72. When any of the three types of situations described in paragraph 71 

 occurs, application of methods described in Sections D and/or E will lead to 

 the conclusion that the area is not a wetland because positive wetland indi- 

 cators for at least one of the three parameters will be absent. Therefore, 

 apply procedures described in one of the following subsections (as appropri- 

 ate) to determine whether positive indicators of hydrophytic vegetation, 

 hydric soils, and/or wetland hydrology existed prior to alteration of the 

 area. Once these procedures have been employed, RETURN TO Section D or E to 

 make a wetland determination. PROCEED TO the appropriate subsection. 



Subsection 1 - Vegetation 



73. Employ the following steps to determine whether hydrophytic 

 vegetation previously occurred: 



• STEP 1 - Describe the Type of Alteration. Examine the area and de- 

 scribe the type of alteration that occurred. Look for evidence of 

 selective harvesting, clear cutting, bulldozing, recent conversion to 

 agriculture, or other activities (e.g., burning, discing, or presence 

 of buildings, dams, levees, roads, parking lots, etc.). Determine the 

 approximate date* when the alteration occurred. Record observations on 

 DATA FORM 3, and PROCEED TO STEP 2. 



• STEP 2 - Describe Effects on Vegetation. Record on DATA FORM 3 a 

 general description of how the activities (STEP 1) have affected the 

 plant communities. Consider the following: 



a. Has all or a portion of the area been cleared of vegetation? 



b. Has only one layer of the plant community (e.g. trees) been 

 removed? 



£. Has selective harvesting resulted in removal of some species? 



d^. Has all vegetation been covered by fill, dredged material, or 

 structures? 



e. Have increased water levels resulted in the death of some 

 individuals? 



* It is especially important to determine whether the alteration occurred 

 prior to implementation of Section 40A. 



8A 



