Enhanced Wetland Classification Inferred Products User Guide
Contents
1. Ji T d r er rt do rrr na a x L Pa d x uz mu ua CPP LCS s E 2 E ar iz NE ere tan EAR EL ese ev pe Ru uis v s Amm a eet 1 Eu TN vu pu x Py s RETTE ae e e i me x in iw nhs ds UM G Enhanced Wetland Classi ficat IG nz CO Inferred Products User Guide pe cA Version 1 o ME ae VE ci d M J p ty Eu CL gt rey LEN fa gt st a uff ren E Ne c T i p 5 aim prend EU m s 7 C ts sdr Ska UT wa Tw E TW E i i uo a m AA m my BR REE SS Meee TU d P c A 1 uk ia TA en v z p 2 4 y A a S E E Suo n f IP E Uu gt Jd u Tu a d A Y A i e a ba Kk a 4 E Ue A i P v Arae Ducks Unlimited Canada Table of Contents PASE Or ti SSA e E scree O ae iub E sec A 3 WAVER OCC TOM a eio E E E A AA E T E A id eria ossia Eesti utut tastes 4 Inferted Product Back erod on ena tinecrestecoveensacirt ASE 3 Environmental determinants of Wetlands ccccccccccccccssssesseeceeceeesseeseseceesesaaaesseeeeeees 5 C Tas SUC HETO TIS CIC HEIC A E duum eUam ERU DU OUR E CERA HERD ND RR SNP MM UG UIN UEEE 7 Environmental Determinants Inferred Products eeessseseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee 7 SOIL VIO IS CUS FIC LOT eea RI TRE IET UM Eus CURT A E MEAE URUEGUR SUM PU RU D IUDU UE 7 Description of moi2. Classification class cross walk to inferred nutrient classes 2 Figure 8 An example of the inferred nutrient regime product from an area near Ft Nelson BC 27 Ducks Unlimited Canada O Introduction In recent years Ducks Unlimited Canada DUC has initiated an increasing number of research and inventory programs that highlight the importance of boreal wetlands in Canada It is well established that these wetland ecosystems are important in that they provide numerous ecological goods and services some of which include wetlands filter our water recharge our groundwater supplies mitigate the effects of flooding and droughts remove carbon from the atmosphere as well as support diverse flora and fauna In direct contrast to this vast and important global resource is the relative lack of information on Canada s boreal wetland resources specifically wetland maps that identify the type extent and distribution of these systems These maps which help focus DUC s conservation efforts are needed in part to determine critical waterfowl habitat aid with impact assessments of industrial activities provide critical inputs to scientific research and modeling efforts such as climate change and support various international national provincial wetland mapping monitoring programs e g North American Waterfowl Management Plan Canadian Wetland Inventory Alber
3. FG 01 74pp Append Jeglum J K 1991 Definition of trophic classes in wooded peatlands by means of vegetation types and plant indicators Ann Bot Fenn 28 175 192 Jeglum J K 1973 Boreal forest wetlands near central Saskatchewan II Relationships of vegetational variations to major environmental gradients The Musk ox 12 32 48 Jeglum J K 1971 Plant indicators of pH and water levels in peatlands at Candle Lake Saskatchewan Can J Bot 49 1661 1676 Mackenzie W H and J R Moran 2004 Wetlands of British Columbia a guide to identification Res BR B C Min For Victoria D C Land Manage Handb No 52 National Wetlands Working Group 1988 Wetlands of Canada Ecological Land Classifcation Series No 24 Sustainable Development Branch Environment Canada Ottawa Ontario and Polyscience Publications Inc Montreal Quebec 452 p Racey G D A G Harris J K Jeglum R F Foster and G M Wickware 1996 Terrestrial and Wetland Ecosites of Northwestern Ontario Ont Min Natur Resour Northwest Sci amp Technol Field Guide FG 02 94 pp Append Sjors H 1952 On the Relation between Vegetation and Electrolytes in North Swedish Mire Waters Oikos 2 241 258 Smith K B C E Smith S F Forest and A J Richard 2007 A Field Guide to the Wetlands of the Boreal Plains Ecozone of Canada Ducks Unlimited Canada Western Boreal Office Edmonton Alberta 102 pr Soil Classification Working Group
4. Factors such as soil type water color Table 6 Figure 7 hydrology vegetation species richness vegetation indicator species and other factors can all be observed in the field and used in this classification In both peatland and mineral soil wetlands there is a link between water chemistry available nutrients pH moisture regime and plant species assemblages Plants like other organisms have a habitat niche or a certain set of conditions under which they thrive live and reproduce Some species are generalists and can thrive in a wide range of environmental conditions e g environmental variables such as moisture gradients nutrient availability pH alkalinity while others the specialists need a very specific set of conditions Plant species that respond to a narrow set of environmental variables i e they do not grow outside these conditions can be used as indicators of specific ecosystems For example observing a high percent cover of Sphagnum fuscum would indicate low pH relatively dry and nutrient poor environment on the peatland scale from rich fen to bog Further because this species does well in poor conditions and a water table that is below the surface it can be used to predict that there is no or very little mineral water input into the system and thus the overall nutrient status of the site is poor This relationship of plant species and water chemistry has originally been identified by Sj rs 1952 in Swedish
