1350 Orono Oaks Delineation - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

excessive water content. When hydrophytic vegetation comprises a community where indicators of hydric soils and wetland hydrology also occur,the area has wetland vegetation." In more standard terms, some plants are more adapted to growing within inundated or saturated soil. Based on literature records and professional experience,a panel of experts compiled a list of plant species and assigned each a hydrophytic status(described below and includes five major classes of probability of a plant occurring within a wetland). In terms of delineation there is a gradient of plant species that are adapted to"growing in water or on substrate that is at least periodically deficient of oxygen". Fieldwork associated with wetland delineations includes a procedure (the 50/20 Rule, for determination of dominance), which is also outlined in the 1987 Manual, by which to determine if hydrophytic plant species dominate the vegetation at a given location. This procedure has been used for the wetland delineation at the subject parcel of this report. Hydric Soil Defined in the 1987 Manual as"A soil that is saturated, flooded,or ponded long enough during the growing season to develop anaerobic conditions that favor the growth and regeneration of hydrophytic vegetation. Hydric soils that occur in areas having positive indicators of hydrophytic vegetation and wetland hydrology are wetland soils." For the purposes of delineation of wetlands,soils cannot be viewed without digging pits or extracting soil using an auger. Therefore, transects of soil samples are taken from perceived upland to perceived wetlands along a transitional boundary. There are specific color indicators,textures,and depth requirements in the soil that are reviewed in order to determine whether hydric soils occur at a given point or not. After a transect of soil samples has been taken,upon consideration of vegetation and indicators of appropriate hydrology a working prototype for the given wetland is developed by the delineator. The wetland delineator then uses this working prototype to complete the location of the remainder of the wetland boundary,unless the wetland is large enough or the landscape features (vegetation or topography) change enough to warrant additional transect samples. Svoboda Ecological Resources 1350 Orono Oaks Drive Project No.:2007-061-03 34 Ron Ridgeway