## Proposed Classification for Biological Assessment

of Florida Inland Freshwater Wetlands

Report to:

Florida Department of E nvironmental Protection

Contract No. WM68

(Development of a Biological Approach for Assessing Wetland Function and Integrity)

by

S.J. Doherty, C.R. Lane, M.T. Brown

Center for Wetlands

PO Box 116350

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL 32611

May 2000

### This project and the preparation of this report were funded in part by a Section 104(b)(3) W a ter

Quality Im provem e nt grant from the U.S. Envi ronm ental Pro t ection Agency through a contract

with the Flo r ida Depa rtm e nt of Environm ental Protection.

### Table of Contents

List of Tables....................................................................................

........... iii

Wetland Classification – Background.......................................................

............ 1

Florida Natural Areas Inventory.............................................................

............. 3

Soil Conservation Service....................................................................

............. 3

Florida Land-use, Cover and Form s Classification System

........................... ................ 5

Florida Fish and W ildlife Cons ervation Comm ission..................................

................ 6

U.S. Fish and W ildlife Service – National W e tlands Inventory.......................

................ 7

Other Classification System s..............................................................

................. 11

Ecosystem s of Florida (Myer and E w el 1990)..................................

................ 11

The Nature Conservancy..........................................................

................ 11

Lake County W a ter Author ity/Sem inole County..............................

................. 11

Hydrogeomorphic W e tland Classification...............................................

................ 12

Classification Crosswalks..................................................................

................. 14

Proposed Wetland Classification Appro ach for Biological Assessm ent.............

................ 15

Literature Cited..............................................................................

................ 32

ii

### List of Tables

Table 1. General ch aracteristics for 3 broad categories of inland freshwater

wetlands in Florida...........................................................

............. 2

Table 2 FNAI inland freshwater wetland co mmunities and synonymy.....

................. 4

Table 3. SCS inland freshwater wetland communities...

........................ .............. 5

Table 4. FLUCCS inland freshwater we tland codes and nom e nclature.......

............... 6

Table 5. FW C inland freshwater wetla nd habitats and percent statewide

areas........................................................................

.................. 7

Table 6. NW I hierarchy of selected inland freshwater wetland types

represented in Florida......................................................

.............. 8

Table 7. Water regime m odifiers describing NW I wetland and deepwater

habitats........................................................................

.............. 9

Table 8. Percent S t atewide area for NW I inland freshwater wetland

system s.........................................................................

............ 10

Table 9. HGM (hydrogeom orphology) de term inants of wetland function.....

............. 13

Table 10. HGM Peninsular Florida Depression wetla nd class com p arison...

................ 14

Table 11. Classification cross-referen ce of FNAI inland freshwater wetland

communities..................................................................

............. 16

Table 12. Classification cross-referen ce of SCS inland freshwater wetland

communities..................................................................

............. 17

Table 13. Classification cross-refere nce of FLUCCS inland freshwater

wetland classes..............................................................

.............. 18

Table 14. Classification cross-refere nce of FWC inland freshwater wetland

habitats......................................................................

................. 19

Table 15. Classification cross-referen ce of NWI inland freshwater wetland

system s......................................................................

................ 20

iii

### Table 16. Classification crosswalk summa ries (total and average num ber of

repeat references)................................................

.............................. 21

Table 17. FNAI crosswalk summ a r y...............

........................................................... 23

Table 18. SCS crosswalk summ ar y...............

............................................................. 24

Table 19. FLUCCS crosswalk summary...........................................

................. 25

Table 20. FW C crosswalk summ a r y...............................................

.................. 26

Table 21. NW I crosswalk summ ar y...............................................

.................. 27

Table 22. Proposed classification for biological assessm e n t of Florida

inland freshwater wetlands.............................................

................... 28

Table 23. Classification cross-re ference of proposed wetland

bioassessm e nt classes in Florida.......................................

.................. 30

iv

### Wetland Classification

Successful biological m onitoring depends on judi cious classification: selection of too few

classes m a y overlook importan t characteristics; too m a ny m a y unnecessarily com p licate

developm ent of biocriteria (Karr and Chu 1999). Classifications are us ed to describe and

organize ecosystem s and land cover into distinct categories useful to land m a nagers, planners

and scien tis ts, accord ing to specific agency goals. The goal of class i ficatio n for biological

assessm ent is to group ecosystem s with sim ila r biological attributes and biological response

to hum an disturbance. Because b i olo g ical asse ss m e nts m easure ecosys t em health relative to

reference co nditions, classificati on must distinguish local envi ronm ents and address regional

variability.

Geography, landscap e p o sition, g e o m orphology, hydropattern, clim ate, physical/chem i cal

variables, and biogeographic processes dete rm ine the structure and function of local

ecosystem s. Aspects of these driv ing forces are incorporated in m o st hierarchical

class i ficatio n system s, while others are bas e d on plant com m unity structure and species

com position. Regardless of the num ber or resolution of classes, at all levels of classification

there is overlap becau se of comm on species d i stributions and intergrad i n g physical

environm ental conditions.

Several classification schem e s have been develo ped to describe Florida' s inland freshwater

wetlands (W harton et al. 1977, Cowa rdin et al 1979, FDOT 1979/1985, SCS 1981, Ewel and

Kushlan 1990, FDNR 1988, FNAI 1990, Brin son 1993, Trott et al 1997, T N C 1997).

Descriptions of each are given below

, followed by crosswalk com p arisons between

classifications. Although there is considerable overlap be tw een key characteristics and

wetland clas ses, each classification is goal spec ific. A comm on approach orders Flo r ida’s

inland freshwater wetlands into three broad groups (Table 1): wetlands associated with

flowing water; wetlands adjacen t to p onds and la k e s; and dep r essional or stillwater wetlands.

General descriptions, review of plant comm unity associa tion s

, and cross-reference of State

classifications provide f oundations f o r the deve lopm ent of wetland bioassessm ent classes.

Here a proposed classification for biologica l assessm ent of Florida inland freshwater

wetlands is described. It is a tiered approach using broad lan d scape categ o ries (River,

Depression, Lake, Strand, Seepage and Flatland) subdivided into fore sted and non-forested

classes. Proposed wetland ecoregions partition the State and further specify wetland classes.

Modifiers (h ydropattern, water source, a nd soil ty pe) lend add ition a l resolution.

Classification approaches to Florida wetlands are described, and five prom inent system s are

cross-referenced to generate a fram e w ork for common nom e nclature and to utiliz e th e best

com ponents of existing system s. The proposed cl assification uses aspe cts of HGM and FNAI

class i ficatio n structure. Twelve prop osed clas se s are th en co mpared w ith other descriptions

f

o r inland f r e shwater we tlands to pro v ide cros s-r e ference with other classifications used in

Florida. Cla ssif i ca tion c r osswalks a r e provided in an HTML f o rm at f o r addition a l utility.

1Table 1.Comparisons, general characteristics and plant communityassociations comparedfor 3broadcategories of inland freshwaterwetlands: a) flowing water, b) lake fringeand c) basin, depression wetland types (adapted fromErwin, Doherty,Brown, Best 1997).General TypeAbstractedfromEcosystems ofFloridaFNAI / FDNRFLUCFCSOtherSynonymsGeneral CharacteristicsFlowing waterwetlandsRiver(stream) swamps;blackwaterfloodplainforestBottomland forest,floodplain forest,blackwater stream,seepage stream, strand,slough615 streamand lakeswamps;616 inland ponds and sloughs;617 mixedwetlandhardwoods; 630 wetlandforested mixedSwamp forest, swamphardwoods,bottomlandhardwoods,backwaterswampsForested wetlandswithin streamorriverfloodplainsgenerallyconsist of a wide varietyoftree speciesincludingcypress, blackgum,ash,elm,someoaks,sugarberry,maple,cabbage palm,sweetgum,hickories.Lake fringewetlandsLake fringe swampsRiverfloodplain lake,swamp lake615 streamand lakeswampsLake fringe swamp,lakefringeforestForested wetlandson fringe oflakes; species includecypress, blackgum,ash,elm,someoaks,sugarberry,maple,cabbage palm,sweet gum,hickories;wet tolerant speciessuch as cypress, blackgumand ash found in deeperzone;transitional species commonlylandward of the land/waterinterface.Lake fringemarshesFlatwood/prairie/marshany640-series freshwaterwetlands,especially641freshwatermarshes and 644emergent aquaticvegetationLakemarsh,lake fringemarsh,lake littoralzoneHerbaceous emergent vegetation within littoral zone of lake(rushes, bulrushes, beakrushes, fuirena,pickerelweed), orfringing lake borderwithin highwater levels (maidencane,bluemaidencane,sedges,composites.Stillwater, basinordepressionwetlandsCypress ponds/cypressstrands,cypress/gumswampsCypress domeorbasinswamp,gumswamp,cypress/gumslough,swale orstrand621 cypress; 613 gumswamps; 624 cypress-pinecabbage palmCypress swamp, cypressgumswamp, cypress-gumbayswampCypress and gumswamps are verysimilar in characteristicsand species composition with a shift in dominant speciesdriven primarilybyslight differences in firefrequencyandhydropattern.Dominant species include cypress, blackgum,loblollybay,dahoon holly,sweetmagnolias andmaple.BayswampsBaygall611 bayswampsSeepage swamps,bayheads, sandhill bogBayswamps are generally dominated byloblollybay andsweetmagnolia andmaple with somered baymixedwithmaple,with cypress and blackgumindeeperportions.Mixed hardwood swampsBottomland forest617 mixedwetlandhardwoods; 630 wetlandforested mixedSwamp forest, wetlandhardwood hammocks,freshwater swampforestForested wetlandscomposed ofa large variety ofhardwoods with varying degrees of tolerance to hydricconditions.Common species include redmaple,oaks,bays,cypress, black gum, sweet gum,ash, hickoryand pines.Flatwoods/depressionmarshesWet flatwoods,wetprairie, depressionmarshAny640 series freshwaterwetlands,especially641freshwatermarshes; 643 wetprairie; 644 emergent aquaticvegetationHydric flatwoodmarshes,pine savannahs,marshes,herbaceous wetlands,freshwater marshesSeveral common types of depressionmarshes exist.Althoughmost have amixture ofherbs and grasses,a fewspecies generally dominate(maidencane, pickerel weed,arrowhead,arrowroot,needlerush,bullrush,sawgrass andcattail).2

### Florida Natural Areas Inventory - Guide to th e Natural Communities of Florida

Eighty-one natura l communities in Florida are d e scrib e d and class i f i ed as Terres t r i al,

Palustr i ne, L acustr i ne, Riverine, Sub t erran ea n, or Marine /Estu a rine. Na tur a l comm unities

are defined as distinct and re occurring assem b lages of populations of plants, anim als, fungi

and m i croorganism s naturally associated with each other and their physical environment.

