What is a wetland?

Water Classification• Wetlands are areas that are

covered by water or have waterlogged soils for long periods during the growing season.

• Plants growing in wetlands are capable of living in saturated soil conditions for at least part of the growing season.

• Sometimes may be unrecognizable as these areas will dry out.

• Wetlands are found from the tundra to the tropics and on every continent except Antarctica.

What is a wetland?•Three Classifications

–Ground Water–Hydrophylic Plants–Hydric Soil

Groundwater Classification

is at the surface or within the soil root zone during all or part of the growing season

Hydrophylic Plant Classification

• Plants adapted for growing in standing water or saturated soils, such as moss, sedges, reeds, cattail and horsetail, rice, mangroves, cypress, cranberries, etc.

Hydric Soil Classification

• Soils are characterized by frequent, prolonged saturation and low oxygen content, which lead to anaerobic chemical environments where reduced iron is present.

United State and Wetlands

Importance of Wetlands: Hydrologic

•Long term and short term water storage–Wetlands protect land from damage caused by flooding, storms and tidal damage

Importance of Wetlands: Water Filtration

•Wetlands remove nutrients from surface and ground water by filtering and by converting nutrients to forms that won’t harm the environment

Importance of Wetlands: Habitat

• There are a number of plant and animal species that can only survive in a wetland ecosystem

Wetland Improvements•Wetland Restoration

•Wetland Creation

•Wetland Enhancement

Wetland Restoration

• A degraded wetland or former wetland is returned to its previous condition as much as possible

Wetland Creation•A non-wetland area is converted into a wetland

Wetland Enhancement

•A function of the wetland is improved upon