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Federal Register / Vol. 56, No. 157 / Wednesday, August 14, 1991 / Proposed Rules 



communities, several boundary 

 determinations will be required.) When all 

 wetland determinations along this transect 

 have been completed, proceed to Step 16. 



Step 15. Determine the wetland- 

 nonwetland boundary between adjacent 

 vegetation units. Review all completed 

 copies of the data sheets for each 

 vegetation unit. Identify each imit as 

 either wetland (W) or nonwetland (N). 

 When adjacent vegetation units contain 

 both wetland and nonwetland 

 communities, a boundary must be 

 established. Walk the interface between 

 the two units from the wetland unit 

 toward the nonwetland unit and look for 

 changes in vegetation, soils, hydrologic 

 indicators, and/or elevation. As a 

 general rule, at 100-foot intervals or 

 whenever changes in the vegetation 

 unit's characteristics are noted, look for 

 evidence to locate the wetland- 

 nonwetland boundary. At each 

 designated boundary point, complete 

 data sheets for new observation areas 

 immediately upslope and dovmslope of 

 the wetland-nonwetland boundary (i.e., 

 one set for the wetland unit and one for 

 the nonwetland unit), repeat Steps 8 

 through 12 for each area, and record the 

 distance and compass directions 

 between the boundary points. Record 

 evidence of wetland hydrology as close 

 to the boundary as possible, and record 

 the features that were used to delineate 

 the boundary. Mark the position of the 

 wetland boundary point on the base 

 map or photo and stake or flag the 

 boundary in the field, as necessary. 

 Based on observations along the 

 interface, identify other of boundary 

 points between each wetland unit and 

 nonwetland unit. Repeat this step for all 

 adjacent vegetation units of wetland 

 and nonwetland. When wetland 

 boundary points between all adjacent 

 wetland and nonwetland units have 

 been estabUshed, proceed to Step 16. 



Step 16. Sample other transects and 

 make wetland determinations along 

 each. Repeat Steps 5 through 14 for each 

 remaining transect. When wetland 

 boundary points for all transects have 

 been established, proceed to Step 17. 



Step 17. Determine the wetland- 

 nonwetland boundary for the entire 

 project area. Examine all completed 

 copies of the data sheets, and mark the 

 location of each plant community type 

 along the transect on the base map or 

 photo, when used. 



(Note: This has already been done for the 

 vegetation unit approach.) 



Identify each plant community as 

 either wetland (W) or nonweUand (N), if 

 it has not been done previously. If all 

 plant communities are weUands, then 

 the entire project area is wetland. If all 



communities are nonweUands, then the 

 entire project area is nonweUand. If 

 both wetlands and nonwetlands are 

 present, identify the boundary points on 

 the base map and connect these points 

 on the map by generally following 

 contour lines to separate weUands from 

 nonweUands. Confirm this boundary by 

 walking the contour lines between the 

 transects or vegetation imits, as 

 appropriate. Should anomalies be 

 encountered, it virill be necessary to 

 establish short transects in these areas 

 to refine the boundary; make any 

 necessary adjustments to the boundary 

 on the base map and/or on the grotmd. 

 If those areas are significant in scope, be 

 sure to record data used for the 

 boundary determination. When marking 

 the boimdary for subsequent surveying 

 by engineers, the boundary points 

 should be flagged or marked othervdse 

 to facilitate the survey. 



Appendix 4. Comprehensive Onsite 

 Determination Method 



The comprehensive determination 

 method is the most detailed, complex, 

 and labor-intensive approach of the 

 three recommended types of onsite 

 determinations. It is usuaUy reserved for 

 highly complicated and/or large project 

 areas, and/or when the determination 

 requires rigorous documentation. Due to 

 the latter situation, this type of onsite 

 determination may be used for areas of 

 any size. 



In applying this method, a team of 

 experts, including a weUand ecologist 

 and a soil scientist, is often needed, 

 especially when rigorous documentation 

 of plants and soUs are required. It is 

 possible, however, for a highly trained 

 weUand boundary speciaUst to singly 

 apply this method. 



Two alternative approaches of the 

 comprehensive onsite determination 

 method are presented: (1) Quadrat 

 sampling procedure and (2) point 

 intercept sampling procedure. The 

 former approach establishes quadrats or 

 sampling areas in the project site along 

 transects, while the latter approach 

 involves a frequency analysis of 

 vegetation at sampling points along 

 transects. The point intercept sampling 

 procedure requires that the limits of 

 potential hydric sods be established 

 prior to evaluating the vegetation. In 

 many cases, soil maps are available to 

 meet this requirement, but in other cases 

 a sod scientist may need to inventory 

 the soils before applying this method. 

 The quadrat sampling procedure, which 

 involves identifying plant communities 

 along transects and analyzing 

 vegetation, sods, and hydrology v^Uiin 

 sample plots (quadrats), may be the 

 preferred approach when soil maps are 



unavailable or the individual is more 

 familiar with plant identification. 



Quadrat Sampling Procedures ^^ 



Prior to implementing this 

 determination procedure, read the 

 sections of this manual that discuss 

 distiirbed areas, and exceptions to the 

 three criteria; this information is often 

 relevant to project areas requiring a 

 comprehensive determination. 



Step 1. Locate the limits of the project 

 area in the field. Previously, the project 

 boundary should have been determined 

 on aerial photos or maps. Now 

 appropriate ground reference points 

 need to be located to ensure that 

 sampling will be conducted in the proper 

 area. Proceed to Step 2. 



Step 2. Stratify the project area into 

 different plant community types. 

 Delineate the locations of these types on 

 aerial photos or base maps and label 

 each community with an appropriate 

 name. (Caution: In highly variable 

 terrain, such as ridge and swale 

 complexes, be sure to stratify properly 

 to ensure best results.) In evaluating the 

 subject area, were any significanUy 

 distiu'bed areas observed? If YES, 

 identify their limits for they should be 

 evaluated separately for weUand 

 determination purposes (usually after 

 evaluating undisttirbed areas). Refer to (' 

 the section on distuirbed areas to 

 evaluate the altered characteristic(s) 

 (i.e., vegetation, soils, and/or 

 hydrology); then return to this method to 

 continue evaluating the characteristics 

 not altered. Keep in mind that if at any 

 time during this determination, it is 

 found that one or more of these three 

 characteristics have been significanUy 

 altered, the disturbed areas weUand 

 determination procedures should be 

 followed. If the area is not significanUy 

 disturbed, proceed to Step 3. 



Step 3. Establish a baseline for 

 locating sampling transects. Select as a 

 baseline one project boundary or a 

 conspicuous feature, such as a road, in 

 die project area. The baseline ideally 

 should be more or less paraUel to the 

 major watercourse through the area, if 

 present, or perpendicular to the 

 hydrologic gradient. Determine the 

 approximate baseline length and record 

 its origin, length, and compass heading 

 in the field notebook. When a limited 

 number of transects are planned, a 

 baseline may not be necessary provided 

 there are sufficient fixed points (e.g., 

 buildings, walls, and fences) to serve as 

 starting points for the transects. Proceed . 

 to Step 4. ' 



Step 4. Determine the required number 

 and position of transects. The number of 

 transects necessary to adequately 