This cla ssif i cation /inven t ory is un iqu e in tha t it d e scrib e s pr is tine na tura l communitie s

without human intervention, providin g inform a tion on referen ce condition

. For each Natural

Community Type brief descriptions of charact eristic flora and fauna, physical setting, soil

types, hydro p attern, fire fre quency, associated co mmunities, and develop m ent i m pact are

given. Synonym s and comparisons with other ve getation classifications are also reported.

Inland freshwater wetlands are generally classi fied within the Palustrine Group (Table 2),

although 2 L acustrine types (third le vel) m a y be interpreted as wetland

(Flatwoods/Prairie/Marsh Lake and River Floodpl ain/Swamp Lake). FNAI defines palustrine

natura l communities a s f r eshwate rwetland s dominated by p l ants adap ted to anae robic

substrate conditions im posed by substrate satura tion or inundation during at least 10% of the

growing season. Nineteen wetland types in 4 categories (W et Flatlands, S eepage W e tlands,

Floodplain Wetlands, Basin W e tlands) are clas sified within the Palustrine Group.

Soil Conservation Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Twenty-six vegeta tive c o mm unities are id entif ie d f r om soil series and f i e l d studies. Aquatic

communitie s are not inc l uded. Ecolo g ical comm unities ar e d e scrib e d as m a ture (late

success i onal) and pristin e ecosystems. Comm uni ty specific infor m ation includes : 1)

Occurrence, 2) Description (typical soil, ve getation, wildlife), 3) Land-use Interpretation

(utility as natural land, rangeland, woodland, urban), and 4) E ndangered and Threatened

Flora and Fauna. Distribution m a ps identify locations for each community type within

Florida.

The repor t a l so cor r elate s ecolog i cal communitie s with soil s e ries. Matric es iden tif yin g plant

species o ccu rrence within clim atic zones (North , Central, South, and S outh Tropical) indicate

the species status for each of the 26 ecologi cal co mmunity types as either Characterizing

(typical or indicative) or O ccurring (present). Introduced sp eci e s ar e noted. Pl ant speci es

include: 129 grasses; 41 grass- like sedges and rushes; 127 trees; 470 herbaceous species; 89

vines; and 242 shrubs. F r om this database, pl ant species o ccu rrence can b e cross -referenced

with soils se ries, c lim atic z ones and ecological comm unity t ypes. Eleven SCS ecological

communitie s are c l ass i f i ed as wetlan d (Table 3 )

.

3Tab l e 2

. Flo r id a Natu ral Area s In v e n t o r y in lan d fresh wate r wet l an d co mmu n ities an d sy nony my

(FNAI 1990).

Palustrine

Wet Flatlands

Hydric Ha mmock (sy non y m s: wetland hardwood hammock, wet hamm ock)

Marl Prairie (sy n ony m s: s c rub cypress, marl flat, dwa rf cy press savanna, sedge flat,

spikerush m a rsh)

Wet Flatwoods (sy n o n y m s : low flatwoods, m o ist pine barren, h ydric flatwoods, pond- pine

flatwoods, po cosin, cabbage palm /pine savanna/flatwoods)

Wet Prairie (sy n ony m s: s a nd m a rsh, sa vanna, coastal savanna, coastal prairie, pitcher plant

prairie)

Seepage Wetl ands

Baygall (s yn on y m s: seepage swam p, bayhead, ba y s w am p)

Seepage Slope (sy n ony m s : herb bog, pitcher plant bog, grass-sedge bog, shr u b bog, seep)

Floodp lain W e tlands

Bottomland Forest (sy n o n y m s : bottomland hardwoo d s, river/stream botto m

, lowland

hardwood for est, m e sic hammock)

Floodplain Forest (sy nonyms: bottom l and hardwoods, seasonally flooded basins/flats, oakgum -cy p ress, river terrace)

Floodplain Marsh (sy n ony m s : river marsh)

Floodplain S w am p (sy n ony m s : river swam p, bottoml and hardwoods, seasonally flooded

basins/flats, oak-gum -cy p ress, cy press-t upelo, slough, oxbow, backwater sw a m p)

Freshwate r Tidal Swamp (sy n ony m s: tidewater sw a m p, river m o u th swa m p, sweetbay

swam p, tupelo-redba y )

Slough

Strand Swamp (sy nonyms: cy press s t rand)

Swale (sy n ony m s : slough, river of grass, glades)

Basin Wetlan d s

Basin Marsh (sy n ony m s: prairie, fresh water marsh)

Basin Swamp (sy n on y m s: gum swam p, bay, ba y h ead , swam p)

Bog (s y n o n y ms: bog swam p, pocosins, evergreen shrub bo gs, wet scrub/shrub, peat islands)

Depre ssion Marsh (sy n o n y m s : isolated wetland, flatw oods po nd, St. John ’s w o rt po nd,

pineland depr ession, epheme ral pond, seasonal marsh)

Dome Swa m p (synony m s: isolated wet l and, c y press dom e/pond, gum pond, ba yhead,

cy press gall)

Lacustrine

Flatwoods / Prairie / Marsh Lake (sy nony m s: flat woods pond, ephem e ral po nd, grass pond,

St. John’ s wort pond, pi neland depression, swale, prairie pond)

River Floodplain Lake and Swamp Lake (sy n onyms: cy press pond, gum pond, backwater

pond , blackwater pond)

4Table 3. Soil Conservation Service (1981) classification of inla nd freshwater wetland

co mm unities.



### 10 - Cutthro at Seeps

12 - W e tland Hardwood Ha mm ocks

16 - Scrub Cypress

17 - Cypress Swa m p

20 - Bottom l and Hardwoods

21 - Swa m p Hardwoods

22 - Shrub Bogs - Bay Swa m ps

23 - Pitcher Plant Bogs

24 – Sawgrass Marsh

25 - Freshw ater Marsh

26 - Slough

1 Flatwood categories (6-South, 7-North, and 8- C a bbage Palm ) m a y also include wetland

communities dependent upon soil ty pe, elevation

, proxim ity to water table, or wetlan d

definition.

Florida Department of Transportation - Florida Land-us e, Cover and Forms

Classification System

FLUCCS was developed in 1976 (and m odified in 1985) by the Them atic Mapping S e ction

of FDOT to provide a uniform a nd flexible clas sification sy stem for use by State ag en cies. Its

model was the US Geological Survey classifi cation system (USGS Circular 671). C l asses

reflect inform ation obtainabl e from a e rial photographic in terpretation a nd satellite

multispectral im age analysis. There are 4 hier arch ical levels, b a sed on photography scale and

im age resolution (Level 1 scale 1:500,000 or gr eater; Level IV scale 1:24,000 or less).

Wetlands (L evel I - code 600) are considered areas where the wate r table is at, near or above

the land surface for a sig n ifican t po rtion of m o st years s uppo rting aquatic or hydrophy tic

vegetation. Twenty-two inland fresh w ater we tland communities (Level III) are presently

described within 5 classes (Level II): 610 W e tland Hardwood Forests; 620 W e tland

Coniferous Forest; 630 Wetland Forest Mi xed (S crub); 640 V e getated Non-Forested

Wetlands; and 650 Interm ittent Ponds (Table 4 )

. Level IV classifications are ind i cated for

freshwater m a rshes (641) if 66% or more of the community is com p rised of a single species

(sawgrass, cattail, spike rush, m a idencane, dog fennel/low marsh grasses, arrowroot, giant

cutgrass, shrub/vine). Brief comm unity descrip tions provide typical pl ant species and lim ited

density estim ates – inform ation used in interp retation and analysis of aerial photography and

multi-sp ectral im aging. Infor m ation on wetland geom orphology, hydroperiod, so ils, or

landscap e as sociations is not included.

5Table 4. Florida Land- use, Cover and Form s cl assification of inland freshwat e r wetlands (FDOT

1976/ 198 5).

610 - Wetlan d Hardwood Forests

611 - Ba y Sw am ps

613 - Gum Swam ps

614 - Tit i Swam ps

615 - Stream and Lake Swam ps (Bottomland)

616 - I n land Ponds and Sl oughs

617 - Mi xed Wetland Hardwoods

618 - Will ow and Elderberry

619 - E xotic Wetland Hardwood

620 - Wetlan d Coniferous Forests

621

- C ypress

622 - P ond Pi ne

623 - Atlantic White Cedar

624 - C ypress - Pine - Cabbage Pal m

625 - H ydric Pine Flatwoods

626 - H ydric Pine Savanna

627 - Slash P i ne Swam p Forest

630 - Wetlan d Forested Mixed

631 - Wetlan d Scrub

640 - Vegetated Non-Forested Wetlands

641 - Freshw a ter Marshes

643 - Wet Pra i ries

644 -Em e rgent Aquatic Vegetation

645 - S ubm ergent Aquatic Vegetation

646 - Treeless Hy dric Savanna

653 - I n term ittent Ponds



### Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission – Florida Land Cover

Form erly the Florida Gam e and Fres hw ater Fish Comm issi on, FW C developed a

class i ficatio n for a Statewide land-cover m a p de veloped from Landsat Them atic Mapper data

(Kautz et al 1993). Twenty-two land-cover ty pes were identified and m a pped for Florida

(35% vegetated uplands, 24% we tlands, 42% disturbed). Inland freshwater wetland habitats

were classed into 6 land-cover types: Fres hwater Marsh/W e t Prairie, Cyp r ess Swam p,

Hardwood Swa m p, Bay Swa m p, Shr ub Swa m p, and Bottom l and Hardwood Swa m p ( T able

5). Freshwater Marsh an d W e t Prairie, occurri ng mostly in South Florida, were the m o st

abundant wetland vegetation type (38% of we tlands, 7% State land area). Bay Swa m p was

difficult to distinguish from Hardwood Swa m p. Som e “natural” comm unity/land-cov e r types

m a y be interpreted as disturbed land-cover ty pes and vice-versa. Cox et al (1994) provide

brief wetland plant com m unity descriptions a nd tabulations of area cover for wetland types

by county.

6Table 5. Florida Fish a nd Wildlife Conserva tion Commission habitat-co mm u n ity classifica tions

and percent areas for Florida inland freshwater wetl a nd types.



### habita t

code wetand habitat /

community type % wetland

area % State

area

11 Freshwater m a rsh and wet prairie 38.17 6.88

1 2 C y p r e s s s w a m p 22.57 4

. 0 7

1 3 H a r d w o o d swa m p 26.63 4

. 8 0

1 4 B a y swa m p 2.22 0

. 4 0

1 5 S h r u b s w a m p 9.01 1

. 6 2

1 7 B o t t o m l and h a r d w o o d s 1.40 0

. 2 5

% t o t a l s 100.00 1 8

. 0 3

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – N a tional Wetlands Inventory

This cla ssif i cation f o r w e tland a nd d eepwater h a bita ts of the Un ited States (Cowardin et al

1979) defines wetlands by plants (hydrophytes ), soils (hydric soils) and frequency of

flooding. It is hierarchical (Tab le 6), with the highest level, S y stem , defining general hydrogeom orphic or chem ical factors (wetland system s include Riveri ne, Lacustrine, Palustrine).