5. access areas of the Boreal Plains Therefore this classification uses several inferred factors that can be visually observed and collected via aerial reconnaissance to assign a specific field site location to a moisture regime code to a field site location This wetland classification system assigns relative moisture codes on a scale of 1 to 10 adapted from Beckingham and Archibald 1996 These codes take into account both the relative drainage and the hydrologic input source to derive this relative scale of ten classes Table 1 The inferred soil moisture code and corresponding moisture class presented here is a representation of the average amount of soil water available to vegetation for evapotranspiration A diagram showing the relative position in the landscape where the moisture classes typically occur is shown in Figure 3 Ducks Unlimited Canada Table 1 Relative soil moisture code derivation guide Adapted and expanded from Beckingham and Archibald 1996 General Water Hydrologic Position Soil Soil Slope Moisture Moisture Table Input Source On Moisture Drainage Gradient Code Class Landscape Regime Class degrees Precipitation Ridge crest Extremely Very Very Steep Bound Xeric Rapid 770 Very Dry Well Precipitation Ridge crest Very Rapid Very Steep Below upper slopes to Rapid 770 Surface Below Precipitation Upper Subxeric Rapid 1 3 EX lesse FR nile uds MR Surface Mid Slopes Well 31 70 Mesi
6. and Tamarack and can be taller than 10 meters Nutrient Code 4 Rich Areas with high available nutrients to plants typically due to the more neutral pH ranges 6 0 7 4 Contact with mineral rich water is prevalent to plants in this nutrient regime The dominant soil type is mineral although some richer organic soil wetlands fall into this class The von Post of the surface organic layer if present is humic 7 10 Wetlands with these conditions are rich fens all swamp classes and marshes The number of plant species in these types of wetlands is high particularly for the herbs forbs and mosses Mosses if present are typically brown mosses and some Sphagnum Minerotrophic species that exist in this nutrient regime include Juniperus communis Common Juniper Potentilla fruticosa Shrubby Cinquefoil and Parnassia palustris Grass of Parnassis in fens and Salix spp Willows Cornus stolonifera Red Osier Dogwood and Rhamnus alnifolia Alder leaved Buckthorn in swamps Trees if present include all common wetland conifers and deciduous trees and range in heights to well above 10 m Ducks Unlimited Canada Nutrient Code 5 Very Rich Areas with very high available nutrients to plants and with alkaline conditions pH 6 5 8 0 Mineral rich water is in constant contact with the rooting zone of plants in this nutrient regime The dominant soil type is mineral with marl soils in the more
7. landscape slopes 0 9 Precipitation is the primary hydrologic input source for the peatland areas bogs while precipitation and groundwater are the primary hydrologic input sources for many of the lower slope and receiving areas Drainage is moderately well to imperfect and no water deficit occurs The soil is either saturated in the rooting zone or at the surface for most or all of the growing season The surface organic layer ranges from moderately deep to deep 10 40cm but this depth is widely variable Common earth cover classes include open closed deciduous and conifer forests and tall low shrubs Wetland classes include some bogs drier conifer swamps and some poor fens Ducks Unlimited Canada a Wet Regimes Moisture Code 7 Hygric This class represents lower slopes to receiving areas to level areas of the landscape with little or no slope gradient 0 990 The primary hydrologic input is surface or groundwater The water table is at or above the surface for most of the year and thus no water deficit exists Drainage is imperfect to poor The surface organic layer is deep and typically greater than 40 cm This moisture regime supports tall shrubs and trees adapted to prolonged periods of inundation Common earth cover types include closed open woodland conifer closed open deciduous tall low shrub Wetland types include bogs wetter fens and swamps Moisture Code 8 Subhydric This class represe
8. 1998 The Canadian System of Soil Classification 3rd ed Agriculture and Agri Food Canada Publication 1646 187 pp Ducks Unlimited Canada Soil Survey Division Staff 1993 Soil Survey Manual Agricultural Handbook No 18 Revised U S Department of Agriculture Washington D C Vitt D H 1994 An overview of factors that influence the development of Canadian peatlands Mem Entm Soc Can 169 7 20 Vitt D H and W L Chee 1990 The Relationship of Vegetation to Surface Water Chemistry and Peat Chemistry in Fens of Alberta Canada Vegetatio 89 87 106 Vitt D H L A Halsey S C Zoltai 1994 The bog landforms of continental western Canada in relations to climate and permafrost patterns Arctic and Alpine Research 26 1 1 13 Vitt D H Halsey L A Thormann M N and Martin T 1996 Peatland Inventory of Alberta Phase 1 Overview of peatland resources in the natural regions and subregions of the province Stephen C Zoltai Peatland Resource Center Devonian Botanic Garden University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta Warner B G and C D A Rubec Eds 1997 The Canadian Wetland Classification System Second Edition National Wetlands Working Group Wetlands Research Centre University of Waterloo Waterloo Ontario 68pp Ducks Unlimited Canada Cm
9. Enhanced Wetland Classification class cross walk to inferred hydrodynamic classes Hydrodynamic Enhanced Wetland Classification Classes Class Very Dynamic Emergent Marsh Mudflats Meadow Marsh Dynamic Mixedwood Swamp Hardwood Swamp Shrub Swamp Open Water Aquatic Bed Shrubby Rich Fen Graminoid Rich Fen Treed Rich Fen Slow Moving Treed Poor Fen Shrubby Poor Fen Tamarack Swamp Graminoid Poor Fen Open Bog Shrubby Bog Treed Bog Conifer Swamp Pe a TAA T aes NS ON EI UU Op wd 2p jag wow dl E A Pig NL i R Se ix cx Wo 249 I CE ERU Md M I ar Yo CA WS r 2054 OU A ars Hydrodynamics Slow Moving Gl Very Dynamic 7 Stagnant a Dynamic e Upland C Moving CES Other Unclassified Figure 6 An example of the hydrodynamic product from an area near Ft Nelson BC Ducks Unlimited Canada Nutrient Availability Factor Nutrient availability in wetlands is often assessed with ground based measurements of soil and water chemistry which include pH concentrations of dissolved nutrients and inherent soil characteristics i e color texture structure C N ratio see Table 5 The degree of contact with nutrient rich ground or surface water determines the total amount of nutrients available to the vegetation This field guide utilizes several inferred factors that can be collected via helicopter or aircraft reconnaissance to assign a specific nutrient regime code to an overall field site location
