    [From the U.S. Government Printing Office, www.gpo.gov]

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     @TACF,,G@ AND TRENDS, MID- 1 970'S TO MID- I 980'S

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  &w

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Lnd

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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     1994

                                                                                _4

                                                                                                                  '-it'

                                   Lutcher Moore Swamp, Louisiana
                                   PALUSTR[NTE FORESTED

                                   NANCY WEBB@

                                   ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

                                   This report is the result of work by many                We would also like to thank the many people
                                   individuals within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife            who shared their werland photographs with us
                                   Service and others. Special thanks are extended          including John Gahr, Wendel Metzen, Kevin
                                   to Dr. Donald Woodard, Director and his staff at         Moorhead, John Oberheu, Larry Ditto, Louis
                                   the National Wetlands Inventory Center in St.            Justice, George Gentry, Nora Murdock, and
                                   Petersburg, Florida; and to Mark Newcastle,              others with the Tennessee Valley Authority, the
                                   Division of Printing in Washington, D.C.;                Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission,
                                   to Keith Patterson and staff at Geonex-Martel,           the United States Soil Conservation Service, and
                                   Inc. in St. Petersburg, Florida; to Eric Hughes          the South Carolina Division of Tourism.
                                   and Robert Lord with the U.S. Environmental
                                   Protection Agency in Atlanta, Georgia.                   Our very special appreciation is extended to
                                                                                            Nancy Webb of Zachary, Louisiana, for providing
                                   We are especially grateful for the efforts of            us with some of the most unusual and beautiful
                                   Thomas Gale, Gale Communications in St. Paid,            wetland photographs we have seen.
                                   Minnesota, for editing, layout and other help in
                                   preparation of the final document.

                                   Cover pboto:                                             This report should be cited as follows:
                                   Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Florida             Hefner, J.M., B.O. Wilen, T.E. Dahl and W.E. Frayer.
                                   PALUSTRINE FORESTED                                      1994. Southeast Wetlands; Status and Trends, Mid-
                                   GEORGE GENTRY@                                           1970's to Mid-1980's. U.S. Department of the
                                   Page 2 pboto:                                            Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Atlanta, Georgia.
                                   Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Florida             32 pages.
                                   PALUSTRINE FORESTED
                                   GEORGE GENTRY@,

                                                                        For sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office
                                                             Superintendent of Documents, Mail Stop: SSOP, Washington, DC 20462@ @i28'
                                                                                ISBN 0-16-045537-5

               Southeast
               Wetlands

                   STATUS AND TRENDS, MID-1970'S TO MID- 1980'S

                                     J.M. Hefner
                            U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
                                   Atlanta, Georgia

                                     B.O. Wilen
                            U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
                                  Washington, D.C.

                                      T.E. Dahl
                            U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
                                St. Petersburg, Florida

                                     WE. Fraver
                          Michigan Technological University
                                Houghton, Michigan

                                                                           U.S. Department Of The Interior
                                                                              March 3,1849

                                                                             U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

                                                                             United States Department of the Interior
                                                                                Fish and Wildlife Service
                                                                                 Southeast Region
                                                                                  Atlanta, Georgia

                                                                           United States Environmental Protection Agency

                                                                              United States Environmental Protection Agency
                                                                                                Region IV
                                                                                             Atlanta, Georgia

                                                               Yellow Fringed-orchid
                                                               PALUSTRINE EMERGENT
                                                                NANCY WEBB

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               Southeast
                 Wetlands

                   STATUS AND TRENDS, MID- 1970'S TO MID-1980'S

                                    J.M. Hefner
                            U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
                                  Atlanta, Georgia

                                     B.O. Wilen
                            U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
                                 Washington, D.C.

                                     T.E. Dahl
                            U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
                               St. Petersburg, Florida

                                    W.E. Fraver
                         Michigan Technological University
                                Houghton, Michigan

                                                                                    A 1994 Cooperative Publication by

                                                                                    U.S. Department Of The Interior
                                                                                     March 3, 1849

                                                                                    U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

                                                                                  United States Department of the Interior
                                                                                         Fish and Wildlife Service
                                                                                             Southeast Region
                                                                                             Atlanta, Georgia

                                                                           United States Environmental Protection Agency
                                                                                                Region IV
                                                                                             Atlanta, Georgia

                                                                          Yellow Fringed-orchid
                                                                          PALUSTRINE EMERGENT

                                                                          NANCY WEBB

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                      Contents

                      Highlights       ........................................................................................................................................      5
                      Executive Summary               ..........................................................................................................................     6
                      Introduction         ....................................................................................................................................      8
                      Survey Methods             .............................................................................................................................   10
                      Results
                             Regional Status           .......................................................................................................................   12
                             Regional Trends             .....................................................................................................................   13
                             State Analyses          .........................................................................................................................   14
                      Discussion       ......................................................................................................................................    20
                      Conclusion        .....................................................................................................................................    24
                      Literature Cited          .............................................................................................................................    26
                      Appendix A: Habitat Categories                     .....................................................................................................   27
                      Appendix B: Data Tables                 ................................................................................................................   31

                      List of Figures

                        1. Study area: Southeast Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service                                         ............................................   5
                        2. Map of the physical subdivisions of the Southeast                              .......................................................................    7
                        3. Wetlands of the Southeast                  ........................................................................................................   12
                        4. Estuarine wetlands of the Southeast                        .........................................................................................  12
                        5. Palustrine wetlands of the Southeast                       ................................................................    ....................... 12
                        6. Wetlands, deepwater habitats, and uplands of the Southeast                                      ..................................................... 12
                        7. Palustrine wetland gains and losses in the Southeast...                                .............................................................. 13
                        8. Fate of palustrine forested wetland losses and conversions                                   ........................................................ 13
                        9. Weiland acreages, percentage of state landscapes and net losses, by state                                           ....................... I.......... 15
                      10. Wetlands of the conterminous United States                               ............................................................................  21
                      11. Estuarine wetlands of the conterminous United States                                     ............................................................. 21
                      12. Wetland losses in the conterminous United States                                 ....................................................................  21
                      13. Estuarine vegetated wetland losses in the conterminous United States                                            ...................................... 21
                      14. Palustrine forested wetland losses and conversions in the conterminous United States                                                     .............. 21
                      15. Wetland losses in the Gulf-Atlantic Coastal Flats compared to the rest of the U.S                                                . .................... 21
                      16. All wetlands in the Southeast: Average annual loss .... ..............................................................                                 22
                      17. Palustrine forested wetlands in the Southeast: Annual average loss/conversion                                                 .............. .......... 22
                      18. Palustrine forested wetland losses and conversions in the Southeast                                         .......................................... 25

