Forested Wetlands Exam 1

Clean Water Act

Goal is to protect the physical, biological, and chemical water of the US
Determination of whether a wetland is jurisdictional

Soil Forming Factors

Topography
Climate
Parent Material
Time
Organisms

Hydrophytic vegetation indicators

Obligate
Facultative Wetland
Facultative

Cowardin System

hierarchical system
systems, subsystems, ect...

Hydrogeomorphology System

used source and direction of water as well as topography

Marine

tides

salinity greater than 30 ppt

Estuaries

bays, brackish to salt water may be tidal

includes some forests

salinity greater than 0.5 ppt

Riverine

all wetland and deep water habitats within a channel

not determined by emergents (trees)

salinity less than 0.5 ppt

Lacustrine

freshwater lakes

must be greater than 20 acres

lacking much vegetation

in depression or dammed river channel

Palustrine

everything else
most forested wetlands

Oi soil horizon

leaf layer
can still tell what organic material is from
peat

Oe soil horizon

fragmented organic material layer

Oa soil horizon

humus
decomposed
can't tell what organic material is from
mucks

Fibrist

Oi

Hemist

Oe

Safrist

Oa

A soil horizon

uppermost mineral horizon with some organic material

Ap soil horizon

plowed or tilled surface

E soil horizon

underneath A
zone of eluviation
chemicals have been removed and transported downwards

B soil horizon

zone of illuviation
chemicals have been seeped into this horizon

g subscript

gleyed horizon
can be all layers

Bt soil horizon

clays that have moved downward

Bh soil horizon

accumulation of humic acids
darker in color

Bs soil horizon

iron present

Bhs soil horizon

accumulation of humic acids and iron

Bss soil horizon

slick and slides

C soil horizon

like parent material but minimally influenced

Cr soil horizon

contains rock fragments

R soil horizon

bedrock

Entisol

O
A
C
common in wetlands

Inceptisol

O
A
Bw
C
floodplain
no Bt present

Vertisol

O
A
Bt
Bss
Shrink/swell
young soil

Mollisol

O

Ap

A1

A2 Bt1

Bt2

Need 20 inches of A horizon

abundance of herbaceous vegetation

roots die found in glades/ prairies

Spodisol

O
A
E
Bh/Bs/Bhs
E'
Bh'
sandy
under conifers

Histosol

Oi
Oe
Oa1
Oa2
Oa3
Cg
Needs 18 inches of O horizon

Alfisol/Ultisol

O
A
Bt1
Bt2
Most of Blacksburg's soil

Aridisol

desert
gypsum

Oxisol

BO
low base saturation

Andisol

Volcanic Ash

Gelisol

permafrost

How to tell how old a wetland is

how weathered and how many layers it has

Alfisol

more base saturation
more fertile
look for more plants

Ultisol

Less base saturation
less fertile

Soil Taxonomic Description

order
suborder
great groups
subgroups
families
series
phases

First wetland inventory

conducted by USDA
done for agricultural reclaim

Second wetland inventory

conducted by USDA
based on previous work don by bureau of public roads and USGS
used soil surveys

Gross Precipititon

Total precipitation in the area

Net precipitation

Precipitation not intercepted

Interception

precipitation blocked by object such as a tree where it can be evaporated back into atmosphere

can be from litter layer

open water evaporation

greatest amount of water evaporated

soil evaporation

greater water loss than what soil can replenish

Wetland water movements

Have lots of subsurface flow and transpiration

railroads

can dam a watershed

USDI Fish and Wildlife Survey

inventory that was directed towards wetland protection

mapped wildlife habitats

USFS CFI data base

inventory conducted sampling every 5-10 years

addressed vegetation characteristics

looked at species

National Wetland Inventory

US Fish and Wildlife Service

10 year intervals

Digital Data

Satellite inventory

USDA NRCS

Mapped hydric soils

intensity of agriculture vs forested land

problems with inventory methods

original purpose differed

agency mission/ personal background

methodology/ accuracy

changing definitions

rapidity of loss

loss vs alteration

Factors that would increase decomposition

temperature

moisture

type of organic material

palatability of organic material to organism

pH

crawfish

can have big impacts on soil structures in streams

swamp

a wet area dominated by trees and shrubs

cypress knees

higher equals higher water

support/storage

carb storage

sediment/gas exchange

marsh

a wet area dominated by herbaceous vegetation

bog

peat accumulation

no inflows from mineral soil

Oa horizons

less fertile

fen

peat accumulation

inflows from mineral soils

more fertile

peatland, mire, moor

peat accumulation

reed marsh

marsh dominated by phragmites

slough

depressional area in marsh or swamp

marine/river terrace

created by differences in water level over time

pothoe

marsh-like pond in midwest

playa

marsh-like ponds in southwest

alkaline

Mountain lake

natural lake

landslide blocked the drainage → dam

cycled refilling

would have been lacustrine

now it would be palustrine

theories of why mountain lake dried up

dam leaked

tectonic activities

karst (limestone underneath dissolved)

tiny watershed

bog succession

mountain lake

mix of cobbles and bare soil

rich herbs growing

could be setting up a bog

Purpose of Forest Service

Let people see wildlife and also preserve it

Purpose of USDA forest service

watershed protection

ensure timber supply

wildlife protection

recreation

manage wilderness

manage range (cattle/livestock)

US Environmental Protection Agency

overall authority enforcement

US Core of Engineers

Permit Issuance/ requirements

US Natural Resource Conservation Service

Agricultural Wetlands

Hydric Soils

US Department of Fish and Wildlife Service

Comment Authority

National Wetland Inventory

National Plant List

Virginia Marine Resources Commission

Permits

Authority over stream bottoms

Virginia Department of Environmental Quality

Permits

Enforcements

Virginia Department of Forestry

Ensure we have clean watersheds following forest operations

small stream crossings for silviculture

Virginia Wetland agencies

More restrictions than federal

Spring Tides

extreme highs and lows

Neap Tides

highs and lows are not that far apart

subtidal

continually submerged

intertidal

exposed and flooded by tides

limnetic

Deepwater

greater than 2 m in depth

littoral

wetland

less than 2 m in depth

muck swamp

very poorly drained

organic material

cypress and tupelo common

peat swamp

broad interstream areas

poorly drained

Oe accumulation

wet flats

better drained

mineral soils

red river bottom

higher gradient due to starting in mountains or piedmont

carry more sediment

black river bottom

slower moving

more flood tolerant species

branch or minor bottoms

smaller floodplains

coves, gulfs

mesic sites that may contain wet site species

cypress/gum domes

karst topography

distinguished edges

aqua-

wet entisol

fluv-

flowing water

floodplain