10. able Hydrologic inputs are groundwater precipitation inflow creek river stream surface runoff or over bank flooding Little or no soil development occurs due to water depth and duration of anaerobic conditions but sedimentary peat may be present This class supports only submerged and or floating leaved aquatic vegetation Earth cover classes would include aquatic bed clear or turbid water The major wetland class is shallow open water with the minor wetland classes of aquatic bed and open water Ducks Unlimited Canada o Inferred Soil Moisture The cross walk for the EWC to the inferred soil moisture classes is shown in Table 2 Figure 4 provides an example of the spatial representation of the inferred soil moisture classes on a landscape Table 2 Enhanced Wetland Classification class cross walk to inferred soil moisture classes Soil Moisture Enhanced Wetland Classification Classes Class Very Hydric Open Water Aquatic Bed Mudflats Emergent Marsh Hydric Rich Graminoid Fen Poor Graminoid Fen Meadow Marsh Shrub Swamp Hygric Mixedwood Swamp Tamarack Swamp Hardwood Swamp Treed Poor Fen Subhygric Open Bog Shrubby Bog Treed Bog Conifer Swamp Subhydric Shrubby Rich Fen Shrubby Poor Fen Treed Rich Fen Soil Moisture fS Hygric PET Very Hydric Ex Sub Hygric rx Hydric BS Mesic to Xeric SubHydric Other Unclassified Figure 4 An example of the soil moisture inferred product from an area
11. alkaline near pH of 8 0 in this range The von Post of the surface layer of organic soils if present are predominantly humic 8 10 Wetlands with these conditions are richer swamps and marshes The diversity of plant species that grow in this nutrient regime is very wide EN TR including some species that exist in more upland areas as well such as Rosa acicularis Wild Rose Rubus ideaeus Raspberry and Ribes spp Currents Trees if present are typically deciduous Betula papyrifera in palustrine wetlands Populus tremuloides in riverine wetlands although some conifers including White Spruce can occur in riverine swamps Nutrient Code 6 Hyper Areas with hypersaline conditions due to excess mineral rich inputs and pH ranges are typically high 7 8 0 The high salinities found in this nutrient regime limit plant growth and therefore this nutrient regime is found in marsh and shallow open water wetlands only In highly alkaline water environments calcium carbonate CaCO commonly precipitates out of the water column forming a marl substrate Mineral and organic soils are not typically present in this class This class is fairly rare in the Boreal Plains occurring as marl pools or salt ponds with associated fringe marsh classes Ducks Unlimited Canada Inferred Nutrient Availability The cross walk for the EWC to the inferred nutrient availability is shown in Table 7 Figure 8 provides an ex
12. ample of the spatial representation of the inferred nutrient availability classes on a landscape For this inferred classification open water was left out due to the wider range of nutrient conditions exhibited within this wetland class Table 7 Enhanced Wetland Classification class cross walk to inferred nutrient classes Enhanced Wetland Classification Classes Very Rich Emergent Marsh Mudflats Meadow Marsh Rich Mixedwood Swamp Hardwood Swamp Shrub Swamp Shrubby Rich Fen Graminoid Rich Fen Treed Rich Fen Conifer Swamp Tamarack Swamp Treed Poor Fen Shrubby Poor Fen Graminoid Poor Fen Open Bog Shrubby Bog Treed Bog Nutrient Regime EN VeryRich y Very Poor a Rich B Open Water 339 Medium Upland __ Poor Other Unclassified Figure 8 An example of the inferred nutrient regime product from an area near Ft Nelson BC Ducks Unlimited Canada Conclusion and Summary This guide provides an overview of the inferred products that can be derived from Ducks Unlimited Canada s Enhanced Wetland Classification EWC Three different inferred products can be produced soil moisture hydrodynamics and nutrients Field data from over 5 000 field sites was used to determine the predominant inferred class for each product by minor wetland class This allows for the user to infer how water is moving though the landscape how moist the surface is expected to be and the inferred nutrient condit
13. c GHBEERRISIA Adapted from Soil Survey Division Staff 1993 Ducks Unlimited Canada E Ridge Crest re Depth of Surface Organic Layer Mineral Soils Upper Slope b Bedrock Water Table N Height 1 500 meters vertically exaggerated Mid Slopes Dome Lower Slopes TIT ede o I Un ue cud SRR ater LJ AV Y ae ere E fr onthe Receiving Depression Level tad ON 5121 34 5 6 7 8 7 89 1 8 9 10 8 9 H 5729 Moisture Code Figure 3 General relationship between landscape position and moisture code It should be noted that throughout this guide when we mention groundwater we refer to water that has been in contact with minerals nutrients and includes shallow subsurface water but rarely includes groundwater from deepwater aquifers Deepwater aquifers are present in the Boreal Plains but their connection to wetlands and discharge recharge functions are not well understood and beyond the scope of this field guide Ducks Unlimited Canada Description of moisture classes The following description of each moisture class and associated moisture code for tracking purposes is intended to aid in field determination The examples for the very dry regimes are from the Montane Cordillera Extremely Xeric and the Boreal Shield Xeric because these classes rarely occur in the Boreal Plains Very Dry Regimes Moisture Code 1 Extreme
