MDT Montana Wetland Field Evaluation Form and Instructions 



July 1. 1996 



GLOSSARY 



Abundant: An estimated 50% or more of wetlands in the same Major Montana 



Watershed Basin are similar in composition to the AA. 



Aquatic wetland bed class: Any areas of open water dominated by plants that grow principally on or 



belowthe water surface for most of the growing season. Vegetation is 

 non-persistent and includes submerged or floating- leaved rooted 

 vascular plants, free-floating vascular plants, submergent mosses, and 

 algae. 



Aquatic/semi-aquatic wildlife: Species that depend primarily or solely on wetland habitats for breeding, 



nesting, feeding, or other critical life cycle components. Examples 

 include waterfowl, shorebirds, bald eagle, osprey, muskrat, mink, river 

 otter, beaver, and painted turtle. 



Bog: 



Common: 

 Directly Disturbed: 



Emergent wetland class: 

 Encroached Upon: 



Fen: 



Forested wetland class: 

 Functional unit: 



A peat-accumulating wetland that has no significant inflows or outflows 

 and supports acidophilic mosses, particularly sphagnum (Mitch and 

 Gosselink 1993). 



An estimated 10-50% of wetlands in the same Major Montana 

 Watershed Basin are similar in composition to the AA. 



Wetland has been more than minimally directly disturbed by human 

 activity; significant clearing, filling, conversion has occurred (e.g., 

 farmed/tilled prairie pothole, wetland bisected by road construction). 



Vegetated wetland characterized by erect, herbaceous hydrophytes (e.g., 

 sedges, rushes, grasses, bulrush, cattail), excluding mosses and lichens. 



Human disturbance has encroached upon the wetland, but very minimal 

 or no direct disturbance has resulted (e.g., pothole on agricultural land 

 [converted prairie] that has been tilled to the wetland edge, wetland with 

 road constructed along one edge). 



A peat-accumulating wetland that receives some drainage from 

 surrounding mineral soil and usually supports marsh-like vegetation 

 (Mitch and Gosselink 1993). 



Vegetated wetland characterized by woody vegetation that is 6m (20 ft) 

 tall or taller. 



A figure derived by muhiplying functional points for a given AA by its 

 estimated acreage. 



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