MPT Montana Wetland Field Evaluation Form and Instructions July 1. 1996 



Where wetlands are contiguous with flowing non-wetland water bodies (rivers, streams, 

 irrigation canals): 



For fringe wetlands (cumulative width < 3x bankfull channel width) adjacent to a 

 channel or multiple channels with a cumulative bankfull widths 150 feet (e.g., Missouri 

 River), include open water in the AA to the deepest point in the channel or to a point that 

 is double the wetland width, whichever is greater, to a distance from the project 

 determined by A, B, and C. 



For all nonfringe wetlands (cumulative width i 3x bankfull channel width) or those 

 fringe wetlands adjacent to a channel or multiple channels with a cumulative bankfull 

 width < 150 feet (e.g.. Little Blackfoot River), include entire channel in the AA to a 

 distance from the project determined by A, B, and C. 



10. Classification of AA. Enter the HGM class(es) (Smith et al. 1995) pertaining to the AA in column 1. 

 HGM classes applicable to Montana are riverine, depressional, slope, mineral soil flats, organic soil flats, 

 and lacustrine fringe. A key to these classes is provided in Appendix C. Class descriptions are provided 

 in Smith etal. (1995). 



For columns 2-6, enter the systems, subsystems, classes, water regimes, and special modifiers that apply 

 to the AA using the Cowardin et al. (1979) classification system. Only the riverine, lacustrine, and 

 palustrine systems apply to Montana. A classification hierarchy showing systems, subsystems, and 

 classes from Cowardin et el. (1979) is included in Appendix C. 



For column 7, enter the estimated percentage of the AA that corresponds to each Cowardin class. For 

 purposes of simplification, it is appropriate to substitute the term "open water" for the rock bottom and 

 unconsolidated bottom classes and "unvegetated" for the rocky shore and unconsolidated shore classes 

 within any of the systems. 



Vegetated classes are distinguished on the basis of what species constitute the uppermost layer of 

 vegetation and cover more than 30% of the substrate (Cowardin et al. 1979). For example, an area with 

 50% areal coverage of trees over a shrub layer with 60% areal coverage would be classified as a forested 

 wetland; an area with 20% areal coverage of trees over a shrub layer with 60% areal coverage would be 

 classified as scrub-shrub wetland. When trees or shrubs alone cover less than 30% of an area but in 

 combination cover 30% or more, the wetland is classified as scrub-shrub. When trees and shrubs cover 

 less than 30% of an area but the total vegetative cover is 30% or greater, the wetland is assigned to the 

 appropriate class for the predominant life form (e.g., emergent) below the shrub layer. The vegetated 

 classes likely to be encountered are defined below: 



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

 the 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. 



Emergent class: Vegetated wetland characterized by erect, herbaceous hydrophytes (e.g., sedges. 



