Aquatic Bed - AB
Includes wetland and deep water habitats dominated
by plants that grow principally on or below the surface of the water (usually
less than six feet deep) for most of the growing season in most years.
Subclasses include: Algal, Aquatic Moss, Rooted and Floating Vascular, unknown
submergent and surface. Vegetation could include: cattails, pondweeds, nalads,
coontail, water-milfoils, waterweeds, duckweeds, waterlilies, spatterdocks, wild
rice, and reeds
A few example codes in this class might be: PAB1D, PAB4H,
PAB2B
Emergent - EM
Includes both persistent and non-persistent
vegetation. Characterized by erect, rooted, herbaceous hydrophytes, excluding
mosses and lichens, which is present for most of the growing season in most
years. Vegetation types may include: grasses, bulrushes, spikerushes and various
other marsh plants such as cattails, arrowheads, pickerelweed and
smartweeds.
Subclasses:
1) Persistent - plants that normally remain
standing at least until the beginning of the next growing season.
2)
Non-persistent - plants which fall to the surface of the substrate or below the
surface of the water at the end of the growing season
Forested - FO
Woody vegetation greater than 6 meters (20 feet)
tall. Species include both broad and needle leaved deciduous and evergreen
categories. Could include tamarack, arborvitae, black spruce, balsam, red maple,
black ash, willows, dogwoods
Scrub/Shrub - SS
Woody vegetation less than 6 meters (20 feet)
tall. Species include true shrubs, young trees (saplings) or trees that are
small or stunted because of environmental conditions. Includes both broad and
needle leaved deciduous and evergreen categories. Soil is usually waterlogged
during the growing season and is often covered with up to six inches of water.
Vegetation types include: alders, willows, buttonbush, dogwoods, and
swamp-privet, and younger tamarack, arborvitae, black spruce, balsam, red maple
and black ash.
Unconsolidated Bottom - UB
Includes all wetlands and deep water
habitats with at least 25% cover of particles smaller than stones, and a
vegetative cover less than 30%. Subclasses include: cobble, gravel, sand, mud
and organic matter. Possible types include potholes, shallow lake basins,
limestone sinks, holding ponds, and sloughs. NWI formerly called this open
water.