                      List of Tables

                      Table 1. Major wetland functions and values                           .................................................................................    8-9
                      Table 2. Distribution of sample plots and mean dates of aerial photo coverage by state                                                  .........I......... 10
                      Table 3. Distribution of sample plots within physical subdivisions                                     ................................................... 10
                      Table 4. Wetland, deepwater and upland habitat categories used in this study                                             ................................. 11
                      Table S. States with large conversions from palustrine forested to palustrine emergent wetlands                                                       ...... 13
                      Table 6. Wetland trends for the Southeast states, mid-1970's to mid-1980's                                             ......................... ......... 14

                                                                                    PM

               Highlights

               9 Nearly half (47 percent or 48.9 million acres)          *Estuarine (saltwater) wedand acreages
                 of the wetlands in the conterminous United                remained stable throughout most of the region
                 States are in the 10 states of the Southeast -            except for coastal Louisiana, where substantial
                 Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky,            losses were identified.
                 Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South
                 Carolina and Tennessee. Wetlands and                      Freshwater wetlands declined dramatically.
                 deepwater habitats comprise 21 percent                    Forested wetlands such as bottomiand
                 of the region's area.                                     hardwood swamps and cypress sloughs
                                                                           declined by 3.1 million acres, -with heaviest
               *Wetlands alone cover 16 percent of the                     losses in the Gulf-Atlantic Coastal Flats of
                 region's area, compared to a 5-percent overall            North Carolina and in the Mississippi Alluvial
                 coverage in area for the lower 48 states.                 Plain in Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana.

               e From the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, the                0 North Carolina stood out among all
                 average annual net loss of wetlands in the                southeastern states with an estimated loss of
                 Southeast was 259,000 acres. Wetland losses               1.2 million acres in palustrine forested and
                 within the region accounted for 89 percent of             scrub/shrub wetlands. Although the average
                 the net national wetland losses for the period.           annual net loss for all combined wetland types
                                                                           declined compared to earlier periods, the rate
                                                                           at which freshwater forested wetlands were lost
                                                                           and converted increased.

                              Wetlands in the Wetland losses between
                              (onterminous  mid-] 970's and mid-1 980's
                               United States

                                                       89% in the
                                                       Southeast

                                         47% in the
                                           utheast

                                                                                                                           EAST

                            103.3 million acres 2.6     acres

               Left.- Wood Ducks                            Figure 2. Study area: Southeast Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
               LARRY R DITTO*

                                      Executive Summary

                                      The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service prepares                Changes were determined to be either natural or
                                      reports on the status and trends of wetlands and           human-induced. The wetland acreage estimate
                                      deepwater habitats of the conterminous United              for the mid-1980's was subtracted from the
                                      States on a 10-year cycle, in accordance with the          estimate for the mid-1970's and divided by the
                                      Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 1986 116               nine-year study period for an estimate of average
                                      U.S.C. 3931(a)l.                                           annual net loss.

                                      The most recent report in the series (Dahl and             Results show an estimated 51.2 million acres of
                                      Johnson 1991) evaluated wetland trends for the             wetlands in the 10 Southeast states in the mid-
                                      period from the mid-1970's to mid-1980's.                  1970's. By the mid-1980's, wetlands were
                                      The national studv design was such that region-            reduced to 48.9 million acres, including 44.6
                                      specific - and in @ome cases state-spccific -              million acres of freshwater wetlands and 4.3
                                      information also could be developed. The                   million acres of estuarine wetlands. The net loss
                                      present report analyzes data collected for the             within the region was more than 2.3 million
                                      10-state Southeast Region of the Fish and                  acres, making the average annual net loss
                                      Wildlife Service (Fig. 1).                                 approximately 259,000 acres. Nearly all
                                                                                                 the losses were from freshwater wetlands.
                                      The design of this regional study consisted of a
                                      stratified random sample of 2,204 plots drawn              In the mid-1980's, wetlands comprised 16
                                      from the national sample of 3,629 plots. Aerial            percent of the regional landscape. By contrast,
                                      photography from the mid-1970's and mid-                   wetlands covered only 5 percent of the total area
                                      1980's (mean dates 1974 and 1983) for each of              of the lower 48 states. Southeast wetlands
                                      the plots was analyzed to detect changes in                represented 47 percent of the total wetlands in
                                      wetlands and deepwater habitat acreage.

                                                                                                                                Car Island, Louisiana
                                                                                                                                PALUSTRINE FORESTED

                                                                                                                                              CNANCY WEBB

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                                                                      All

                   the conterminous United States. Nearly half of                               Over 3.1 million acres of forested wetlands
                   the freshwater wetlands and over three-quarters                              (bottomland hardwoods, cypress sloughs, etc.)
                   of the estuarine wetlands of the lower 48 states                             were lost or converted to other wetland types.
                   are in the region. Wetland losses within the                                 Losses were particularly acute in the Lower
                   Southeast represented 89 percent of the net                                  Mississippi Alluvial Plain (Louisiana, Mississippi
                   national losses during this period.                                          and Arkansas) and in the Gulf Atlantic Coastal
                                                                                                Flats of North Carolina (Fig. 2).
                   Estuarine (saltwater) wetlands declined by about
                   1 percent, with an estimated net loss of 50,000                              Palustrine nonvegetated wetlands increased by
                   acres. The loss rate for estuarine wetlands was                              400,000 acres. Most of the increase came from
                   substantially less than estimates for previous                               conversion of non-wetlands to farm ponds,
                   decades. However, the estuarine loss did not                                 ponds in residential areas and other small
                   encompass all coastal wetland losses, because                                impoundments.
                   some coastal areas also contain extensive
                   freshwater wetlands that had losses. Most                                    Although urban development increased, the
                   estuarine wetland losses occurred along the                                  effect on wetlands was relatively small compared
                   northern Gulf Coast, especially in Louisiana.                                to other factors. Wetland conversions to non-
                   Estuarine wetland acreage remained stable                                    wetlands were distributed nearlv evenlv between
                   throughout the rest of the region.                                           agriculture and "other" land, such as @orests and
                                                                                                barren lands. This is a change from previous
                   Palustrine (freshwater) wetlands showed a net                                decades when agricultural development was the
                   decline of 2.3 million acres (4.8 percent).                                  primary cause of wetland loss.

