents such as cattail and reed
Sapling
Class: Shrub Swamp -> Subclass: tall, slender shrubs dominate, most often Red Maple or Am. Elm
Seasonally Flooded Flats
Soils covered with water during seasonal periods of the year. Soils are well-drained during most of the growing season. Found in upland depressions and overflow bottomlands. Basins or flats are filled with water during periods of heavy rains or snowmelt. Examples include: sheetwaters, prairie potholes, playa lakes, bottomland, and hardwoods
Shaw and Fredine (1956)
Circular 39; first national system
Shallow Marsh
less than 6 inches of water
Short Meadow
Lifeform: Emergent -> Subform: sedgelike emergents less than 4' tall, some species forming tussocks. Found on moist or seasonally flooded soil. ex. sedge or rush
Shrub Swamp
Class: seasonally or permanently flooded up to 1 foot
Shrub
Lifeform: woody vegetation less than 20' tall
Submergent
Lifeform: plants (mostly rooted) that grow mostly beneath the water surface, except for flowering parts in some species
Sub-shrub
Lifeform: Emergents -> Subform: Emergents up to 5' tall, with herbaceous arching stems, a persistent semiwoody base, and growing in water up to 18" deep
Tall Meadow
Lifeform: Emergents -> Subform: grasslike emergents up to 6' tall, often forming dense stands on moist or seasonally flooded soil. ex. reed canary grass or sweet flag
Trees
Lifeform: woody vegetation greater than meters (20')
Unconsolidated
Class Bottom/Shore: wetland with substrates having an aerial of 25% or more of particles smaller than stones and less than 30% vegetative cover
Wooded
Wetlands dominated by woody vegetation greater than meters (20')
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