Wetland Indicators: A Guide to Wetland Identification, Delineation, Classification, and Mapping

by Ralph W. Tiner Jr.

Understand the current concept of wetland and methods for identifying, describing, classifying, and delineating wetlands in the United States with Wetland Indicators - capturing the current state of science's role in wetland recognition and mapping.
Environmental scientists and others involved with wetland regulations can strengthen their knowledge about wetlands, and the use of various indicators, to support their decisions on difficult wetland determinations. Professor Tiner primarily focuses on plants, soils, and other signs of wetland hydrology in the soil, or on the surface of wetlands in his discussion of Wetland Indicators.
Practicing - and aspiring - wetland delineators alike will appreciate Wetland Indicators' critical insight into the development and significance of hydrophytic vegetation, hydric soils, and other factors.

Features

418 pages, Hardcover

First published April 21, 1999

Reviews

[Alexandra Lin · Rating 5 out of 5]

#1 Ralph Tiner fan girl

[Silvio Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seems to be intended as a textbook for people who're going to delineate wetlands for government agencies like the Army Corps of Engineers. It gives lots of insight into both the definitions and the indicators you use in the field. Can be dense and dry sometimes, but the author lets his experience show (and it goes back about to the beginning of widespread wetland regulation in the U.S.). Delineators decide whether land is wetland by checking vegetation and soil to see if they are typical for flooded or saturated places, and looking for actual water or signs of it. Vegetation is the most traditional indicator, soil is also helpful but only recently studied, and water is the least reliable indicator because of seasonal and other changes.