                                                                 Middle Western Upland Plain
                                                                    (INTERIOR DIVISION)
                         Mid-continent                               41GHLAN
                           Plains and                     Vv-
                          Escarpments
                          (INTERIOR
                          DIVISION)

                                                                                                            Ulf-Atlantic
                                                                                                           o
                                                                                                                P i
                                                                                                                     In
                                                                                                            lling 101

                                                                                  HTIC
                                                                     011IF-ATIA
                                                                                                                     Gulf-Allanti @Coastal
                                                                                                                           mots

                                           Figure 2. Map of the physical subdivisions of the Southeast (Hammond 1970).

                                   Introduction

                                   Extensive floodplains, wide coastal plains and          The wetlands of the Gulf Coast from Alabama to
                                   abundant rainfall have created rich and diverse         Louisiana provide winter habitat for more thari
                                   wetland resources in the Southeast (Fig. 1).            400,000 geese and three million ducks
                                   At the time of European settlement, wetlands            (Mississippi Flyway Council 1991). Louisiana is
                                   may have occupied a third of the land surface           second only to Alaska in volume of commercial
                                   within this portion of the United States (Dahl          fishery landings with a harvest of over 1.2 billion
                                   1990). Nearly half of Louisiana and Florida may         pounds, with a value of $264 millon in 1989
                                   have been wetlands.                                     (National Marine Fisheries Service 1991).
                                                                                           Louisiana's catch is made up primarily of
                                   The landscape in this region, as in most of the         wctland-dcpendent species such as brown
                                   eastern United States, has been altered                 shrimp, white shrimp, blue crab, seatrout and
                                   dramaticallv over the past 200 years. Wetlands          spot (Gossclink 1984).
                                   have been @raincd to develop agricultural and
                                   forestrv resources; they have been filled or
                                   otherwise altered to construct comrncrcial and
                                   urban developments, transportation networks
                                   and navigational facilities (Tiner 1984).

                                   Southeast wetlands play an integral role in the
                                   region's quality of life - maintaining water
                                   quality and quantity, supporting diverse and
                                   plen4ul fish and Nvildlife habitat, and providing
                                   economic livelihood and recreation for millions
                                   of people.

                                   A few specific examples of the contribution of
                                   wetlands to the region are noted here.

                                   A single 2,300-acre Georgia floodplairi wetland                    ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY SUPPORT
                                   naturally provides pollution control benefits
                                   worth a'n estimated $1 million each year                           Water Quality Maintenance
                                   (Wharton 1970). The 552,000-acre Green                             L Pollution Filter
                                   Swamp complex northeast of Tampa, Florida,                         - Sediment and Toxicant Trapping
                                   stores water for eventual aquifer recharge with an                 - Oxygen Production
                                   estimated value of $25 million annually (Brown
                                   1984). The value of standing timber in southern                    - Nutrient Cycling
                                   wetland forests has been estimated at $8 billion                     Chemical and Nutrient Absorption
                                   (Tiner 1984).
                                                                                                      Biogeochemical (ycling
                                                                                                   i  Primary Productivity
                                                                                        <             Microclimate Regulation
                                                                                        Z
                                                                                                      Biospheric Stabilization
                                                                                                      Biodiversity

                                                                                         FISH AND WILDLIFE HABITAT

                                                                                         F
                                                                                             d Shellfish
                                                                                         ish an
                                                                                         Waterfowl, Wading Birds, Shorebirds and Other Birds
                                                           t                             Furbearers and Other Mammals
                                                                                         Reptiles and Amphibians
                                                                                         Plant (ommunities
                                                                                         Endangered Species

               8

                    Freshwater fishes of the region also depend on                               visit Everglades NatioDal Park, America's largest
                    wetlands. For example, 53 species of fish are                                wetland park and a designated Wetland of
                    known to use flooded bottorriland hardwood                                   International Importance (Ramsar Convention
                    wetlands during their fife cycles (Wharton et al.                            Bureau). Table I provides a representative list of
                    1981).                                                                       wetland values.

                    Wetlands provide the region with a varicty of                                To manage wetlands resources effectively, it is
                    recreational opportunities as well. In 198@ alone,                           important to understand their extent and the
                    more than two million people fished Florida's                                influences that mav be affecting them. Hefher
                    fresh waters. Nearly one million people each year                            and Brown's (1984) report on wetland trends
                                                                                                 in the Southeast Pegion estimated the rate of
                                                                                                 wetland conversion in the Southeast from the
                                                                                                 mid-1950's to the mid-1970's, a time
                                                                                                 immediately preceding governmental wetland
                                                                                                 protection @fforts.

                                                                                                 The present report covers a period in which
                                                                                                 government programs and policies - and
                                                                                                 environmental awareness - were beginning to
                                                                                                 influence wetland management decisions. This
                                                                                                 regional information can serve as an indicator of
                                                                                                 the effectiveness of public policies and programs
                                                                   'r.                           intended to reduce the loss of the nation's
                                                                                                 wetlands and to identifi, areas experiencing
                                                                                                 wetland change.

                                      SOCIO-ECONOMK VALUES                                                      HYDROLOGIC FUNCTIONS

                                      Product Source                                                            Flood Control
                                         Timber                                                                 Wave Dampening
                                         Peot                                                                   Erosion Control
                                         Forage                                                                 Groundwater Recharge
                                         Fish and Shellfish                                                     Groundwater Discharge
                                         Fur and Other Wildlife Products                                        Flow Stabilization
                                         Food                                                                   Saltwater Intrusion Prevention
                                         Medicine
                                      L Aquaculture
                                      Recreation

                                      Wastewater Treatment
                                      Water Supply                                               P
                                      Aesthetics
                                                                                             0
                                      Education and Scientific Research                      <
                                      Bank Stabilization
                                      Cultural Heritage
                                      Archaeological Resource
                                      Uniqueness

                    Table I (both pages). Major wetland functions and values:
                    Fish and wildlife habitat, environmental quality support,
                    socio-economic values, hydrologic functions.