Subsystem s define landscape position (Riverine has 3 – Lower/Upper Perennial and

Interm itten t ; Lacustr i ne has 2 – Limnetic and Li ttora l; Palu strine has no s ubsystem ) . W ithin

Subsystem s , Classes identify substrate, floodi ng regim e (hydropattern) , or vegetation for m

. Florida wetland NW I classes are: Aq uatic Be d (dom inated by subm ergent and floating

vegetation); Em ergent (d om inated by em er gent herbaceou s angiosperm s), Scrub-Shru b

(dom inated by shrubs and sm all trees); and Fore sted (tree dominated ). Sub c lass pa rtitio ns are

based on vegetation life for m (rooted/floating v a s c ular p l ants; persis ten t/n on-pers isten t

plants; deciduous/evergreen; need le-leaved/broad-leaved). O n ly Palustrine Forested classes

in Florida have subclasses. The lowest level classification category, s ubordinate to Subclass,

is the Dom i nance type, defined by dom i nant plant species an d determ ined by percen t area

cover.

Palustrine system s include all nontidal wetlands (salinity below 0.5 ppt) dom i nated by trees,

shrubs, or persistent emergents or nonvegetated system s less than 8 ha or a low water depth

not exceed in g 2m . Representative of the m a jor ity wetland typ e s, the Palus t rin e system

includes wetlands situated shoreward of lakes and river channels, on fl oodplains, in isolated

catchm e nts, or on slopes. W e tlands classified within Riverine and Lacustrine system s only

include open water classes of Aquatic Bed and Em ergent non-persistent vegetation.

Several m odifiers are used to m o re fully de s c rib e wetlands an d deepwater habita ts: W a ter

Regim e , Wa ter Chem istry, Soil, and Hum a n Ac tions. The water regim e modifiers have

specific utility for wetland characterization, de scribing the depth, duration and frequency in

7Table 6. USFWS National Wetland s Inventor y ( C ow ardin et al 1979) hierarchy of selected inland

freshwat e r w e tland ty pes represented in Florid a (Sy s te m

, Subsy s tem

, Clas s, Subclass,

Do m i nance Type).

R – Riverine

w/in channel habitats;

B o u n d ed by u p l ands o r wet l a n d s dom i n at ed b y t r ees, s h r u bs or pe rsi s t e nt e m ergent s ve get a t i on.

2 – Lower Perennial

AB – Aquatic Bed

EM – Em erg e nt Marsh (non-persistent)

3 – Upper Per e nnial

AB – Aquatic Bed

L – Lacustri ne

Bounded by upland or wetlands dom inated by trees, shrubs or persistent em ergen t vegetation.

(wetland vegetation < 30 % coverage)

1 – Lim e tic -- > 2 m depth at low water

2 – Litt oral -- < 2 m depth at low water; all wetlands in Lacustrine Sy stem

AB – Aquatic Bed

EM – Em erg e nt Marsh (non-persistent)

P – Palustrin e

Non-tidal wetlands dom ina t ed by trees, sh rubs, persistent e m ergent vegetation.

AB – Aquatic Bed

EM – Emerg ent Marsh

SS – Scrub Shrub

FO – Foreste d

1 – Broad-Le aved Deciduous

2 – Needle-Leaved Decidu ous

3 – Broad-Le aved Evergreen

4 – Needle-Leaved Evergreen

6

– Deciduou s

7

– Evergree n



### inundation (i.e., hydropattern or hydroperiod). Se ven hydroperiods are def i ned (Table 7),

ordered g e n e rally from l e ss to m o re water: Interm ittently Flooded, Temporarily Flo oded,

Saturated, S easonally Flooded, Sem i perm anently Flooded, In term ittently Exposed,

Perm anently Flooded.

The National W e tlands Inventory geographic inform ation database using th is c l ass i f i c a tion is

available for Florida. Maps were prepared from high altitude aerial photographs and digitally

transform e d. W e tlands were id entified based on vegetation, vi sible hydrology and geographic

location. NW I maps reflect the specific year and season of the photography, as well as

interpreter s k ills and technology lim its, aff ecting the accu racy of wetland locations,

boundaries and classifications.

8Table 7. National Wetland Inventor y water regi me m odifiers used in classifi cation and mapping of

Florida wetland and deepwater habitats (i.e ., h y dr oper i od) (Cowardin et al 197 9).

A Tem p orarily Flooded – s u rface wat e r present for brief peri ods during growing season, but water

table usually lies well belo w soil surface.

B Saturated

– substrate satu r ated at or near surface dur ing growing s eason, but surface w a ter is

seldo m prese nt.

C Seasonally F l ooded – surface w a ter pre sent for extended pe riods, e s pecially early in growing

season, often absent near end; water table often near, at, or above s u rface.

D - Seasonally Floo ded / Well Drained

E - Seasonally Floo ded / S a turated

F Sem i perm anently Floode d – surface water persist s throughout gr owing season in m o st y ears;

water table v e ry near, at, or above surface.

G Intermittentl y Exposed

– surface water present throughout y ear, except in drought y ears.

H Permanently Flooded – s u rface wat e r alway s prese nt; vegetation is obligate, hydrophy tic.

J Intermittentl y Flooded

– exposed substrates with su rface w a ter p e riodically present; do not

necessarily have hydric/wetland soils.

K Artificially Flooded – am ount and durati on of surface water controlled by hum a n constructions.

Co m b ined water regi m e modifiers:

W Interm ittently Flooded / Tem porary

Y Saturated / Semipermanent / Seasonal

Z Interm ittently Exposed / Pe rm anent



### NW I identif ies 17 c l asse s of inland f r eshwate r wetlands in Florida covering 23% of the

landscape (Table 8) (10 Palustrine , 4 Riverine, and 3 Lacustrine). W ithin Palustrine system s,

Forest subsystem s in total account for 53% of State wetlands, f o llowed by the Em ergent class

(34%) and S c rub-Shrub class (11%). Riverine an d Lacustrine wetla nd classes account for

less th an 3% of State wetland area, b u t were included here to enable c r os s-referen ce with

other classification descriptions of E m erge nt and Aquatic-Bed vegetation associations.

Distributional variation of NW I classes within the 4 proposed wetland regions of Florida is

discussed la ter in the con t ext of bioassessm ent classes.

9Table 8. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetlands I nventory (NWI) classifi cati ons

(Cowardin et al 1979) an d percent areas for Florida in land freshwater wetlands.

NWI code Wetland class description %

wetland

area % state

area

R 2 AB Riverine, Lower Pe rennial, Aquatic Bed 0.07 0.01

R 2 EM Riverine, Lower Perennial , Emergent, non-persistent 0.00 0.00

R 3 AB Riverine, Upper Perennial, Aquatic Bed 0.00 0.00

R 4 SB Riverine, Interm ittent, Stream bed 0.00 0.00

L 1 AB Lacustrine, Lim n etic, Aquatic Bed 0.04 0.01

L 2 AB Lacustrine, Littoral, Aquatic Bed 1.28 0.29

L 2 EM Lacustrine, Littoral, Em erg e nt, non- persistent 0.03 0.01

P AB 3 Palustrine, Aquatic Bed, Rooted Vascular 0.60 0.14

P AB 4 Palustrine, Aquatic Bed, Floating Vascular 0.15 0.03

P EM Palustrine, Emergent 34.1 7 7.71

P SS Palustrine, Scrub Shru b 11.1 8 2.52

P FO 1 Palustrine, Fo rested, Broad-Leaved Deciduous 5.74 1.30

P FO 2 Palustrine, Fo rested, Needle-Leaved Deciduous 8.58 1.94

P FO 3 Palustrine, Fo rested, Broad-Leaved Evergreen 4.92 1.11

P FO 4 Palustrine, Forested, Ne edle-Leaved Eve r green 10.78 2.43

P FO 6 Palustrine, Fo rested, Deciduous (m ixed) 0.01 0.00

P FO 7 Palustrine, Forested, Evergreen ( m ixed) 22.44 5.06

100. 0 0

% NWI inland freshwater wetlands 22.55

% upland

area 6 3

. 0 0

% other (estuarine) wetlan d s and deepwater habitats 14.4 4

s t a t e total

area 1 0 0

. 00

10

### Other Class i fication Sy stems

Ecosystem s of Florida (Myer and E w el 1990)

Thirteen inland freshwater forested wetland types (Swam p s ) are described by Ewel (1990):

River Swamps (W hitewater Floodplain Fore st, B l ackwater F l oodplain Forest, and Spring

Run Swa m p); and Stillwater Swam ps (B ay Swamp, Cypress Pond, Cypress Savanna,

Cypress Strand, Gum Pond, Hydr ic Ha mm ock, Lake Fringe Swa m p, Melaleuca Swamp,

Mixed Hardwood Swa m p, and Shrub Bog). Enviro nm ental variables determ ining structure

and function of swa m ps are described ( hydroperiod, fire frequency, organic m a tter

accum u latio n, and water source). Co mmon woody pl ants, p r o ductiv ity an d nutrient es tim ates,

wildlife occurrence and changes/ im pacts are inventoried or de scribed for each swam p t ype.

A com p arison is given with NW I classes and m odifiers (water regim e , pH, and soil). An

inverse relationship between hydroperiod and plan t species richness is proposed, with River

Swa m ps and Hydric Hammocks having greater num b er of species than B a y Swa m ps or

Cypress/Gum Ponds for exam ple. Swa m p productiv ity is shown to generally increase as

groundwater and surface flow become m o re i m port an t water sources th an direct rainfall.

Inland freshwater herbaceous wetlands (Marsh es) are classif i ed by Kushlan (1990) according

to general physiognom y or by characteristic pl ants. Marsh distributi on is explained using

local and regional topography, rainfall, evapot ranspiration, and geology. Five m a jor Marsh

System s are described for Florida, from hi gher to lower elevati on: Highland, Flatwoods,

Kissimm ee, St. Johns and Everglades. Six Mars h Associations are described using dom i nant

plant sp ecies, hydroperiod, fire freq uency and o r ganic m a tter accum u lation: W a ter Lily,

Subm ersed, Cattail, Flag, Saw Grass, and W e t Pr airie. Predo m inant m a rsh plant asso ciations

are id entif ie d within m a jor m a rsh system s (region s).