14. ch Brownish Ducks Unlimited Canada o Dystrophic gt n ar gt Oligotrophic Ca Poor Figure 7 Field photos of water bodies and the association between water color and nutrient regime Ducks Unlimited Canada Description of Nutrient Regime Classes Nutrient Code 1 Very Poor Areas with very low available nutrients to plants typically due to low base cation availability as a result of highly acidic pH 5 conditions Wetlands with these conditions are peatland organic soil wetland types bogs poor fens The von Post of the surface organic layer is typically fibric 1 3 These areas typically have little or no contact with mineral rich water but the surface is typically saturated due to ombrogenous inputs Vegetation growing in these conditions are either species adapted specifically to the conditions or generalist species that can grow over a wide range of environmental conditions The relative number of vegetative species is very low with a dominance of Sphagnum mosses and ericaceous shrubs Trees if present trees are limited by hydric conditions as well as nutrients are typically lt 2 m tall and are primarily stunted Black Spruce Picea mariana Nutrient Code 2 Poor Areas with low available nutrients and fairly high acidic conditions pH 4 5 6 0 Wetlands with these conditions are peatland organic soil wetland types bogs fens and poorer conifer swamps The von P
15. ck gravel non vegetated soil sparse vegetation and dwarf shrub classes No wetlands exist in this moisture regime Ducks Unlimited Canada o Dry Moisture Regimes Moisture Code 3 Subxeric Terrain with steep 31 70 slopes and or rapidly drained soils Positions on the landscape where this class exists include most of the upper slopes of the terrain The only source of hydrologic input is precipitation which is rapidly drained via permeable soil types leading to an overall water deficit for this class The soil is moist only for short periods after precipitation events or snowmelt Shallow surface organic layers are usually present over moderately coarse mineral soils Treed vegetation is supported although it may be limited by water deficit or soil nutrient conditions Common earth cover classes include dwarf shrub dry herbaceous forb woodland open deciduous woodland open conifers especially pine No wetlands exist in this moisture regime Moisture Code 4 Submesic t v DE zum ray This class represents most upland areas with moderate to high slopes 31 70 in rapidly to well drained permeable soils A Ta IX zg A distinct water deficit is present in terrain areas with this moisture class Precipitation is the major hydrologic input source Water is available for short periods after rainfall or snowmelt but is readily drained due to slope and soil permeability Surface organ
16. elative soil moisture code derivation guide Adapted and expanded from Beckingham and Archibald DG EE 8 Figure 3 General relationship between landscape position and moisture code 9 Table 2 Enhanced Wetland Classification class cross walk to inferred soil moisture classes 15 Figure 4 An example of the soil moisture inferred product from an area near Ft Nelson BC 15 Figure 5 A marsh area in the boreal with a large difference in water table elevation throughout me EO SS CAS Og a E N N e e DINEM CT UDINE N E pedesscesaneaneeedaade 16 Table 3 Inferred hydrodynamic factor classes for wetlands cccesecsseecceccceeeeseeeeeceeeeeeeeeeees 17 Table 4 Enhanced Wetland Classification class cross walk to inferred hydrodynamic classes 20 Figure 6 An example of the hydrodynamic product from an area near Ft Nelson BC 20 Table 5 Ground level determinants of nutrient regime code adapted and expanded from Mackenzie and Moran 2004 isses nennen nennen enne ne nenh eene se sese esu esa s eese sensus 22 Table 6 General characteristics of water with different trophic status adapted from Mackenzie and Moran 2004 also shown in Figure 9 sssssseeeeeseeeeeeeeeeee nennen ener nnn nennen nns 22 Figure 7 Field photos of water bodies and the association between water color and nutrient Ie ANN MERE uu em 23 Table 7 Enhanced Wetland
17. ems Vegetation is often treed shrubby or herbaceous in these areas The wetland classes that exhibit this hydrodynamic class include swamps and shallow open water wetland classes Typical landscape positions include the receiving slopes drainage areas and water bodies in local to regional lower elevation zones Hydrodynamic Code 5 Very Dynamic Areas with a highly variable surface water movement displacement and water table may be at well above or well below the surface during the growing season Water movement in these areas is both lateral and vertical with extreme differences in the surface flow that create the wide range of water table elevation throughout the year in these systems Due to the highly fluctuating water table vegetation in these areas is limited to plants that can tolerate these conditions such as emergent vegetation No shrubs or trees are found in areas of this hydrodynamic class Wetland classes include marshes mudflats and exposed areas of shallow water wetlands Typical landscape positions include areas adjacent to water bodies lower parts of catchments depressions and tidal or seche influenced mudflats along larger water bodies Ducks Unlimited Canada e Inferred Hydrodynamics The cross walk for the EWC to the inferred soil hydrodynmaics is shown in Table 4 Figure 6 provides an example of the spatial representation of the inferred hydrodynamic classes on a landscape Table 4