                                                                                                                                                                                                9

                                               Survey Methods

                                               Survey procedures for this study were first used                             black and white at 1:80,000 or 1:60,000 scale,
                                               by Frayer et. al. 1983. The metfiod was reviewed                             while the 1980's images were principally color
                                               and approved prior to its use by statisticians from                          infrared at 1:58,000 scale.
                                               the Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service, Soil
                                               Conservation Service and the Army Corps of                                   Aerial photographs were interpreted and cover
                                               Engineers. It has been employed for a series of                              types delineated according to procedures
                                               national (Fraycr et al. 1983, Dahl and Johnson                               developed by the National Wetlands Inventory
                                               1991, Frayer 1991) and regional wetland status                               (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1990a; 1990b@.
                                               and trend studies (Frayer et al. 1989, Heffier                               Wetlands, deepwater habitats and uplands
                                               and Brown 1984).                                                             identified on the photographs were assigned to
                                                                                                                            one of 16 categories listed in Table 4 and
                                               The Southeast regional status and trends study                               described in Appendix A. All changes were
                                               consists of a stratified random sample of 2,204                              determined to be either natural (e.g. scrub/
                                               plots. Each plot is four square miles, or 2,560                              shrub wetland succeeding to forested wctland) or
                                               acres, and is permanently established for periodic                           human-inducccl (e.g. conversion of wetland to
                                               reevaluation. The samples are stratified based on                            residential development or agricultural usage).
                                               physical subdivisions (Hammond 1970)(Fig. 2),                                Non-wctland areas were assigned to one of three
                                               and state boundaries (Fig. 1) with the addition of                           general land-use categories: agricultural, urban
                                               a coastal stratum along the Gulf of Mexico and                               and "other."
                                               Atlantic coasts. The coastal stratum was added to
                                               incorporate estuarine and marine wetlands that                               Delineations on the interpreted aerial
                                               extended beyond the continuous land mass.                                    photographs were transferred to overlays on
                                               Sample plots were allocated to each stratum in                               1:24,000-scale U.S. Geological Survey
                                               proportion to the expected wettand density based                             topographic maps. Measurements of the various
                                               on estimates by Shaw and Fredine (1956). Table                               categories were made and acreages recorded for
                                               2 shows the number of plots within each state.                               analyses. Changes in wetland area from the mid-
                                               Table 3 shows plot distribution within the                                   1970's to mid-1980's for each sample plot were
                                               physical subdivision strata.                                                 also determined from these maps, measured and
                                                                                                                            recorded. Regional and state estimates were
                                               Aerial photography was the basic information                                 developed from the sample plot data using the
                                               source. Two sets of photographs were analyzed                                statistical procedures presented by Frayer et al.
                                               for each study plot. The mean years of the aerial                            (1983). As with previous status and trends
                                               photography for the study were 1974 and 1983                                 studies by the Fish and Wildlife Service, this
                                               (Table 2). This ninc-vear interval was used for                              study is a quantitative measure of wetlands.
                                               calculating average ar@urual wetland change                                  No assessment of wctland quality other than
                                               estimates. The 1970's photography was primarily                              changes in areal extent was made.

                                                 Table 2. Distribution of sample plots and mean
                                                 dates of aerial photographic coverage, by state.                             Table 3. Distribution of sample plots
                                                 State                    Plots      1970's Date       I 980's Date           within physical subdivisions (Hammond 1970).
                                                 Alabama                  76               1975                      1981     Physical Subdivision                                 Sample Plots
                                                                                                                              Appalachian Highlands                                          21
                                                 Arkansas                 127              1974
                                                 Florida                  644              1974                      1984     Eastern Interior Uplands and Basins                            17
                                                 Ge@rgj                                                              9
                                                                          206                                                 Gulf-Aflantic Coastal Flats                                  762
                                                 Kentucky                 17               1972                      1982     Gulf-Aflantic Rolling Plain                                  440
                                                      jano                                   974                     1 9@fi   Lower Mississippi Alluvial Plain                             335
                                                 Mississippi              96               1973                      1982     Mid-Gontinent Plains and Escarpments                              3
                                                 NO Carolina              235              1973                      8        Middle Western Upland Plain                                       4
                                                 South Carolina           133              1973                      1983     Ozark-Ouachito Highlands                                       12
                                                 Tennessee                33               1972                      9-@ -1,1 Coastal Zone                                                 610

                    10

                  Table 4. Wetland, deepwater and upland habitat categories used in this study. (Detailed description in Appendix A)

                     Saltwater Habitats**            Common Description                                Freshwater Habitats**          Common Description
                     Marine Intertidal              Ocean beaches, bars,and flats                    Palustrine Forested            Swamps, bottomland hardwoods, etc.
                     Estuarine Subtidol*            Open water of boys and sounds                    Palustrine Scrub/Shrub         Shrub wetlands

                     Estuarine Intertidal Emergents Salt marshes                                      Palustrine Emergents           Fresh marshes, wet meadows, etc.
                     Estuarine Intertidal Forest/Shrub Mangroves & other estuarine shrubs             Palustrine Unconsolitated Bottom Beaches, bars, and flats
                     Estuarine Intertidal                                                             Palustrine Unconsolidated Bottom Open water ponds
                     Unconsolidated Shore           Beaches, bars and flats
                                                                                                      Palustrine Aquatic Beds        Floating or submerged vegetation
                                                                                                      Riverine*                      Open water within river channels
                     Upland Land Use***             Common Description
                                                                                                      Locustrine*                    Lakes and reservoirs
                     Agriculture                    Croplands and pastures
                                                    Cities towns and other built-up areas
                     Urban                                        other built-up areas                     Deepwater Habitats
                     Other Uplands                  Forest, range land and barren land                     Adapted from Cowardin et aL (1979)
                                                                                                           Adapted from Anderson et aL (1976)

                  Norris Dam, Tennessee
                  ACUSTRINE

                  TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY

    Norris Dam, Tennessee
    LACUSTRINE
    TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY

