Baldwin County Wetland Conservation Plan - Alabama Department ...

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Baldwin County Wetland Conservation Plan Final Summary Document Rationale: Floodwater storage capacity is greatest with alternating wet and dry conditions as found in the regimes listed above. Wetlands that are permanently flooded have little additional capacity to store water during flood events; while those that flood less often than seasonally play a lesser role than others in storing floodwaters. Thus, those that exhibit the above NWI water regimes are considered to function at a higher level than those that have different regimes. This variable was identified remotely through digital NWI maps. Data Column: wat_reg; 1 point Question 6: Does the adjacent land use surrounding the observed wetland fall into one of the following land use categories; residential, commercial, industrial, transportation or mixed urban use? Rationale: These land use categories are marked by the presence of impervious surfaces which will increase the volume of surface water sheetflow entering the wetland. Thus, a wetland surrounded by these land uses will be more likely to receive and store larger volumes of water. This variable was identified remotely through digital land use data provide by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Data Column: WS_LULC; 1 point Sediment/Toxicant/Nutrient Removal and Soil Stabilization Question 1: Does the observed wetland contain rooted vegetation or coarse woody debris as indicated by one of the following NWI class designations: FO, SS or EM? Rationale: Rooted vegetation and coarse woody debris provide frictional resistance for water flow thus slowing water as it moves through the wetland. This water velocity reduction allows sediments to settle out of the water column thus resulting in improved water quality. For nutrient cycling to occur, both living and dead biomass must be present. The presence of coarse woody debris indicates a level of decomposition which will ultimately release nutrients into the soil which can then be assimilated into living material through plant uptake. Although the presence of coarse woody debris cannot be measured directly through remote techniques, it was determined indirectly. In a natural riverine ecosystem there is both living and dead material. Thus, if a site contains rooted live vegetation (which was measured remotely through NWI) it follows that the site would also contain dead material (in some form). Thus the presence of rooted vegetation is indicative of nutrient cycling occurring on the site which indicates a high level of function for this variable. Data Column: root_veg; 1 point Question 2: Is the water regime of the observed wetland either intermittently exposed (G), semi- permanently flooded (F), seasonally flooded (C), or temporarily flooded (A)? Rationale: If the wetland exhibits one of the above water regimes, it is likely to provide the alternating wet and dry conditions necessary to promote the microbial activity, found in anaerobic conditions, which aid in nutrient processing. This variable was identified remotely through digital NWI data. 103
Baldwin County Wetland Conservation Plan Final Summary Document Data Column: wat_reg2; 1 point Question 3. Does the adjacent land surrounding the observed wetland fall into one of the following land use categories: residential, commercial, industrial, transportation, mixed urban use or agriculture? Rationale: The assumption is that developed or agricultural lands which surround a wetland would increase the nutrient, sediment or toxicant load (fertilizer, animal waste, polluted runoff) entering the system. Thus, a wetland in this position would have an increased opportunity to cycle nutrients and filter water exiting the system. Since this variable deals with the issue of opportunity rather than functional ability, a “no” response will not count against a particular wetland. Rather, this will serve as a “bonus” question allowing a wetland extra consideration if this variable applies. This variable was identified remotely through digital land use data supplied by the FEMA. Data Column: STN_LULC; 1 point bonus Wildlife/Fisheries Habitat 1. Is the observed wetland free from government maintained roads? Rationale: Highly traveled road corridors (defined here as government maintained since a government would not normally maintain a road that was not highly traveled) which bisect wildlife habitat create disturbances which negatively impact wildlife. In addition to the obvious traffic disturbances, secondary development (i.e. commercial enterprise) is often located adjacent to these road corridors which can further impact habitat. Also, roads which bisect a wetland reduce habitat capability by fragmenting the landscape. This variable was identified remotely through county digital centerline data. The NWI often have gaps in wetland polygons where roads exist. Therefore, a 100’ road buffer was used to identify all wetlands that are actually affected by the presence of a road. Wetlands polygons that were contained within a wetland system of greater than 100 acres were not affected. Data Column: roads; subtract 1 point Question 2: Is the observed wetland forested as indicated by the FO class designation from NWI? Rationale: Forested areas contain a mast supply (hard or soft - depending upon the cover type) and provide adequate cover for wildlife. Forested wetlands provide vertical and horizontal layers of habitats that are important to a diverse wildlife community. Forests also provide other important wildlife niches that are unavailable in non-forested habitats, such as cavities, snags and woody debris. Silvicultural activities on forested wetlands also provide important habitat components by providing different stages of tree growth which attract and support a variety of wildlife. This variable was identified remotely through NWI digital data. Data Column: forest; 1 point bonus 104
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The Baldwin County Wetland Conserva
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3.2.3.2. Acquisition of GIS data la
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. List of Acronyms 1. ADCNR........
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d. Executive Summary The objective
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Baldwin County Wetland Conservation
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