18. er regime soil regime and nutrient status adapted to the Boreal Plains and expanded from Harris et al 1996 Ducks Unlimited Canada G The field guide also provides a classification based on three factors moisture regime nutrient regime and hydrodynamic regime The relative combination of these factors is shown in edatopic grid format in Figure 2 For example a field site with a very poor nutrient regime hygric moisture regime and a stagnant hydrodynamic regime would be a bog The nutrient regime is shown on the x axis the moisture regime on the y axis and the hydrodynamic regime on the diagonal 2 d z axis This edatopic grid shows the relative distribution of major wetland classes according to the relative combination of each of the three inferred environmental determinants Mesic Sub hygric Hygric Sub hydric E O cc Lem o O Very Poor Poor Medium Rich Very Rich Excess Nutrient Regime Figure 2 Edatopic grid showing the distribution of wetland classes in relation to inferred moisture nutrient and hydrodynamic regimes This edatopic grid is modified from similar existing grids based on ordination of species MacKenzie and Moran 2004 and chemical and biotic gradients Vitt et al 1994 to represent the distribution of the various EWC major level wetland classes Field data from over 5 000 n 5063 field sites was used to determine the distribution of the various EWC majo
19. es see the Boreal Plains Wetland Key Swamps including conifer swamps are not separated in this classification by nutrient status even though they range from poor to very rich This was done because in many cases separation via remote sensing was difficult to impossible based on the spectral signatures alone Ducks Unlimited Canada o Table 5 Ground level determinants of nutrient regime code adapted and expanded from Mackenzie and Moran 2004 Specific Variable en Poor Jen Rich Dissolved Available Very Low Fu Plentiful Abundant Nutrients Nutrients Water pH 5 0 4 5 6 0 5 0 6 5 6 0 7 4 6 5 8 0 Deep Brown Yellow ma Water Color Lo Brown Clear n Excess foe O L Brown Turbid Green Clear e Stagnant Continuous Seepage water flow ater flo mun seepage Surface Always saturated saturated Js Tier Seasonal exposure of substrate Saturation Diumale exposure vonPost of 7 10 8 10 surface tier SurfaceTier Material Surface Peat Color C N Ratio C IRE OE ow O Relative Very Low Low Medium High pee Productivity Species Very Low Medium High High Richness Table 6 General characteristics of water with different trophic status adapted from Mackenzie and Moran ae also shown in Figure 2 AN ME IM BE Ag du EMEN aT TEE TET Iu r more eme mm IU uaa t Status Cay Mineral Availability Code ic RN RN UR Brown Ca Poor brownish Ca Ri
20. ic layers are present in moderately shallow depths lt 10cm underlain by moderately coarse mineral soils This class commonly supports treed vegetation unless otherwise limited Common earth cover classes include conifer mixed or deciduous forest classes or low to tall shrubs No wetlands exist in this moisture regime Ducks Unlimited Canada e Mesic Moist Regimes Moisture Code 5 Mesic This class represents upland areas with midslope rolling to flat topographic positions 2 30 slopes in well to moderately well drained slopes Precipitation is the major hydrologic input source but groundwater seepage may also contribute in some areas Soil water is available throughout the year and is removed somewhat slowly compared to precipitation inputs The resulting water table is often near the surface but little or no standing water exists Surface organic layers are usually present with moderate 10 15cm depths underlain by a variety of medium to fine grained mineral soils This class supports a wide variety of vegetation due to abundant moisture soil mineral availability and soil drainage Common earth cover classes include most closed open mixed deciduous and or conifer forest types No wetland classes are present in this moisture regime class Moisture Code 6 Subhygric This class marks the beginning of the wetland associated moisture regimes and occurs in lower slopes peatlands and receiving areas of the
21. ion of different wetland areas across the landscape This information can be used in conjunction with other data to better inform planning and operational practices around wetlands by government and industry partners For more information Data requests Alain Richard a richard ducks ca 780 489 8110 Technical enquiries Kevin Smith k smith ducks ca 780 489 8110 Ducks Unlimited Canada DUC is a private non profit organization that conserves manages and restores wetlands and associated habitats for waterfowl These habitats also benefit other wildlife and people Ducks Unlimited Canada References Beckingham J D and J H Archibald 1996a Field Guide to ecosites of northern Alberta Nat Resour Can Can For Serv Northwest Reg North For Cent Edmonton Alberta Spec Rep 5 Beckingham J D D G Nielsen and V A Futoransky 1996b Field guide to ecosites of the mid boreal ecoregions of Saskatchewan Nat Resour Can Can For Serv Northwest Reg North For Cent Edmonton Alberta Spec Rep 6 Chee W and Vitt D H 1989 The vegetation surface water and peat chemistry of moderate rich fens in central Alberta Canada Wetlands 9 227 261 Harris A G S C McMurray P W C Uhlig J K Jeglum R F Forster and G D Racey 1996 Field guide to wetland ecosystem classification for northwestern Ontario Ont Min Natur Resour Northwest Sci amp Technol Thunder Bay Ont Field Guide
22. ly Xeric Terrain with very steep slopes 77096 or crests ridges high points of landscape with an impermeable substrate or water is in solid form ice This class consists of rock areas where surface runoff is immediate with little or no soil development and no contact with the water table at any time The primary hydrologic input is through precipitation which is very rapidly drained Soils are primarily very coarse mineral soils with little or no organic soil present No vegetation is present in this class due to the constant water deficit and lack of soil development This class includes upland areas such as rock faces of mountain crests exposed granite shield or glaciers Common earth cover classes would include rock and or ice No wetlands exist in this moisture regime and this class rarely occurs in the Boreal Plains Moisture Code 2 Xeric Terrain with very steep slopes and or very rapidly permeable soil types This immediate drainage creates an extreme water deficit which in turn limits vegetation growth Precipitation is the only hydrologic input for this moisture class and soil moisture is removed very rapidly The resulting water table is well below surface with no visible influence on land surface This class occurs in upland areas on ridge tops and topographic highs of the terrain Soils are mainly coarse mineral soils with little or no organic soil present Common earth cover classes include ro