                                                                                                        11

                                                 Results

                                                 Estimates for acreage changes from the mid-                                    Palustrine forested wetlands represented 74
                                                 1970's to the mid-1980's,,vere developed for 13                                percent of all freshwater wetlands in the region.
                                                 wctland and deepwater habitat categories within                                Freshwater emergent wetlands made up 13
                                                 the Southeast Region (Fig. 1). Data tables for                                 percent. Wetlands dominated by shrubs
                                                 the region are presented in Appendix B.                                        comprised 10 percent. PaInStrine unconsolidated
                                                                                                                                bottom (freshwater ponds) were 3 percent of the
                                                                                                                                total (Fig.5).
                                                 REGIONAL STATUS
                                                                                                                                Wetlands covered approximately 16 percent of
                                                 There were an estimated 51.2 million acres of                                  the Southeast landscape in the mid-1980's.
                                                 wetlands in the Southeast Region in the mid-                                   Dcepwater habitats occupied an additional
                                                 1970's. An estimated 48.9 million acres remained                               5 percent of the area for a combined total
                                                 bv the mid-1980's. The average annual net loss                                 of 21 percent of the region's acreage (Fig. 6).
                                                 f@r the period was 259,000 acres. In the mid-
                                                 1980's, 91 percent of the region's wetlands                                    Wetlands are present in every phvsical subdivision
                                                 (44.6 million acres) were palustrine (freshwater).                             of the Southeast. The highest wetland density
                                                 The remaining 9 percent (4.3 million acres)                                    occurred in the combined area of the Gulf-
                                                 were estuarine wetlands (Fig. 3).                                              Atlantic Coastal Flats and Coastal Zone, where
                                                                                                                                wetlands covered 31 percent of the landscape.
                                                 The estuarine intertidal emergent category                                     Although these two areas represent less than a
                                                 accounted for 73 percent of estuarine wetlands.                                fourth of the region, nearly half of the region's
                                                 Another 16 percent were estuarine forested/                                    wetlands occur there. More than three-quarters
                                                 shrub, principally mangrove -dominated habitats.                               of the deepwater habitat acreage in the Southeast
                                                 Approximately I I percent of all estuarine                                     was estimated within these physical subdivisions,
                                                 wetlands were nonvegetated, e.g. saltflats,                                    primarily due to extensive estuarine subtidal
                                                 muciflats and sandbars, (Fig.4).                                               habitats in the Coastal Zone.

                                                                                Figure 3                                                                        Figure 4
                                                                    Wetlands of the Southeast                                                Estuarine wetlands of the Southeast

                                                     Polustrine                                                                     Emergent                                 Forest/Shrub 700,000acres
                                                     44,600,000 acres                                 Estuarine                     3, 7 00, 000 acres
                                                                                                                  acres                                                                 Non-Vegetated
                                                                                                                                                                                        500,000 acres

                                                                                                                                                               Figure 6
                                                                                Figure 5                                                Wetlands, deepwater habitats and uplands
                                                             Palustrine wetlands of the Southeast                                                         of the Southeast
                                                     Forested                                ScruhlShrub 4,600,000acres             Uplands                                  Deepwater 15,800,000 acres
                                                     32,800,000 acres
                                                                                                                                    250,300,000 ocr
                                                                                                        Emergent                                                                        Wetlands
                                                                                                         5,800,000ocres                                                                 48,900,000 acres

                                                                                                          Non-Vegetuted
                                                                                                          1, 300, 000 acres

                    12

                        REGIONAL TRENDS                                                                                 Palustrine Wetlands
                                                                                                                        Freshwater wetlands declined by 4.9 percent, a
                        Estuarine Wetlands                                                                              net loss of2.3 million acres, from the mid-1970's
                        Estuarine wetlands declined by 1.2 percent, a net                                               base. Palustrine forested wetlands suffered large
                        loss of 50,000 acres. This does not include all of                                              losses. All other freshwater categories showed
                        the coastal wetland losses during the study period                                              slight net increases from conversions of palustrine
                        because most coastal areas also contain extensive                                               forested wetlands to those categories (Fig. 7).
                        palustrine wetlands that may have experienced
                        losses. Therefore, the overall loss of coastal                                                  Approximately 3.1 million acres ofpalustrine
                        wetlands in states like Louisiana cannot be                                                     forested wetlands (9 percent) were Jost or
                        derived exclusively from losses of estuarine                                                    converted. Nearly two-thirds ofthis decrease was
                        wetlands.                                                                                       actual wetland loss to agriculture and the "other"
                                                                                                                        (i.e. forest, range land and barren land) upland
                        An increase in estuarine intertidal nonvegetated                                                category. Most ofthe remaining decrease
                        habitats partially masked a 60,000-acre decrease                                                resulte@ from conversions to other wetland types,
                        in estuarine intertidal emergent wetlands                                                       particularly palustrine scrub/shrub and emergent
                        (saltmarshes). Nearly all saltmarsh loss and most                                               wetlands (Fig. 8).
                        of the increase in nonvegetated habitats occurred
                        in Louisiana. There was little change in                                                        More than two-thirds of the palustrine forested
                        mangrove -dominated habitats. Estuarine subtidal                                                wetland loss took place in the Lower Mississippi
                        (bay bottoms) increased by 27,000 acres;                                                        Alluvial Plain (Louisiana, Mississippi and
                        virtually all the increase was the result of                                                    Arkansas) and the Gulf-Atlantic Coastal Flats,
                        saltmarsh loss in Louisiana. Except for coastal                                                 especially in North Carolina. Nearly 900,000
                        Louisiana, the acreage of estuarine wetlands and                                                acres were lost to agriculture in the Lower
                        deepwater habitats remained stable from the                                                     Mississippi Alluvial Plain. Within the Gulf-
                        mid-1970's to mid-1980's.                                                                       Atlantic Coastal Flats of North Carolina,
                                                                                                                        887,000 acres were lost, nearlv all ofNvhich
                                                                                                                        went to the "other" category. There were no
                                                              Figure 7                                                  identifiable gains to palustrine forested wetlands
                           Palustrine wetland gains and losses in the Southeast                                         ,vithin the region.
                                     Forested           Emergent          Scrub/Shrub        Non-Vegetated              Palustrine emergent wetlands showed a net
                                                                                             L-----7                    increase, with losses offset by conversion
                        0                              +369,900             +53,400             +399, 0                 (i.e. cleared but otherwise unaltered) of
                                                                                                       90               palustrine forested to the palustrinc emergent
                                                                                                                        category (Table 5).