The Nature Conservancy

An allian ce- level clas sif i cation of ve getation of the Southeas tern United S t ate s inc l ude s

multiple h i erarch ical lev e ls: Div i sion (veget ated, non-vegetated); Order (dom inant vegetation

for m – trees, shrubs, herbaceous-vascular, non-v ascula r); Cla ss (cove r, density estim ates –

canopy, crown, height class); Subclass (dom inan t life form - evergreen, deciduous, perennial,

annual, m i xed); Group (lifezone - temperate, su btropical, tropical); S ubgroup (use history –

natural, planted, cultivated); and Form ati on (hydropattern, drought/tem pe rature tolerance,

vegetation habit). Alliances are defined us ing dom i nant plant species or vegetation

associations. Descriptors include successi onal sere and soil type. An estim ated 256

vegeta tion a lliances a r e identif ied f o r

Florida.

Lake County W a ter Authority/Sem inole County

A sim p le dichotom ous key for wetland classificati on using ea sily id entif i a b le cha r acte ristics

applied to summer and winter seasons results in 4 forested wetlands (Cypress Swam p, Hydric

Ha mm ock, Bayhead, Hardwood Swam p) and 3 herbaceou s wetlands (D eep Marsh, Shallow

Marsh, W e t Prairie). Typ i cal flo r a an d fauna are described by LCWA. Quantitative

inform ation on water quality (P/N removal),

evapotranspiration, hydroperiod, high/low water le vels, recharge potential, peat depth,

wildlife utilization and gross prim ary producti vity is given in Brown et al (1983).

11

### Hydrogeomorphic Wetland Classification - U.S

. Army Corps of Engineers

Developed through the Waterways Experim e nt Station, the hydrogeom orphic classification

approach for wetlands emphasizes external and i ndependent controls that m a intain ecosystem

functions (B rinson 1993). Thus m a intenance of wetland functions is inferred from provision

of local hydrogeom orphic contro ls. F unction refers to pro cesses that are n ecessary for the

self-m aintenance of an ecosystem

. Because b i olo g ical integ r ity addresses both comm unity

struc t ure (sp ecies com p osition ) and e c osystem processes (f unction ) , seve r a l wetland

classification developed for bi ological assessm e n ts have been based on the HGM functional

approach.

Three determ inants are used to define wetland class:

1) geom orphology (topographic position a nd landscape association);

2) water source (precipitation, su rface water, groun dwater); and

3) hydrodynamics (direction and strength of flow).

First order HGM classes are discriminated by geom orphic settings (Riverine, Depressional,

Lake Fringe, Slope, and Flats) , and further categorized by dom i nant hydrologic aspects.

Synonym s and descriptions from other classi fications are compared with HGM regional

classes (Table 9). Regional subclasses can be identified to discrim i nate classes based on

clim atic, geographic and other external functions. HGM classification, however, is not

designed to discrim i nate vegetative associa tions and species com positions. Thus, at the

subclass level comm unity descriptions can be employed from other classification system s

and based on field inventories to further subdivide wetland types.

Developm ent of ecoregions is necessary for c onsideration of biogeographic aspects such as

species distributions. H G M m odels for Florid a, developed by The U.S. Ar m y Corps of

Engineers Waterways Experim e nt Station, di vide Florida into 2 regions: Panhandle and

Peninsula. E ach regional class is subdivided in to Herbaceous and Forested subclasses. As an

exam ple, the HGM Peninsular-Florid a -Depress io n wetland class is com p ared with o t h e r

class i ficatio ns (Table 10 ).

The coarse resolution of HGM functional cla sses does not distinguish all wetland ecosystem

types with in a region, an d all HGM classes are no t necessarily represented within regio n s or

States. Five geom orphic settings m a y not be di stinct, or it m a y not be possible to identify

dom i nant hydrologic characteris tics. In Florid a, the HGM class Flats is n o t read ily

discrim i nated from Depr ession or S l ope classe s, and several water sources m a y exist for a

wetland type. The classification is designed as a generic approach that defines broad

functional classes accord ing to ind e p e ndent phys ical cond itio ns that d e term ine wetland

attributes. As such, the HGM approach pr ovides a uniform a nd scientific organizing

fra m ework for wetland classification.

12Table 9. Geo m orphic landscape position, water source and directional flow for HGM classes

(adapted from Brinson 19 93 and Tr ott et al 1997), w ith exam ples of wetlands nam e d

from other Fl orida classific a tion s y ste m s (FLUCCS, GFC, FNAI).



### Water Source Hydrodynam i cs Plant Community Type:

Geom orphology (dom inant) (dom inant) Forested Herbaceous

Riverine Channel, Horizontal Bottom l and hardwood Maidencane

ma r s h

overbank unidirectional

Depressional Groundwater, Vertic al, Cypress/Gum Basin m a rsh

surface bidirectional

Lake fringe lacustrine

, Horizontal, Mixed hardwood Em ergent marsh

overbank bidirectional

Slope Groundwater Horizont al, Baygall Seepage bogs

unidirectional

Organic f l ats Precip ita tion Vertic al Hydric savanna Sawgrass marsh

Mineral flats Precipitatio n Vertical Wet flatwoods Wet, m a rl prairies

13

### Table 10. Com p arison of wetland classificat ion nom e nclature with HGM PeninsularFlorida-Depression wetland class (a dapted from Trott et al. 1997).

Classification System Code - W e tland (Community) Types

Herbaceous-Depression

FNAI Depression Marsh

Basin Marsh

SCS 25 – Freshwater Marsh

FLUCCS 641 – Freshwater Marshes

644 – Em erg e nt Aquatic Vegetation

FWC 11 – Freshwater Marsh and Wet Prairie

NWI PEM – Palustrine-E m e rgen t Wetland



### Forest-Dep ression

FNAI Do m e Sw a m p

Basin Swa m p

Bog

SCS 17 – Cypress Swa m p

22 – S h rub Bogs, Bay Swam p s

FLUCCS 616 – Inland Ponds and Sl oughs

621 – C y press

613 – Gum Swam ps

FWC 12 – Cypress Swa m p

13 – Hardwo od Swam p

15 – S h rub S w am p

NWI PFO – Palustrine-Forested Wetland



### Classification Crossw alks

State and Federal wetlan d class i fications are cross-referenced, com p aring wetland types and

descriptions between system s. An e f fort was m a de to be in clusive ra the r than res t r i ctive in

the com p arisons. Therefore, wetland types from different classification approaches w ith

sim ilar keying characters were linked as well as wetland types that had p o ssible asso ciations

based on broad and general descriptions or lim ited inform ation. W e tland nom e nclature was

‘best fit’ to corresponding wetlands nam e d in other classifications. Two outcom e s cam e of

this: a sing le class o r co mmunity type often fit more than on e wetland description in another

system ; and som e cross-references although weak were m o re sim ilar than dissim ilar. In

addition, som e ecosystem types only m a rginally m e t generalized wetland criteria but were

included to provide cross-referen ce to like ecosy s tem s identified in other class i ficatio n s as

wetland (partial charact erizations included descripti ons of hydrophytes, hydric soils,

hydroperiods, and landscape position).

14

### It f o llows th at the reso lu tion of cross -ref e ren ces m a de here is coarse with varying degrees of

reliability. C r osswalks are designed to: 1) facilitate com p aris ons between goal specific

class i ficatio n approaches; 2) id entify common no m e nclature; 3) relate wetland typology to

State databases; 4) utilize or ganizational and descriptive stre ngths of existing m e thods; and

5) provide a fra m ework for wetland regionalization and clas sifications necessary for

biological assessm ents. Inland freshwater we tlands from 5 Florid a clas s i fications are

com p ared:

FNAI (1990) Guide to th e Natural Co mmunities o f Florida (Table 11);

SCS (1981) 26 Ecological Communities of Florida (Table 12 )

FDOT (1976/1985) Florida Land-use, Cove r and Form s Classification (T able 13)

FW C Florida Landcover (Kautz et al 1993) (Table 14)

USFWS Nat i onal W e tlands Inventory (C owardin et al 1979) (Table 15).

An HTML form atted database links classificati on nom e nclature. This allows users to quickly

identify wetland synonym s and provides cro ss-reference for comm on approaches and the

proposed wetland bioassessm ent classification.

Because each class i fication approach was desi gned within specific agency goals, no crossreferences are uniform . General trends are evid ent (Table 16). Total number of possible

cross-references increased (f rom 80 to 160) as the num ber of classes increased within a

class i ficatio n system (from 7 to 22). Mean num ber of cross-references per wetland type

decreased with in creasin g num b er of classes (b etween 2 and 3 references per class). T a bles

17-21 iden tify frequency and num ber s of cross- references for each classification. W e tlands

with high numbers of cross-references includ e: F W C-Freshwater M a rsh and W e t Prairie,

Bottom l and Hardwood, Pinelands; S C S-Bottom l and Hardwood, Swa m p Hardwood,

Freshwater Marsh; NW I-Em e rgent, Scrub Shru b, Broad-leaved Deciduous, Needle-leaved

Deciduous, Forested-m ixed (19); F NAI-Floodpl ain Forest, Dom e Swa m p; and FLUCCSCypress, Freshwater Marsh, W e t Prairie, Em ergent Aquatic Vegetation. This indicates

agreem ent on wetland descrip tion between class i ficat ions and/or generality in nom enclature.

Proposed Wetland Classification Approach for Biological Assessment

Appropriate consideratio n of th e factors necessary to create h o m ogenous sets for comparing

biological condition requires th e id e n tif ica tion o f wetland classes with in ecological r e gions.

A tiered and aggregated wetland clas sification sy stem is pres ented here that is referenced to

prelim inary wetland ecoregions and cross-referenced to oth e r clas sifications used in Florida.

The proposed system is a product of several co mplem e ntary efforts: a literature review on

classification m e thods; cross-refe rencing of Florida wetland cla ssifications; field trials and

visits to typical wetland comm unities; and consu ltation with FD EP personnel associated with

past efforts and current applications.