23. m groundwater but extensive surface water inputs may increase the water table in these areas The wetland classes that exhibit this hydrodynamic class include Fens and Tamarack Swamps Vegetation may be Treed Shrubby Bryoid or herbaceous but is often associated with poor nutrient sites as the groundwater and therefore nutrient inputs are slighter than in other areas Typical landscape positions are in the middle to upper elevations of peatlands just above the main drainage areas in peatlands Hydrodynamic Code 3 Moving Areas with surface water movement and the water table is typically above the surface for most of the growing season Water movement is predominately lateral through these systems but surface flows may influence the vertical change in water table during peak flow times of the year The wetland classes that exhibit this hydrodynamic class include most of the rich fen classes due to the increased contact with groundwater Typical landscape positions for this class include the lower elevation peatland drainage areas Ducks Unlimited Canada o Hydrodynamic Code 4 Dynamic Areas with significant surface water movement but water table may be at above or slightly below surface during the growing season Water movement in these areas is both lateral and vertical with large differences in surface flow that create a wide range of water table elevation throughout the year in these wetland syst
24. minor Poor to richer Fens Swamps ertical hydroperiod change Open Water Moving Vertical hydroperiod change common Rich Fens Swamps Marshes ateral water movement Open Water Dynamic Strong Vertical Lateral movement of Swamps Marshes Open ater Water ery Dynamic High water displacement areas Marshes Open Water Description of Hydrodynamic Classes Hydrodynamic Code 1 Stagnant Areas with little to no surface water movement and water table is at or below the ground surface for the entire growing season Water movement in these areas is through capillary action in the upper layers of peat or soil There is often little to no vertical change in water tables in these areas with stagnant to very gradual lateral flow through these systems The wetland classes that exhibit this hydrodynamic class include bogs very poor fens and poor conifer swamps Vegetation in these areas may be treed shrubby bryoid or herbaceous Areas with this hydrodynamic class are typically the higher elevation peatland and swamp areas in the landscape Ducks Unlimited Canada Hydrodynamic Code 2 Slow Moving Areas with some surface water movement and the water table may be at to slightly above the surface for most of the growing season Water movement in these areas is gradual with some groundwater and or surface water inputs to the system Water levels in these areas are usually constant with continual flows fro
25. mires but has been adapted to North American wetlands e g see NWWG 1988 Specifically in Alberta studies by Vitt and Chee 1990 and Chee and Vitt 1989 and other similar studies showed relationships between plant assemblages and water chemistry Such vegetation water chemistry and moisture regime knowledge has been used extensively in the development of wetland forest or ecosite see Harris et al 1996 Archibald and Beckingham 1996 Jeglum 1971 1973 and 1991 Often statistical programs such a TWINSPAN analysis in combination with an ordination classification systems e g P analysis is used to correlate species presence with environmental data These empirically derived studies provide the basis for this guide classification which was then tested in the field In general Vitt 1994 categorized Alberta fens into three broad categories Poor fens pH 4 5 5 5 poor in base cations no or little alkalinity moderate rich fens pH 5 5 7 0 low to moderate alkalinity and concentration of cations extreme rich fens pH above 7 0 high concentrations of base cations and high alkalinity and possibly marl deposits To make the distinctions between moderate rich fens and extreme rich fens is very difficult in a remote sensing application and these two fen types are grouped together as rich fens in our classification However this classification distinguishes poor and rich fen types based largely on nutrient status and species assemblag
26. near Ft Nelson BC Ducks Unlimited Canada o Hydrodynamic Factor The lateral and vertical movement of water through wetland systems i e hydrodynamics is another important factor in the determination of wetland type Movement of water can be groundwater or surface water and for the purposes of this field guide groundwater movement is inferred from the position in the landscape vegetation and visible hydrologic features Table 3 Hydrodynamic energy influences decomposition of organic material by providing a mechanism for aeration limits growth or establishment of vegetation and stresses the vegetation due to physical damage in higher wave energy environment areas The hydrodynamic regime can be fairly static such as the percolation capillary action of precipitation driven hydrodynamics in bogs to the hydrodynamically variable marshes on exposed shores of water bodies with regular drawdowns Figure 5 July 24 August 6 Figure 5 A marsh area in the boreal witha large difference in water table elevation throughout the growing season Ducks Unlimited Canada o Table 3 Inferred hydrodynamic factor classes for wetlands ovement of Water Associated Wetland Classes Stagnant Stable non flowing areas with no vertical Bogs Poor Fens Swamps ydroperiod change Movement of soil water is stagnant o very gradual with no movement at the surface despite constant saturation Slow Moving Gradual flow through with