                                                                    NET (HANGE (in acres)                                  Table 5. States with large conversions from
                                                                                                                           palustrine forested to polustrine emergent wetlands.

                                                                                                                           Georgia                                                         184,000 acres
                                                              Figure 8                                                     Mississippi                                                     101,000 acres
                                       Fate of palustrine forested wetlands:
                                                  Losses and conversions                                                   Louisiana                                                        89,000 acres
                                                                                                                            r an
                                                                                                                                 SOS                                                        86,000 acres
                                                Urban 1.8%
                                                                                 Agricultore 28.0%
                                                                               EIV;@                                    There were large losses of palustrine emergent
                                                                                                                        wetlands at specific locations. For example, nearly
                                                                                                                        108,000 acres were lost to agriculture in Florida.
                            Other 32.0%
                                                                                             PondslLokes                Regionwide, agriculture claimed 209,000 acres
                                                                                                                        of palustrine emergent wetlands. More than
                                                                                             3.8%
                                                                                                                        13,000 acres of palustrine emergent wetlands
                                                                                                                                 lost to urban development - mainly
                                                                                        Scrub/Shrub 14.2%6              were                                                                        in
                                                                                                                        Florida - and 89,000 acres went to the category
                                   [mergent 20.2%                                                                          other," mostly in North Carolina.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             13

                                               Palustrine scrub/shrub wetlands showed no                                     Deepwater Habitats
                                               measurable net change. As with palustrine                                     There was a net increase of 199,000 acres of
                                               emergent wetlands, scrub/shrub losses were                                    lakes (lacustrine habitat) during the study period.
                                               offset by conversions of palustrine forested                                  Most of the increased acreage came from the
                                               wetlands.                                                                     upland categories of agriculture and "other,"
                                               More than 719,000 acres of palustrine forested                                vith some increases from palustrine scrub/shrub
                                               wetlands were converted to scrub/shrub                                        and forested wetlands.
                                               wetlands. A third of this conversion took place in
                                               Georgia. More than 181,000 acres of palustrine                                STATE ANALYSES
                                               emergent wetlands succeeded to scrub/shrub
                                               wetlands - more than half of this in Florida.                                 The number of sample plots within each state
                                               During the study period, 112,000 acres of                                     was based on the anticipated density and
                                               palustrine scrub/shrub wetlands were lost to                                  variability of the wetlands (see Survey Methods),
                                               agriculture. Florida accounted for approximately                              The reliability and extent of the state-specific
                                               half of this loss with the remaining losses spread                            estimates varies. Precise estimates were possible
                                               among North Carolina, Mississippi, Georgia and                                for states with large sample sizes (Louisiana and
                                               Arkansas. About 272,000 acres of scrub/shrub                                  Florida), while estimates were much less reliable
                                               wetlands were lost to "other," predominantly in                               for states with very small sample sizes (Kentucky
                                               North Carolina.                                                               and Ten    'nessee). State trend information is
                                                                                                                             summarized in Table 6. Wctland acreage
                                               Palustrine nonvcgctatcd wetlands, e.g. mudflats,                              estimates, the percent of land Surface occupied by
                                                                                                                             wetland and net wetland losses for each state are
                                               beaches, sandbars and small water bodies,                                     summarized in Figure 9.
                                               increased by 43 percent, or 400,000 acres. Water
                                               bodies such as farm ponds, mine pits, golf course                             Alabama
                                               and residential ponds accounted for most of the
                                               increase in nonvegetated freshwater wetlands.                                 Wetlands covered approximately 2.7 million acres
                                               More than half of the increase occurred in                                    or nearly 8 percent of Alabama. Palustrine
                                               Arkansas. Most of the increases came from                                     forested wetlands made up over 80 percent (2.2
                                               upland areas, predominantly from the "other"                                  million acres) of the total. The net loss of
                                               category. In general, these wetland increases did                             wetlands was estimated to be 42,000 acres. The
                                               not affect the acreage totals of vegetated                                    principal cause of the net wetland loss was
                                               wetlands or agriculture.                                                      agricultural development.

                                                   Table 6. Wetland trends for the Southeast states, mid-1 970's to mid-I 980's.
                                                   Standard error percent is shown as SE%.

                                                                                  Mid-] 970'S Acres (SE%)               Mid-1980'S Acres 51%)                      Net (hange (S1%)
                                                                                        in thousands                         in thousands                             inthousands

                                                   Alabama                              2,693  (15.0)                        2,651   (15.2)                          -42    (42.1)

                                                   Arkansas                             3,516    (9.2)                       3,573   (10.4)                             57
                                                   Florida                            11,299 (3.7)                           11,039 (3.7)                           -260    QU)

                                                                        --- - -------
                                                   Georgia                              7,792 (5.4)                          7,714 (5.4)                             -78    (27.8)
                                                   Kentucky                               381  (46.7)                          388   (45.6)                              6
                                                                                        9,303                                8,784 (3.9)                           -518 (21.0)
                                                   Mississippi                          4,574  (14.8)                        4,365   05.0)                          -209    (35.8)
                                                                                                                             -5-,-04 8__ _63- 3-)                   1,199-- (-19-.5-)-
                                                   South Carolina                       4,749 (11.5)                         4,689 (11.6)                              61 (38.8)

                                                      nessee                              657  (22.4)                          632   (22.8)                          -25    (88.8)
                                                     - ----- - -------- -        - ---------                             -------- ----

                                                     Standard deviations exceed estimated totals

                    14

                                          Figure 9
                    Wetland acreages, percentage of state landscapes and net losses, by state, mid- I 970's to mid- I 980's

                    Weflonds 8% of state landscape
              *A        42,000 acres net change (mid-I 970's to mid-1 980's) Total state study area
              AVPAS
                         Standard deviations exceed estimated net change
            "@ ALA  30%             260,000 acres net change