15Table 11. Florida Natural Areas Inventoryinland freshwater wetland communities and classification cross-reference.FNAISCSFLUCCSFWCNWIPalustrineWet FlatlandsHydricHammock21-Swamp Hardwood61713PFO6Marl Prairie16-Scrub Cypress621, 641, 64311PEM, PFO2Wet Flatwoods6-7-N/SFlorida Flatwoods3PFO4, PFO7Wet Prairie25-FreshwaterMarsh, 23-PitcherPlant Bog310, 64311PEMSeepage WetlandsBaygall22-ShrubBog/Bay Swamp611, 61414PFO3, PFO7SeepageSlope23-Pitcher PlantBog, 12-WetlandHardwoodHammock310, 614, 64311, 15PEM, PSSFloodplain WetlandsBottomland Forest20-Bottomland Hardwood615, 617, 623, 63017PFO1FloodplainForest20-Bottomland Hardwood,21-Swamp Hardwood615, 617, 618, 619, 63017PFO1, PFO2FloodplainMarsh25-FreshwaterMarsh641, 643, 64411PEM, R2EM, L2EM, R4SBFloodplainSwamp20-Bottomland Hardwood,17-Cypress Swamp613, 615, 62117PFO1, PFO2Freshwater Tidal Swamp20-Bottomland Hardwood613, 615, 621, 623, 62412PFO6, PFO7Slough26-Slough62112PFO2,PFO6StrandSwamp16-Scrub Cypress, 17-Cypress Swamp621, 618, 61912PFO2Swale24-Sawgrass Marsh641, 64311PEMBasin WetlandsBasinMarsh25-FreshwaterMarsh641, 643, 64411PEM, PABBasinSwamp17-Cypress Swamp, 12-WetlandHardwoodHammock613, 616, 617, 62113, 14PFO6Bog22-ShrubBog/Bay Swamp310, 614, 618, 619, 63015PSSDepressionMarsh25-FreshwaterMarsh641, 644, 65311PEM, PABDome Swamp17-Cypress Swamp, 12-WetlandHardwoodHammock613, 616, 62112, 13, 14PFO2, PFO3, PFO6LacustrineFlatwoods/Prairie/Marsh Lake25-FreshwaterMarsh641, 643, 64411L2EM, PEMRiver Floodplain Lake/Swamp Lake20-Bottomland Hardwood615, 64511, 17R2AB, R3AB, L1AB, L2AB16Table 12. Soil Conservation Service inland freshwaterwetland communities and classification cross-reference.SCSFNAIFLUCCSFWCNWI8 Cabbage PalmFlatwoods624-Cypress-Pine-CabbagePalm10 Cutthroat Seep3PEM,PSS12 Wetland Hardwood HammockSeepage Slope,Basin Swamp,Dome Swamp617-Mixed Wetland Hardwood, 613-GumSwamp13PFO1,PFO616 ScrubCypressStrand Swamp,Marl Prairie621-Cypress12PFO217 Cypress SwampDome Swamp,Floodplain Swamp,StrandSwamp, Basin Swamp621-Cypress12PFO2,PFO620 BottomlandHardwoodBottomland Forest, Floodplain Forest,Floodplain Swamp, FreshwaterTidal Swamp,River Floodplain Lake/Swamp Lake615-Stream/LakeSwamp, 622-Pond Pine, 623-Atlantic White Cedar17PFO1,PFO621 Swamp HardwoodHydric Hammock, Flooplain Forest613-Gum Swamp, 618-Willow/Elderberry, 619-ExoticWetland Hardwood, 623-AtlanticWhite Cedar, 624-Cypress-Pine-Cabbage Palm13, 17PFO1, PFO622 Shrub Bog,BaySwampBaygall, Bog611-Bay Swamp,614-Titi Swamp,618-Willow/Elderberry, 619-Exotic Wetland Hardwood14, 15PFO3, PFO723 Pitcher Plant BogSeepage Slope,Wet Prairie643-Wet Prairie11PEM, PSS24 Sawgrass MarshSwale641-FreshwaterMarsh, 644-Emergent AquaticVegetation11PEM25 Freshwater MarshBasin Marsh, Depression Marsh,FloodplainMarsh, Wet Prairie, Flatwoods/Prairie/MarshLake641-FreshwaterMarsh,643-Wet Prairie,644-Emergent Aquatic Vegetation, 645-SubmergentAquatic Vegetation, 653-Intermittent Ponds11PEM, R2AB,R2EM, R3AB,R4SB, L1AB, L2AB,L2EM, PAB3,PAB4, PSS26 SloughSlough616-Inland Pondsand Sloughs, 653-IntermittentPonds, 646-Treeless Hydric Savanna11, 15PEM6,7 N, S FloridaFlatwoodsWet Flatwoods625-Hydric PineFlatwoods, 622-Pond Pine, 626-Hydric Pine Savanna, 646-Treeless Hydric Savanna,627- Slash Pine Swamp Forest3PFO4,PFO71718Table 13. Florida Land-use, Cover and Forms inland freshwater wetland classes and classification cross-reference.FLUCCSFNAISCSFWCNWI610 -Wetland Hardwood Forests611 - Bay SwampsBaygall22-Shrub Bog/Bay Swamp14PFO3, PFO6613 - Gum SwampsBasin Swamp, Dome Swamp, Floodplain Swamp,Freshwater Tidal Swamp, RiverFloodplain/Swamp21-Swamp Hardwood, 12-Wetland HardwoodHammock13PFO1, PFO6614 - Titi SwampsSeepage Slope, Bog, Baygall22-Shrub Bog/Bay Swamp15PFO1, PFO6615 - Stream and Lake Swamps(Bottomland)Bottomland Forest, Floodplain Forest, FloodplainSwamp, Freshwater Tidal Swamp, RiverFloodplain Lake/Swamp Lake20-Bottomland Hardwood17616 - Inland Ponds and SloughsBasin Swamp, Dome Swamp26-Slough13PSS, PFO1, PFO6617 - Mixed Wetland HardwoodsHydric Hammock, Bottomland Forest, FloodplainForest, Basin Swamp12-Wetland Hardwood Hammock13PFO1, PFO6618 - Willow and ElderberryBog, Slough, Floodplain Forest22-Shrub Bog/Bay Swamp, 21-SwampHardwood15PSS, PFO1, PFO6619 - Exotic Wetland HardwoodBog, Slough, Floodplain Forest22-Shrub Bog/Bay Swamp, 21-SwampHardwood15PSS, PFO6620 -Wetland Coniferous Forests621 - CypressDome Swamp, Basin Swamp, Strand Swamp,Floodplain Swamp, Marl Prairie16-Scrub Cypress, 17-Cypress Swamp12PFO2, PFO6622 - Pond PineWet Flatwoods6-7-N/S Florida Flatwoods, 20-BottomlandHardwood3PFO4, PFO7623 - Atlantic White CedarBottomland Forest, Freshwater Tidal Swamp20-Bottomland Hardwood, 21-SwampHardwood17PFO4, PFO7624 - Cypress - Pine - Cabbage PalmWet Flatwoods, Freshwater Tidal Swamp8-Cabbage Palm Flatwoods, 21-SwampHardwood17PFO6, PFO7625 - Hydric Pine FlatwoodsWet Flatwoods6-7-N/S Florida Flatwoods3PFO4626 - Hydric Pine SavannaWet Flatwoods7-S Florida Flatwoods3PFO4627 - Slash Pine Swamp ForestWet Flatwoods6-7-N/S Florida Flatwoods3PFO4630 -Wetland Forested Mixed631 - Wetland ScrubBog, Wet Flatwoods, Bottomland Forest,Floodplain Forest, Flatwoods/Prairie/Marsh Lake22-Shrub Bog/Bay Swamp15PSS640 -Vegetated Non-Forested Wetlands641 - Freshwater MarshesBasin Marsh, Depression Marsh, Swale, MarlPrairie, Flatwoods/Prairie/Marsh Lake25-Freshwater Marsh, 24-Sawgrass Marsh11PEM, R2EM, R4SB,L2EM643 - Wet PrairiesWet Prairie, Marl Prairie, Seepage Slope, Swale,Basin Marsh, Flatwwoods/Prairie/Marsh Lake23-Pitcher Plant Bog, 25-Freshwater Marsh11PEM, R2EM, R4SB,L2EM644 - Emergent Aquatic VegetationBasin Marsh, Depression Marsh, FloodplainMarsh, Flatwoods/Prairie/Marsh Lake25-Freshwater Marsh, 24-Sawgrass Marsh11R2AB, R3AB, L1AB,L2AB, PAB3, PAB4645 - Submerged Aquatic VegetationRiver Floodplain Lake/Swamp Lake25-FreshwaterMarsh11R2AB, R3AB, L1AB,L2AB, PAB3646 - Treeless Hydric SavannaWet Flatwoods26-Slough3, 11PFO4653 - Intermittent PondsDepression Marsh25-Freshwater Marsh, 26-Slough11PEM1, PUB4Table 14. Florida Fish andWildlife Conservation Service inlandfreshwaterwetland habitats and classification cross-reference.FWCFNAISCSFLUCCSNWI11 Freshwater Marsh and WetPrairieBasin Marsh, Depression Marsh,Wet Prairie,Floodplain Marsh,Swale, Marl Prairie,Seepage Slope,Flatwoods/Prairie/MarshLake, River Floodplain Lake/Swamp Lake25-FreshwaterMarsh, 24-Sawgrass Marsh,26-Slough, 23-Pitcher Plant Bog641, 643, 644, 645,646, 653L1AB, L2AB, L2EM,R1AB, R1EM, R2AB,R2EM, R3AB, R4SB, PAB,PEM12 Cypress SwampDome Swamp, Slough, Strand Swamp,FreshwaterTidalSwamp16-Scrub Cypress, 17-CypressSwamp621PFO213 Hardwood SwampBasin Swamp, Bottomland Forest, HydricHammock12-Wetland Hardwood Hammock,21-Swamp Hardwood613, 616, 617PFO614 BaySwampBaygall22-ShrubBog/Bay Swamp611PFO3, PFO715 Shrub SwampBog, Seepage Slope (Titi Bog),22-ShrubBog/Bay Swamp,26-Slough614, 618, 619, 631PSS17 BottomlandHardwoodBottomland Forest, Floodplain Forest,Floodplain Swamp, River FloodplainLake/Swamp Lake20-Bottomland Hardwood,21-Swamp Hardwood615, 623, 624PFO13 PinelandsWet Flatwoods6-7-N/SFlorida Flatwoods, 10-Cutthroat Seeps622, 625, 626, 627,646PFO4, PFO719Table 15. USFWS National Wetland Inventoryinlandfreshwater wetland systems and classification cross-reference.NWIFNAISCSFLUCCSFWCR2ABRiverine, Lower Perennial,AquaticBed25-FreshwaterMarsh644, 64511R2EM Riverine, Lower Perennial, Emergent,non-persistentFloodplain Marsh25-FreshwaterMarsh641, 64311R3ABRiverine, Upper Perennial,AquaticBedRiver Floodplain Lake/Swamp Lake25-FreshwaterMarsh644, 64511R4SB Riverine, Intermittent, StreambedFloodplain Marsh25-FreshwaterMarsh641, 64311L1ABLacustrine, Limnetic,Aquatic BedRiver Floodplain Lake/Swamp Lake25-FreshwaterMarsh644, 64511L2ABLacustrine, Littoral,Aquatic BedRiver Floodplain Lake/Swamp Lake25-FreshwaterMarsh644, 64511L2EM Lacustrine, Littoral,Emergent, non-persistentFloodplain Marsh,Flatwoods/Prairie/Marsh Lake25-FreshwaterMarsh641, 64311PAB3Palustrine,Aquatic Bed,Rooted VascularDepression Marsh, Basin Marsh25-FreshwaterMarsh644, 64511PAB4Palustrine,Aquatic Bed,FloatingVascularDepression Marsh25-FreshwaterMarsh64411PEM Palustrine, EmergentDepression Marsh, Basin Marsh,Floodplain Marsh,Wet Prairie, MarlPrairie, SeepageSlope, Swale,Flatwoods/Prairie/Marsh Lake25-FreshwaterMarsh, 24-Sawgrass Marsh,23-PitcherPlant Bog641, 643, 65311PSS Palustrine, Scrub ShrubBog, Seepage Slope25-FreshwaterMarsh, 23-Pitcher Plant Bog, 10-Cutthroat Seep614, 616, 618,619, 63115PFO1 Palustrine, Forested, Broad-LeavedDeciduousBottomland Forest, Floodplain Forest,Floodplain Swamp12-Wetland HardwoodHammock, 21-SwampHardwood, 20-BottomlandHardwood613, 614, 615,616, 61717PFO2 Palustrine, Forested, Needle-Leaved DeciduousDome Swamp, Strand Swamp, BasinSwamp, Floodplain Forest, FloodplainSwamp, Slough,Marl Prairie16-Cypress Scrub, 17-Cypress Swamp62112PFO3 Palustrine, Forested, Broad-LeavedEvergreenBaygall, Dome Swamp22-ShrubBog/Bay Swamp61114PFO4 Palustrine, Forested, Needle-Leaved EvergreenWet Flatwoods6-7-N/SFlorida Flatwoods622, 623, 625,626, 627, 6463PFO6 Palustrine, Forested, Deciduous(mixed)Hydric Hammock, Slough, BasinSwamp, Dome Swamp, FreshwaterTidal Swamp12-Wetland HardwoodHammock, 21-SwampHardwood, 20-BottomlandHardwood, 17-CypressSwamp611, 613, 614,615, 616, 617,619, 621, 62413PFO7 Palustrine, Forested, Evergreen(mixed)Wet Flatwoods,Baygall, FreshwaterTidal Swamp6-7-N/S FloridaFlatwoods,22-ShrubBog/Bay Swamp622, 623, 6241420Table 16Classification crosswalk summaries: (tot) number of cross-references per wetlandclass; (avg) mean numberof cross-referencesper classification for eachwetland class.FWCSCSNWItotavgtotavgtotavg11 FreshwaterMarsh and WetPrairie307.510-Cutthroat Seep51.3R2AB Riverine,Lower Perennial,Aquatic Bed41.012 Cypress Swamp82.012-Wetland Hardwood Hammock82.0R2EM Riverine,Lower Perennial,Emergent, nonpersistent5371.13 Hardwood Swamp92.316-Scrub Cypress51.3R3AB Riverine,Upper Perennial,Aquatic Bed51.314 BaySwamp51.317-Cypress Swamp71.8R4SB Riverine, Intermittent, Streambed51.315 Shrub Swamp92.320-Bottomland Hardwood102.5L1AB Lacustrine, Limnetic, Aquatic Bed51.317 BottomlandHardwood102.521-SwampHardwood102.5L2AB Lacustrine, Littoral, Aquatic Bed51.33 Pinelands102.522-ShrubBog, BaySwamp92.3L2EMLacustrine, Littoral, Emergent, non-persistent61.523-Pitcher PlantBog61.5PAB3 Palustrine, Aquatic Bed, Rooted Vascular61.5number ofwetland types:24-Sawgrass Marsh51.3PAB4 Palustrine, Aquatic Bed, Floating Vascular41.0tot. no.of cross-references:8125-FreshwaterMarsh225.5PEM Palustrine, Emergent153.8mean no. cross-references per type:2.926-Slough71.8PSS Palustrine, Scrub Shrub112.86-7-N, SFloridaFlatwoods41.0PFO1 Palustrine, Forested, Broad-Leaved Deciduous123.0PFO2 Palustrine, Forested,Needle-Leaved Deciduous112.8number ofwetland types:12PFO3 Palustrine, Forested, Broad-Leaved Evergreen51.3tot. no.of cross-references:98PFO4 Palustrine, Forested,Needle-Leaved Evergreen92.3mean no. cross-references pertype:2.0PFO6 Palustrine, Forested,Deciduous(mixed)194.8PFO7 Palustrine, Forested,Evergreen(mixed)92.3number ofwetland types:17tot. no.of cross-references:136mean no. cross-references per type:2.021Table 16. – continued. Classification crosswalk summaries: (tot) number of cross-referencesper wetland class; (avg) mean numberof crossreferences per classification for each wetland class.FNAIFLUCCStotavgtotavgHydric Hammock41.0611 - Bay Swamps51.3Marl Prairie61.5613 -Gum Swamps102.5Wet Flatwoods51.3614 - Titi Swamps71.8Wet Prairie61.5615 - Stream and Lake Swamps71.8Baygall61.5616 - Inland Ponds and Sloughs71.8Seepage Slope92.3617 - Mixed Wetland Hardwoods82.0Bottomland Forest71.8618 - WillowandElderberry82.0Floodplain Forest102.5619 - Exotic Wetland Hardwood82.0Floodplain Marsh92.3621 - Cypress112.8Floodplain Swamp82.0622 - Pond Pine61.5FreshwaterTidalSwamp92.3623 - Atlantic White Cedar71.8Slough51.3624 - Cypress - Pine - CabbagePalm71.8Strand Swamp71.8625 - Hydric PineFlatwoods41.0Swale51.3626 - Hydric PineSavanna41.0Basin Marsh92.3627 - Slash Pine Swamp Forest41.0Basin Swamp92.3631 - Wetland Scrub92.3Bog82.0641 - FreshwaterMarshes123.0Depression Marsh71.8643 - Wet Prairies112.8Dome Swamp112.8644 - EmergentAquatic Vegetation133.3Flatwoods/Prairie/Marsh Lake71.8645- Submergent Aquatic Vegetation82.0River Floodplain Lake/Swamp Lake92.3646 - Treeless Hydric Savanna51.3653 - IntermittentPonds61.5number ofwetland types:21tot. no.of cross-references:156number ofwetland types:22mean no. cross-references per type:1.9tot. no.of cross-references:167mean no. cross-references per type:1.922Table 17. Florida Natural Area s Inventory crosswalk summary

