It is visible from an interstate highway, a parkway, a designated scenic highway or a passenger railroad, and serves a valuable aesthetic or open space function. It is one of the three largest wetlands of the same cover type within a town. It is on publicly owned land that is open to the public. Class IV wetland does not have the characteristics of class I, II, or III above. Soil is saturated for a significant part of the growing season.
Vegetation tends to grow in clumps or tussocks.
Cattails, if present, grow between the clumps. In agricultural areas, wet meadow is usually cleared but uncultivated, often pastured. Emergent marsh - consists of such plants as cattails, purple loosestrife, swamp loosestrife, arrowheads, reeds, bur reeds, pickerelweed, wild rice, water plantain, bulrushes, and arrow arum. These are herbaceous plants encroaching on water areas and flooded with standing water much of the year. Emergent marsh is generally the most valuable cover type.