                    20%

                               78,000 acres net change

                    Standard deviations exceed estimated net change

              L     28%         - 518,000 acres net change
              MI4IPPI 1151F@11111111
                           209,000 acres net change

             ANA
                            - 1, 199,000 acres net change

                  H
              CAMA         61,000 acres net change

                     25,000 acres net change

                                    @A'

                                             lam

                                                 01ftv      W                                                Z:

                                                                                                    'K4

                           Cardinalflower in Lutcher Moore Sivamp, Louisiana
                           PALUSTRINE FORESTED
                           NANCY WEB&91

            16

                                                                        f                                                                                               M
                                                                                        ILI

                                                                           Ilk

                                                                                                                                                                                            21

                                                                           Off

                                                                                404'

                                                                                                                                                                                                      it

                     K       A                                                                 Forested wetland conversion in Florida

                                                                                               PALUSTRINE FORESTED TO PALUSTRJNE EMERGENT

                                                                                               JOHN HEFNER

                                                                                               Excellent statistical reliability was achieved in a
                                                                                               number of other categories due to the large
                                                                                               sample size. Complete results of the Florida
                                                                                               analysis are in Frayer and Heffier (1991).

                                                                                               Georgia
                                                                                               Georgia followed Florida and Louisiana with a
                                                                                               total wetland area of 7.7 million acres, covering
                                                                                               2
                                                                                                  percent of the state's landscape. This total
                                                                                                U
                                                                                               included nearly 367,000 acres of estuarine
                                                                                               wetlands and 7.3 million acres of palustrine
                                                                                      41
                                                                                          -    wetlands. The state's net wetland loss was
                                                                                               estimated at approximately 78,000 acres.

                                                                                               Palustrine forested was the predominant wetland
                                                                                               type, approximately 6.1 million acres. Nearly
                                                                                               500,000 acres of palustrine forested wetlands
                                                                                               were converted (i.e. cleared but otherwise
                                                                                               unaltered), with virtually the entire change to
                                    Arkansas                                                   palustrine scrub/shrub or emergent wetland.
                                    Arkansas contained nearly 3.6 million acres of             Kentucky
                                    wetlands, more than 10 percent of the state's              The estimated total wetland acreage was 388,000
                                    land surface. Approximately 2.8 million acres              acres, covering about 1 percent of the land
                                    were palustrine forested, the majority of which            surface. The predommant type was palustrine
                                    were located in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial             forested wetland. A statistically reliable estimate
                                    Plain. Although a reliable estimate of net                 of wetland change could not be determined.
                                    wetlands change could not be determined, there
                                    was an estimated forested wetland decrease of              Louisiana
                                    210,000 acres.                                             Louisiana was second to Florida with a total
                                    Florida                                                    wetland area of 8.8 million acres, 28 percent of
                                    Florida contained more than 11. 0 million acres            the state's surface area. Estuarine wetlands,
                                    of wetlands, approximately 30 percent of the               consisting mainly of saltmarshes and some
                                    state. Among the southea4ern states, Florida had           mangroves, totaled 1.9 million acres. Palustrine
                                    the greatest wet-land acreage and density.                 wetlands totaled 6.9 million acres, of which 4.9
                                                                                               million acres were forested and 1.5 million acres
                                    Palustrine (freshwater) wetlands predominated,             were emergent.
                                    covering more than 9.6 million acres.
                                    Palustrine forested wetlands covered 5.5 million           The net loss for all Louisiana wetland types was
                                    acres, 50 percent of the state's wetland total.            518,000 acres. Approximately 57,000 @crcs of
                                    Palustrine emergent wetlands covered 2.9 million           estuarine vegetated wetlands were changed to
                                    acres (26 percent). Palustrine scrub/shrub                 other habitats. Nearly three-quarters of the
                                    wetlands covered 1.2 million acres, or about 10            estuarine wetland change was the conversion of
                                    percent of the state's wetland total. Florida              vegetated wetland to dccpwater habitat, i.e. from
                                    showed a net wetland loss of 260,000 acres,                marsh to open water. Palustrine forested wetlands
                                                                                               declined dramatically, with net losses and
                                    mainly from the destruction of palustrine                  conversions of 628,000 acres. Most palustrinc
                                    wetlands. Two-thirds of the loss of palustrine             forested wetland losses in Louisiana took place in
                                    wetlands was attributable to agricultural                  the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Plain and were
                                    development, with the rest split evenly between            directly attributable to agricultural development.
                                    urban development and "other" land use.
                                    Estuarine wetlands, most of which were saltmarsh           Mississippi
                                    and mangroves, totaled 1.4 million acres. Some             Mississippi had 4.4 million acres of wetlands,
                                    losses of estuarine vegetated wetlands were due            about 14 percent of the state's land surface. Of
                                    to urbanization. A precise estuarine wetiand loss          the total wetland area, 3.7 million acres were
                                    estimate could not be determined.                          palustrine forested. A net loss of 209,000 acres of

                 wetlands was estimated. More than 365,000                   South Carolina
                 acres of palustrine forested wetlands were lost or          South Carolina had 4.7 million acres of wetlands,
                 converted to other wetland types. Over half of              nearly 24 percent of the state. This acreage
                 the change can be attributed to agricultural                included 418,000 acres of estuarine emergent
                 development in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial               wetlands (saltmarsh). Palustrine wetlands held
                 Plain.                                                      3.6 million acres of forested wetlands, 369,000
                 North Carolina                                              acres of scrub/shrub wetlands, and 218,000
                                                                             acres of palustrine emergent wetlands.
                 North Carolina had 5.0 million acres of wetlands,
                 15 percent of the landscape. This total included            The state's net loss of wetlands during the study
                 154,000 acres of estuarine emergent wetlands.               period was estimated at 61,000 acres. The
                 Palustrine wetlands held 4.9 million acres, of              greatest acreage change occurred in the
                 which 3.4 million acres were forested, 1.3 million          palustrine forested wedand category.     About one-
                 acres were scrub/shrub, approximately 119,000               third of the 125,000 acres of forested wetlands
                 acres were emergent wetlands, and 81,000 acres              altered was lost to non-wetland categories.
                 were unconsolidated bottom (ponds).
                                                                             Tennessee
                 North Carolina stood out among all southeastern             There were an estimated 632,000 acres of
                 states with the highest acreage of net Nvetland             wetlands, covering about 2 percent of the state.
                 loss. An estimated 1.2 million acres of wetlands            Most of this total was palustrine forested
                 were lost to the "other" (forest, range land and            wetlands. The net loss of wetlands was estimated
                 barren land) non-wetland catcgorv@ Nearly all the           at 25,000 acres.
                 losses were from palustrine forested and
                 palustrine scrub/shrub wetlands, and were
                 concentrated in the Gulf-Atlantic Coastal Flats.
                                                                                                    CumberlandIsland, Georgia
                                                                                                              INLUUNTE INTERTIDAL