.

no. cross-ref e rences

per wetland class:

F N A I S C S F L U C C S F W C N W I

H y d r i c

Hamm ock 1 1 1 1

M a r l Prairie 1 3 1 2

W e t

Flatwoods 1 1 2

W e t Prairie 2 2 1 1

B a y g a l l 1 2 1 2

S e e p a g e

Slope 2 3 2 2

B o t t o m l a n d

Forest 1 4 1 1

F l o o d p l a i n

Forest 2 5 1 2

F l o o d p l a i n

Mars h 1 3 1 4

F l o o d p l a i n

Swamp 2 3 1 2

Freshwater Tidal Swamp 1 5 1 2

S l o u g h 1 1 1 2

S t r a n d

Swamp 2 3 1 1

S w a l e 1 2 1 1

B a s i n

Mars h 1 3 1 2

B a s i n

Swamp 2 4 2 1

B o g 1 5 1 1

D e p r e s s i o n

Mars h 1 3 1 2

D o m e

Swamp 2 3 3 3

F l a t w o o d s / P r a i r i e / M a r s h Lake 1 3 1 2

River Floodplain Lake/S w amp

Lake 1 2 2 4

no. tim e s cl ass no.

classe s

is cross-refe renced: cross-refere nced:

1 3 5 1 9

2 4 5 2 2

3 1 3 1 2

4 2 3 2

5 1 1 2

> 5 3 1

23Table 18. Soil Conservation Service crosswalk su mmary

.

no. cross-ref e rences

per wetland class:

S C S F N A I F L U C C S F W C N W I

1 0

- Cutthroat

Seep 1 1 2

1 2

- W e t l a n d H a r d w o o d Hammock 3 2 1 2

1 6

- S c r u b

Cypress 2 1 1 1

1 7

- C y p r e s s

Swamp 4 1 1 1

2 0

- B o t t o m l a n d Hardwoo d 5 3 1 1

2 1

- S w a m p Hardwood 2 5 2 1

22-Shrub Bog, Bay Swamp 2 4 2 1

23-Pitcher Plant Bog 2 1 1 2

2 4

- S a w g r a s s Marsh 1 2 1 1

2 5

- F r e s h w a t e r Marsh 5 5 1 11

2 6

- S l o u g h 1 3 2 1

6-7-N, S Florida Flatwoods 1 8 1 2

no. tim e s cl ass no.

classe s

is cross-refe renced: cross-refere nced:

1 1 4 1 4 9

2 7 9 5 3

3 1

4 1 1

5 1

24Table 19. Fl orida Land-us e, C over and Forms crosswalk su mmary.

no. cross-ref e rences

per wetland class:

F L U C C S F N A I S C S F W C N W I

611 - Bay

Swamps 1 1 1 2

613 - Gum

Swamps 5 2 1 2

614 - Titi

Swamps 3 1 1 2

615 - Stream and Lake Swamps 5 1 1

616 - Inland Ponds and Sloughs 2 1 1 3

617 - Mixed Wetland Hardwoods 4 1 1 2

618 - Willow and Elderberry 2 2 1 3

619 - Exotic Wetland Hardwood 3 2 1 2

621 - Cypre ss 6 2 1 2

622 - Pond

Pine 1 2 1 2

623 - Atlantic White Ced a r 2 2 1 2

624 - Cypre ss - Pine - C abbage

Palm 2 2 1 2

625 - Hydric Pine Flatwoods 1 1 1 1

626 - Hydric Pine Savan na 1 1 1 1

627 - Slash Pine Swamp Forest 1 1 1 1

631 - Wetla nd

Scrub 6 1 1 1

641 - Fresh w ater Marsh e s 5 2 1 4

643 - Wet

Prairies 5 2 1 4

644 - Emerg ent Aquatic Vegetation 4 2 1 6

645 - Submergent Aquatic

Vegetation 1 1 1 5

646 - Treele ss Hydric Savanna 1 1 2 1

653 - Intermittent Ponds 1 2 1 2

no. tim e s cl ass no. clas ses

is cross-refe renced: crossreferenced:

1 5 2 2 2

2 4 3 5

3 6 1 2 2

4 5 1 1 1

5 3 1 1

> 5 1 1

25Table 20. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation crosswalk su mmary

.

no. cross-ref e rences

per wetland class:

F W C F N A I S C S F L U C C S N W I

11-Freshwater Marsh and Wet

Prairie 9 4 6 1 1

1 2

- C y p r e s s

Swamp 4 2 1 1

1 3

- H a r d w o o d

Swamp 3 2 3 1

1 4

- B a y Swamp 1 1 1 2

1 5

- S h r u b

Swamp 2 2 4 1

1 7

- B o t t o m l a n d Hardwoo d 4 2 3 1

3

- P i n e l a n d s 1 2 5 2

no. tim e s cl ass no. clas ses

is cross-refe renced: crossreferenced:

