The Nationwide Plant List, October 2012

ERDC/CRREL TR-12-11 6
To assign the final wetland ratings, the NP developed a set of computer algorithms
that applied rules to the input. The basic rule was that if the RP and all
public input were in agreement, then consensus ruled and the species received
that wetland rating. Then, as consensus dissolved, the NP began weighting the
input, first from the 30 academic and professional botanists, then from other
recognized experts, and finally from the various rounds of input to determine the
result that was closest to consensus. The NP then developed these rules into 18
algorithms, which are shown for each species on the NWPL website by listing the
algorithm number. The algorithms, which are presented and explained with a
downloadable file available at the website
(http:wetland_plants.usace.army.mil/), assessed the entire database of input.