27. nts depressions and level receiving areas of the landscape with little or no slope present 0 994 The primary hydrologic inputs are surface and or groundwater The water table is at or above the surface for most of the year near permanent water table visible Drainage is poor to very poor Soils are organic or gleyed mineral typically with very deep surface organic layers 740cm This moisture regime supports only sparse stunted trees adapted to prolonged inundation tall and low shrubs and graminoid forb bryophytes Common earth cover classes include woodland conifer tall shrub and wet graminoid forb classes Wetland classes include wetter fens and swamps Ducks Unlimited Canada e Very Wet Moisture Regimes Moisture Code 9 Hydric This class occurs in flat terrain that is inundated very poorly drained with submerged and or floating aquatic vegetation usually present This class has a semi permanent to permanent water table that is at or above the surface throughout the year Soils include deep gt 40cm organic or gleyed mineral soils This class occurs in depressions and level receiving areas in the landscape Common earth cover classes include aquatic bed and open water Wetland classes include the marsh major class and open water classes Moisture Code 10 Very Hydric Deep open water areas that support only aquatic vegetation and are permanently flooded throughout the year permanent water t
28. ost of the surface organic layer is typically fibric to mesic 3 6 These areas have some contact with mineral rich water A slightly wider range of species can be found in poor nutrient regime areas compared to very poor nutrient regime areas including most of the dominant species found in Nutrient Code 1 Some minerotrophic species begin to occur including bog birch Betula spp Tamarack Larix laricina and horsetail Equisetum fluviatile Trees are more common to this nutrient regime Picea mariana Larix laricina but heights are generally lt 10 m Ducks Unlimited Canada Nutrient Code 3 Medium Areas with fairly high available nutrients to plants typically with slightly acidic conditions pH 5 0 6 5 Contact with mineral rich water is more common to this nutrient regime compared to the poor nutrient regimes nutrient codes 1 and 2 The dominant soil type is organic although some mineral wetlands fall into this class The von Post scale of decomposition Appendix D of the surface organic layer if present is mesic 4 7 Wetlands with these conditions are fens swamps and some poorer marshes sedge meadow marshes typically on deposited peat soils A wider range of minerotrophic species exists in this nutrient regime including Caltha palustris Marsh marigold Petasites frigidus Arrow leafed Coltsfoot and Calamagrostis canadensis Bluejoint grass Trees if present are Black Spruce
29. r classes in relation to the various environmental determinants EWC major classes with a majority of sites within a particular position were given precedence over EWC major classes with a minority of sites in the same position on the edatopic grid Ducks Unlimited Canada Ce Classification Schemes The inclusion of environmental determinants in the Enhanced Wetland Classification EWC and the class breakdowns listed in the following section allows for inferred products to be developed that map the distribution of hydrodynamics soil moisture and relative nutrient status based on the wetland classes in the EWC The underlying assumption is that each wetland class can be assigned to a specific inferred class While this may not be true in some cases such as open water which has a wide range of potential nutrient regime classes from 1 5 in many cases wetlands can be placed categories where they are most prevalent For example the majority of bogs can be placed in stagnant hydrodynamic class subhygric moisture class very poor nutrient class categories of the various environmental determinants The primary inferred class for each wetland type was determined by a review of the field site database for all sites across the Boreal Plains ecozone over 5 000 individual sites The most commonly occurring inferred class for each wetland class was then determined This classification scheme allows for a generalized cross walk of EWC clas
30. rtake other inventory elements including waterbird surveys associated research projects and conservation planning Beyond the baseline data these wetland maps can also be used to create various inferred products such as relative nutrient regime relative soil moisture regime and relative hydrodynamic regime based on general groupings of the EWC wetland types This guide describes how these inferred products are generated and how they can be used to provide information on how different wetlands function This detailed information on the underlying ecological determinants of wetland ecosystems is critical in order to advance wetland conservation in the boreal forest Ducks Unlimited Canada c Inferred Product Background This section is directly taken from A field guide to the wetlands of the Boreal Plains Ecozone of Canada by Smith et al 2007 It is referenced here to serve as a background on how the inferred classes are represented on the landscape Environmental determinants of wetlands The wetland vegetation communities that exist on the landscape are a result of the underlying factors forming them including geology hydrology nutrient availability climate position in the landscape etc Of these factors water table depth hydrology water flow hydrodynamics and nutrient availability are particularly important Wetlands develop in response to these factors and the resulting vegetation is comprised of specie