1 1 8 9 20 1 7

2 3 2 1 1

26Table 21. National Wetlands Inventor y crosswalk summary

.

no. cross-ref e rences

per wetland class:

S C S F N A I S C S F L U C C S F W C

R2AB Ri verine, Lower

Perennial, Aquatic Bed 1 1

R2EM Rive rine, Lower Perennial, Emergent, nonpersistent 1 1 2 1

R3AB Ri verine, Upper

Perennial, Aquatic Bed 1 1 2 1

R4SB Ri verine, Intermittent,

Streambed 1 1 2 1

L1AB Lacustrine, Limnetic,

Aquatic Bed 1 1 2 1

L2AB Lacustrine, Littor a l,

Aquatic Bed 1 1 2 1

L2EM Lacustrine, Littor a l, Emergent, non-persistent 2 1 2 1

PAB3 Palu strine, Aquatic Bed,

Rooted Vascular 2 1 2 1

PAB4 Palu strine, Aquatic Bed,

Floating Vascular 1 1 1 1

PEM Palus t rine, Emergent 8 3 3 1

PSS Palustrine, Scrub Shrub 2 3 5 1

PFO1 Palu strine, Forested, Broad-Leaved

Deciduous 3 3 5 1

PFO2 Palu strine, Forested, Needle-Leaved

Deciduous 7 2 1 1

PFO3 Palu strine, Forested, Broad-Leaved

Evergreen 2 1 1 1

PFO4 Palu strine, Forested, Needle-Leaved

Evergreen 1 1 6 1

PFO6 Palu strine, Forested,

Deciduous ( m ixed) 5 4 9 1

PFO7 Palu strine, Forested,

Evergreen (mixed) 3 2 3 1

no. tim e s cl ass no. clas ses

i s cros sreferenced: crossreferenced:

1 6 4 7 7

2 1 1 6 8

3 2 3

4 2

5 1

> 5 1 1 1 1

27

### The proposed classification for wetland bioa ssessm ents builds on commonalities between

and key elem ents from prom inent classifica tions (nam ely HGM, FNAI, and NW I). It is

organized by landscape geom orphology (River , Depression, Lake, Slope, Flats) and

dom i nant ve getative f o r m (Forested, Herbaceous , Shrub) (Ta b le 22). Add ition a l r e solution is

provided through (subclass) descri ptors: Hydroperiod (depth , duration and frequency of

inundation); Prim ary W a ter Source (rainfall, su rface or ground -water); and Soil Type

(organic or m i neral).

Lim ited inform ation on descriptors restricts thei r application. For exam pl e, very little is

known about the hydropattern of isolated basin or depression wetlands. R e ferencing

hydroperiod m odifiers from NW I we tlands data base m a y provide description. Inferences

about hydrology can also be based on vegetative a ssociations described in the literature and

learned from the field. Both FNAI and SCS include plant comm unity characteristics and

descriptions of wetland hydroperi od. Vegetation associations f u rt her classify wetlands, either

by cross-reference with other cl assifications or through use of inventories and descriptions

provided by research (scientific and technical literature) a nd monitoring (State agency

program s).

Table 22. Proposed classification for biological ass ess ment of Florida inland freshwate r wet l ands.

1. wetland is primarily forest 2

wetland is primarily herbaceous 3

wetland is shrub d o m i nated Shrub-scrub

2 wetland is within stream channel or flo odplain River Swamp

wetland is an isolated depression Depression Swamp

wetland is along a lake edg e (per m a nent water >2 meters deep) Lake Swamp

wetland located on sloped t opograp h y Strand / Seepage Swamp

wetland assoc i ated with flat landscape; w a ter source pr i m arily precipitation Flatland Sw amp

3 wetland is within a stream channel or flo odplain River Marsh

wetland is an isolated depression Depre ssion marsh

wetland is along a lake edg e (per m a nent water >2 meters deep) Lake marsh

wetland located on sloped t opograp h y wi th gro undwat er source Seepage Marsh

wetland assoc i ated with flat landscape; w a ter source pr i m arily precipitation Wet Prairie

Desc riptors:

Hydroperiod : Depth, durat ion, and frequ ency of inu n d a tion

Primary wat er sourc e : rai n fall, surface water, groundwater

Soil type : or g a nic, m i neral

Plant community association

28

### Finally, wetland classes are partitioned into proposed wetland ecoregions (Panhandle, North,

Central, South). Inventorying NW I wetland cl asses within 4 proposed wetland ecoregions

reveals distributional variation across Florida. Distribution m a ps are pr ese n ted in the wetland

Regions report – here trends are discussed in the context of wetla nd classes proposed for

biological assessm ents. Twenty-two percent of the Panhandle Region is wetland; 35% of the

South Florida Region is wetland; wetlands in the North and Ce ntral Regions cover 16% of

the landscape. Generally, ther e is a trend of declining fore sted wetlands and increasing nonforested wetlands latitudinally fr om t h e Panhandle to South F l orida.

Deciduous-Forest wetlands are m o st abundant w ithin the Panhandle Region (51%) followed

by Needle-leaved-Evergreen-Fores ts (32%). Em ergent wetlands account f o r less than 4% of

the wetlands in the region. In the North Regi on, the Deciduous-Forest class is again the m o st

common we tland (62%) but Em ergent wetland area proportionally increased (13%).

Evergreen-F orest classes (Broad and Needle-leav ed together) account for 16% of wetlands in

the region. In the Central Region, E m ergent and Deciduous-Forest classes are equally

represented, each about 4 0 % of area wetlands. E v er green-Fo rest wetland s decreased to about

10% of the region’s wetlands. Shrub-Scrub clas ses in the Panhandle, North and Central

Regions represent 7-9% of regional wetlands . In the South F l orid a Region, Em ergent

wetlands are prom inent landscape features (61% of wetlands and 22% of landscape).

Forested wetlands are less common (Deciduous and Evergreen-Forest classes account for

16% and 5% of area wetlands, respectively). Shrub-Scrub wetlands are m o re comm on i n

South Florida (17% of we tlands in the region).

Based on regional differences in distributi on and abundance of wetlands across Florida,

modifiers and plant com m unity descriptions should be used to generate greater resolution for

prom inent wetland classes in a landscape. In the Panhandle Region, water source and

hydroperiod are likely to di scrim i nate River Swamps into Bottom l and and Floodplain

Forests. In the South Region, m odifi ers are like ly to discrim i nate Marshes into Seepage,

Prairie or E m ergent wetlands. Additional descri ption to Palustrine Em ergent Marshes m a y

result from a partition i ng of typical o r m ean annual flooding o r water d e pth (e.g., Shallow

and Deep-water).

The 12 proposed wetland classes are com p ared with 5 classification networks to identify

synonym s, generate descriptions and provi de cross-reference (Table 23). C o mm on

nom e nclature from the classification cro sswalks includes: Bott om land, Floodplain, Dom e

, Basin, W e t Flatwoods, Strand, Slough, Seep, Marsh, Prairie and B og. Dom i nant plant

community associations commonly included in cl assification s are: cypres s (needle-leaved

deciduous), bay (broad-leaved evergreen), ha rdwood (m ixed deciduous), and sawgrass.

For forested wetlands, River Swam p had the grea test num ber of cross-references (21) and

Seepage Swam p had the leas t (7). Fo r Non-fo rested wetlands, River Marsh had the greatest

num b er of cross-references (13); W e t Prai rie and Seepage Bog each had 9. Groundwater

influenced wetlands are unique en ough communities to warrant sp ecific consideration in all

classifications. In general there is less conflict (greater certainty) am ong sim ilar categories of

Non-forested wetlands than for Forested wetlan ds (average num b er of cross-references 11

and 15, respectively). G e nerally N W I and FLU CCS classifications generated the greatest

num b er of cross- ref e ren ces f o r prop osed clas ses due both to genera lity of nom e nclatu re

29Table 23. Classifi cation cross-referen ce of propo sed classes for biological assessment of inland

freshwat e r wetlands in Florida.

Fo rested wetlan d s :

River Swam p

FNAI: B o tto m l an d Fo rest, Floo dp lain Forest, Fl oo dp lain Swa m p

, Fr eshw at er Ti dal Swam p, R i ver

Flo odp lain Swa m p

FLUC C S : 6 1 3

- Gum Swam p, 61 5

- St ream and La ke Swam p (B ot t o m l and) , 61 7

- M i xed W e t l a nd

Har d w o od , 6 2 1 -C y p r ess, 62 3

- At l a nt i c Whi t e C e dar

, 62 4

- C y press

- Pi ne -C a bba ge Pal m

F W C : 12 -C y p r e ss, 13 -Ha r dw oo d Swam p, 1 7 -B ot t o m l and Har d w o od

NWI: PFO1-Palustrine Fores t ed Broad-leaved Deciduous

, PFO2-Pa lustri ne Forested Ne edle-leave d

D ecidu ou s, PFO 6- Pal u str i n e Fo rested D ecidu ou s m i xed, P F O 7 -Pal ust r i n e Fo rest ed E v er gree n

m i xed

SCS: 17

- C y p r e ss Sw am p

, 20 -Bo tto m l an d H a r d w ood

, 21 -Sw a m p H a rdw o o d

Depressi on S w amp

FN AI: B a si n S w am p, B o g, D o m e Swam p, B a y g al l

FLU CCS: 61 1-Bay Sw am p

, 61 3- Gu m Sw amp

, 61 7- Mix e d W e tlan d H a rdw ood

, 62 1- Cyp r ess

F W C : 12 -C y p r e ss, 13 -Ha r dw oo d Swam p, 1 4 -B ay S w am p

NWI: PFO2-Palustrine Fores t ed Nee d le-lea ved Deci duous

, PFO3-P al ust r i n e F o rest e d B r oa d-l e a v ed

Evergreen, PFO6-Pal u strine Forested Deciduous m i xed

SC S: 1 7 -C y p re ss S w am p, 2 2

- S hr u b B og/ B a y Swam p

Lake Sw amp

FN AI: S w am p Lake, B a si n S w am p, B o t t o m l and Fo rest

FLUC C S : 6 1 3

- Gum Swam p, 61 5

- Lake S w a m p (B ot t o m l an d) , M i xe d Wet l a nd Ha r d w o od , 6 2 1

-

C y press, 6 2 4

- C y p ress- Pi ne

- C abba ge Pal m

F W C : 12 -C y p r e ss S w am p, 1 3

- Ha rd w o o d Sw am p, 1 7

- B o t t o m l and Ha r d w o od

NWI: PFO2-Palustrine Fores t ed Nee d le-lea ved Deci duous

, PFO6 -Pal ustrine Foreste d Deciduous

m i xed

SCS: 1 7 -Cy p re ss S w am p, 2 1

- S wam p Ha rd w o o d s

Str a nd Swam p

FNAI: St rand Swam p

FLUCCS: 61 4-Titi Swam p

, 61 7-Mix e d Wetlan d Hard woo d , 618 -Willo w an d Eld e rb erry, 6 19-Exo tic