31. s adapted in varying degrees to flooding frequency and duration wave energy and available dissolved minerals Each wetland class has a set of environmental conditions which ultimately dictate the vegetation assemblages These varying conditions and resulting vegetation indicator species can be used to distinguish between wetland classes Figure 1 is a cross section of Boreal Plains wetlands showing the relationship between the various environmental determinants and the resulting vegetation communities The enhanced wetland classification utilizes these differences in wetland conditions and vegetation to generate a descriptive key and a decision tree that enables the reader to classify a wetland to six major and nineteen minor wetland classes Boreal Plains Wetland Cross Section Tou Lj a ee RR RE Ml Red nn RR O a M a rS l PH ee eS Pi 9 Shallow O Sh P allow Open Marshes ore Rich Fens Bogs es Swamps Upland Water Fens Fens Minerotrophic Ombrotrophic Minerotrophic Legend fal Mineral Soil Ld Permanently flooded to intermittently exposed Low Water Level EN Woody Peat Semi permanently flooded to seasonally flooded High Water Level Sphagnum Peat Permanently to semi permanently saturated No consistent contact with water table Figure 1 Landscape cross section of Boreal Plains wetlands showing the relative positions of the major wetland types and the corresponding positions of wat
32. ses to their inferred classes Environmental Determinants Inferred Products The following sections provide a description of each inferred environmental determinant nutrient regime moisture regime and hydrodynamic regime along with the features used in the field to determine the appropriate wetland class e g wet vs dry rich vs poor stagnant vs dynamic A description of each cross walk from EWC minor class to majority environmental determinant class is also provided along with a map example of the distribution on a sample boreal landscape Soil Moisture Factor A key determinant and indicator of wetland presence function is the relative position of the wetland on the landscape as it relates to soil moisture and hydrologic input source Factors such as landscape position visible slope gradient visible water table location visible or inferred drainage class visible and vegetation community cues can all be used to assign soil moisture regime codes to any given wetland In areas where ground level site information can be easily collected features such as surficial geology soil type texture strata depth to impermeable layer parent material and hydrology soil moisture readings depth to height of water table measurements etc would typically be used to assign soil moisture classes SCWG 1998 however due to cost and logistical restraints these factors often cannot be determined across much of the more remote
33. st re CLASSES ocio awe kente cc vei Panels e void au ke nte s Uo ven Sane ualet e 10 TPCT CG SO1l MOSU RP TT 15 Dvadrods OIC POCLOE oon r E 16 Description of Hydrodynamic Classes cccccsscsssscccccecceeeseseseececeeaeeseeeseeeseeeeaaeesees 17 Inferred Hydrodynamics cccccccccsssssseeccecececaeeessseeceeeeeeeeeeseseecceeeeeeaueaeseseeeeeeeeqaas 20 INUIT TE AW dIEIDIBD PACTON s sree cess cyan ammi eee qo qui eecennte canes eam ELS qa enema S 21 Description of Nutrient Regime Classes ccccccccccccccsssseeseeceeeeeeeeeeeseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees 24 Inferred Nutrient Availability ave cocusssoscansviencecaogednasnenendedhtonsaansveeneecnvgesnessuneneedaoonssan 27 CONCIUSION and SUMMATY usui oscecinooesseuo qo oneuo E Duda ue Den U Rs e qc oa OP da ue Os SUR Ea DRs 28 ISS EC eG E editur EA IEEE SUUM EE A AN T UMUEDURdN d MM VNDE DE end MR 20 Ducks Unlimited Canada 8 List of Figures and Tables Figure Landscape cross section of Boreal Plains wetlands showing the relative positions of the major wetland types and the corresponding positions of water regime soil regime and nutrient status adapted to the Boreal Plains and expanded from Harris et al 1996 5 Figure 2 Edatopic grid showing the distribution of wetland classes in relation to inferred moisture nutrient and hydrodynamic reQiMes cccccccesesesseececcceceeaeeeseeeccceeeeaaaeeesceeeeeeeaeeeees 6 Table 1 R
34. ta s Water For Life program etc Ducks Unlimited has been leading the effort to provide detailed and accurate wetland maps for large areas of the western boreal forest This enhanced wetland classification EWC effort is a multi partner collaboration with several international US Fish amp Wildlife Service US Forest Service and the Pew Charitable Trusts national Environment Canada provincial and territorial agencies and industries various forestry and energy companies To date nearly 50 million hectares of wetlands have been mapped This inventory effort is unique in that it uses detailed field data collected in helicopters to help guide the classification of large scale satellite images to map wetlands Due to the complexity and diversity of wetlands in the Boreal Plains ecozone a field guide to boreal wetlands was developed by Ducks Unlimited biologists to help understand and classify the various types of wetlands bogs fens swamps marshes and shallow open water found in this region Smith et al 2007 A classification approach that uses image object oriented software was also developed to meet the challenges of mapping diverse and predominantly interconnected wetland types over large geographic areas This approach is flexible enough to be adapted and applied to other boreal regions throughout Canada These mapping products have become the cornerstone of DUC s Western Boreal Program by providing baseline data to unde
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