W e tlan d H a rdw ood , 62 1- Cyp r ess, 6 31-W e t l an d Scrub

FW C: 1 2

- C yp ress Sw am p

, 13- H a r d wo od Swa m p

, 15- Sh ru b Sw am p

NWI: PFO2-Palustrine Fores t ed Nee d le-lea ved Deci duous

, PFO6 -Pal ustrine Foreste d Deciduous

m i xed

SC S: 1 2

- W et l a nd Ha r d w o od Ham m ock, 1 6

- S cr ub C y pres s, 1 7 -C y p r ess S w am p

Seepage Swamp

F N A I : B a y g a l l

FLU CCS: 61 1-Bay Sw am p

FW C: 14-Bay Swam p

NWI: PFO3-Palustrine Fores t ed Broad-leaved E v ergreen, PFO7-Palu stri ne Forested Evergreen m i xed

SC S: 1 0 -C ut t h roat Seep , 22 -S hr u b B o g/ B a y Swam p

Flatland Swamp

FN AI: Hy d r ic Ham m ock, W e t Flatwo od s

FLUCCS: 61 4-Titi Swam p

, 61 6- In land Pond s and Sl o ugh s, 618 -Willo w an d Eld e rb erry, 6 19-Exo tic

Wet l a nd Ha r d wo o d

, 6 2 2

- P o n d Pi ne, 6 2 4

- C y press

- Pi ne-C a b bage Pal m , 62 5- Hy d r i c Pi ne

Fl at wo od s, 6 2 6

- H y d r i c Pi ne Sava nna , 62 7

- Sl ash Pi ne Sw am p Fo rest

F W C : 13 -Ha r d w o o d S w am p, 3-Pi nel a n d s

NWI: PFO4-Palustrine Fores t ed Nee d le-lea ved E v ergree n, PFO7-Pal ustri n e Forested Evergreen m i xed

SCS: 6/ 7-Flat woods

30Table 23 – continued. Cross-ref e rence o f wetland types with proposed bioasses s m ent clas sific a tion.

No n- f o reste d wetland s :

River Marsh

FNAI: Fl oodpl a in Mars h

FLUC C S : 6 4 1

- Fres hwat e r M a rsh

, 64 4- Em ergent A quat i c V e get a t i on

F W C: 11 -F res h wate r M a rs h and W e t Prairi e

N WI: R2 AB-R iverine Lo we r Pere nnial Aq u a tic Be d

, R 2 EM-Riv erin e Lower Perenn ial Em erg e n t No npersi s t e nt

, R 3 AB -R i v e r i n e U ppe r Pere nni al Aq uat i c Bed, R4 SB-Riv erine In term it ten t Stream b e d

, PAB 3 -Pal ust r i n e Aq uat i c B e d R oot e d Vasc ul ar, P A B 4 -Pal ust r i n e A q uat i c B e d Fl oat i n g Vasc ul ar,

PEM-Pal u strine Em ergent

SCS: 2 5

- F res h water M a rsh

Depressi on Marsh

FN AI: B a si n M a rsh, B o g, D e pres si o n M a rs h

FLUCCS: 64 1-Fresh w ater Ma rsh, 6 4 4

- Em erg e n t Aq u a tic Veg e tatio n, 6 5 3

- In term itten t Pon d

F W C: 11 -F res h wate r M a rs h and W e t Prairi e

N WI: P A B 3 -P al ust r i n e A quat i c B e d R o ot e d Vasc ul ar, PAB 4 -P al ust r i n e A quat i c B e d Fl o a t i ng

Vasc ul ar, PEM

- Pal u st ri ne Em erge nt

SCS: 2 5

- F res h water M a rsh

, 2 4 -S aw gras s M a rsh

Lake Marsh

FNAI: Flat woods/Prai rie/Marsh La ke, Basin Marsh

FLUC C S : 6 4 1

- Fres hwat e r M a rsh

, 64 4- Em ergent A quat i c V e get a t i o n

, 64 5- Su bm ergent A quat i c

Veg e tation

F W C: 11 -F res h wate r M a rs h and W e t Prairi e

NWI: L1 AB -Lacu strin e Lim n etic Aqu a tic Bed

, L2AB-Lacu s trin e Litto ral Aq u a tic Bed

, L2 EMLacu stri n e Litto ral Em erg e n t n on-p e rsisten t , PA B 3 - Palu st rin e Aqu a tic Bed R o o t ed Vascu l ar,

PAB 4

- Pal u st ri ne Aq uat i c B e d Fl oat i n g Va s c ul ar, PEM

- Pa l u st ri ne Em ergent

SCS: 2 5

- F res h water M a rsh

Seepage B o g

FNAI: Swale, Slough, Seepa g e Sl ope

FLUCCS: 641-Fres hwate r Ma rsh, 643-Wet Prairie

F W C: 11 -F res h wate r M a rs h and W e t Prairi e

N WI: PEM

- Pa l u st ri ne Em ergent

SCS: 1 0 -C utth roat Seep

, 23 -P itcher Pla n t Bo g

Wetland Pr ai rie

FN AI: Wet P r a i rie, M a rl P r air i e

FLU CCS: 64 3-W e t Pr air i e, 646

- T r eeles H ydric Sav a n n a

F W C: 11 -F res h wate r M a rs h and W e t Prairi e

N WI: PEM

- Pa l u st ri ne Em ergent

SCS: 25 -Fr e shw a ter Mar s h, 26

- S l o u g h

, 24 -Saw gr ass Mar s h

Shrub Scru b

FNAI: See p a g e Slope, B o g, Slough

FLUCCS: 63 1-Wetlan d Scrub, 614 -Titi Swam p

, 6 1 6

- In land Pon d and Slou gh , 618 -Willow an d

El der b er ry , 61 9-E x ot i c W e t l a nd Ha r d w o od

F W C : 15 -S hr u b S w am p

NWI: PS S-Palust ri ne Sc ru b S h r u b

SCS: Shrub Bog/Bay Swam p

31

### (NW I) and to different organizing founda tions (FLUCCS). Approaches utilizing a

com b ination of factors (hydrology, geom orphology and biology) result in descriptive and

more consistent classifications than t hose developed for tech nological application.

FNAI provides the m o st com p rehensive desc rip t ions f o r its c o mm unities, using spec ies lis ts

and typical hydroperiods (and other inform ation) to classify biologically distinct wetlands

organized by landscape position. SC S also provide s ecosystem attributes but does not include

hydrology or geom orphology as ke ying characters, resulting in less distinct comm unity

types. FLUCCS is not organized by landscape f eatures, rather by dom inant vegetation readily

identifiable through remote sensing, resulting in nom e nclature that is not descriptive for

biological assessm ent. The NW I system first di vides wetlands by landscape features f o llowed

by dom i nant vegetative f o rm , but classification, while hierarchical, often lacks resolution for

assessing biological condition and the nom enclature is not conducive to localities. FWC

habitats were chosen based on im aging criter ia and with only 7 wetland habitats is too

aggregated for biological description.

The wetland classification approach proposed he re is a prelim inary effor t to group sim ilar

wetlands together for purposes of detecting biological condition. C onsiderations have

been m a de to keep the system si m p le and user-friendly, but robust enough to generate a

consistent w e tland typology. Field studies are ne eded to test differences between 12 wetland

classes in 4 regions across the State. Proposed classes and regions shoul d be peer reviewed

by agency personnel involved in past efforts and current program s

.

Literatur e Cited

Brinson (19 9 3 ) A h y dr ogeom orphic classification for wetlands. Technical Rep o rt WRP-DE-4, U.S.

Arm y Corps of Engi neers Waterway s E xperimental Station, Vicksburg, MS

.

Brown, M.T. and E.M. Star nes. 1983. A wetla nds study of Sem i nole Count y : Ide n tification,

evaluation, and preparatio n of develo p m ent st andards and gui delines. University of Flori d a

Center for Wetlands Technical Report 41, Se m i nole Count y an d F l orida Department of

Co mm unity Affairs. 284 p p

.

Brooks, R.P., C.A. Cole, D.H. Wardrop, L. Bish el-Machung, D.J. Prosser, D.A.Cam pbell, and M.T.

Gaudette. 1996. Wetlands, Wildlife, and Watershe d Assessment Techniques for Evaluation and

Restoration. Vol. 1: Evalu a ting and im pl em enting watershed approaches for protecting

Pennsy l vania’s wetlands.

Cowardin, L.M., V. Carter , F.C. Golet and E.T. Laroe

. 1979. Classification of Wetlands and

Deepwater Habitats of the United States. FWS/ OBS-79/31 . U.S. Fish and Wil d life Service /

Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C. 103 pp.

Florida Departm e nt of Transportation. 1 976/1 985 . Fl orida Land U se, Cover and Form s

Classifi cation Sy ste m . 2 nd edition, Pr ocedure no. 550- 010-0 01-a. S t ate Topograp hic Bureau,

Them atic Mapping Section.

32Florida Natural Areas Inventor y

. 199 0. Guide to the natural communities of Florida. Prepare d by

FNAI and Florida Department of Natura l Resource s

, Tallahasse e FL. 111 pp.

Karr, J.R. and E.W. Chu. 1 999. Restorin g life in ru nni ng waters – better biologic a l m onitoring . Island

Press. 206 pp.

Lake Count y Water Authority. Our Vital Wetlands. Informational broc hure made in conju n ctio n with

St. Johns Riv e r Water Man a gem e nt District, Taveres, FL. 28 pp.

Mitsch, W.J. and J.G. Gosselink. 19 93. Wetlands, 2 nd ed. Van Nostrand Reinhol d, NY. 722 p p

.

The Nature Conservancy

. 1997. An allia nce level cl assification of the vegetation of the Southe astern

United States. Report to C ooperative Fi sh and Wildli fe Research Unit and the National Gap

Analy s is Progra m

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Trott, K.L., M.M. Davis, L.M. Grant, J.W. Beev er, R.K. Evans, B.E. Gunsalus, S.L. Krupa, C.V.

Noble and K.J. Liudahl. 1 997. DRAFT Technical Report WRP-DE-XX. Peninsular Florida

herbaceous depressional w e tlands hy drogeom o rphi c ( HGM) regional guidebook. Prepared for

U.S. Ar m y Corps of Engineers, Wate rw ay s Experim e nt Station, Vi cksburg, MS.

33