                                                                                                                        9GEORGE GENTRY

                                                                                         ,-4@flr

                                                                                                              ,.z7

                                                                                                                                                      19

                                    Discussion

                                    Wetlands represent an important component of               than the combined total losses for the 38
                                    the southeastern landscape, comprising 16                  conterminous states outside the Southeast
                                    percent of the study area. By comparison,                  Region (Fig. 15). Almost 69 percent of the
                                    wetlands cover onl@ about 5 percent of the lower           region's palustrine forested wetland loss was
                                    48 states (Dahl and Johnson 1991).                         recorded within the Gulf-Atlantic Coastal Flats
                                                                                               and Lower Mississippi Alluvial Plain.
                                    Nearly half (47 percent) of all wetlands and more
                                    than three-quartcrs (78 percent) of all estuarine          Specific locations within these physical
                                    wetlands occur in the Southeast (Fig. 10 & 11),            subdivisions stood out as excepti@nally vulnerable
                                    even though the region is only 16 percent of the           to wetland conversion. Large acreages of
                                    conterminous United States. Nearly half of the             palustrine forested wetlands were lost in the
                                    estimated wetland acreage in the Southeast is              Gulf-Atlantic Coastal Flats of North Carolina and
                                    located in the Gulf-Atlantic Coastal Flats and             the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Plain in Louisiana.
                                    Coastal Zone physical subdivisions. These two              Nearly 1.2 million acres of wetlands were lost in
                                    subdivisions account for less than a quarter of the        Nortl@ Carolina, presumably by a combination of
                                    region's total area.                                       silvicultural and agriculturai activities. In the
                                                                                               Lower Mississippi Alluvial Plain, nearly one
                                    Wetland loss in the Southeast strongly influences          million acres of bottomland hardwood wetlands
                                    overall wetland trend estimates for the                    were destroved, mostly converted to farm land.
                                    conterminous United States. The region's                   Over half d this change took place within the
                                    wetland losses represented 89 percent of the net           Louisiana portion of the plain.
                                    national loss (Fig. 12). For example, 84 percent
                                    of the net losses/conversions of saltmarshes and           Peninsular Florida and coastal Louisiana also
                                    mangroves (estuarine vegetated wetlands)                   experienced notable losses. Nearly all of the
                                    (Fig. 13) and 9 1 percent of all losses/conversions        110,000 acres of freshwater marshes lost in
                                    of freshwater (palustrinc) forested wetlands               Florida were altered for agricultural purposes.
                                    occurred in the Southeast Region (Fig. 14).                Along coastal Louisiana, about 42,000 acres of
                                                                                               estuarine marsh were changed to nonvegetated
                                    just as wetlands are not evenly distributed across         bay bottom due to a variety of causes including
                                    the landscape, neither were sites of significant           erosion, saltwater intrusion, subsidence, sea-level
                                    wetland losses. Over 62 percent of the region's            rise, sediment deprivation and physical alteration.
                                    wetland loss took place in the Gulf-Atlantic
                                    Coastal Flats and Coastal Zone. Wetland loss in                                                Eastern Tennessee
                                    this portion of the region was five times greater                                                        RIVEIUNE
                                                                                                                                             JOHN HEFNER

                 "I me-Ft'"T @711 15
                                                            -7-1-Q0

                                                                                               3

                                                                                                   -Q@

               20

                                                    Figure 10                                                                         Figure I I
                             Wetlands of the conterminous United States                                 Estuarine wetlands of the conterminous United States

                         Southeast                                                                        Southeast
                         48,900,000
                                     acres                                                                4,300, 000 acres
                                                            IN,m

                                                                              Remainder U.S.                                                                    Remainder U.S.

                                                                 .........
                                                                              54,300,000 acres                                                                  1,200,000acres

                                                                                                                                      Figure 13
                                                    Figure 12                                                        Estuarine vegetated wetland losses
                         Wetland losses in the conterminous United States                                             in the conterminous United States

                         southeast                                                                        Southeast
                         Z328,000acres                                                                    59,500 acres

                                                                              Remainder U.S.                                                                    Remainder U.S.
                                                                              283, 000 ocres                                                                    11,500 acres

                                                     Figure 14                                                                        Figure 15
                         Oalustrine forested wetland losses and conversions                                 Wetland losses in the Gulf-Atlantic Coastal Flats
                                    in the conterminous United States                                            compared to the rest of the United States

                         Southeast                                                                        Remainder of U.S.
                         3,100,700 acres                                                                  11.0%                                                 Remainder of Southeast
                                                                                                                                                                34. No

                                                                              Remainder U.S.
                                                                              302,700 acres                                                                   Guff-Aflunfic Coastal Flats
                                                                                                                                                              55.0%

                                                                                                                                                                                                           21

                                   Annual wedand loss rates were variable due to          Although the overall wetland loss rate declined,
                                   economic conditions, demographic patterns, land        the rate at which freshwater forested wetlands
                                   values, and farm and timber prices, among other        were lost or converted accelerated (Fig. 17).
                                   factors. From the 1950's to the 1970's, wetlands       Forested wetlands of the region were lost or
                                   of the Southeast were lost at an average net rate      converted to other wetland types at an average
                                   of 386,000 acres per year (Hefner and Brown            rate of 276,000 acres per year from the mid-
                                   1984). During the study period from 1974 to            1950's to the mid-1970's (Hefner and Brown
                                   1983, the net rate of regional wetland losses          1984). However, this rate increased to
                                   declined to 259,000 acres annually. This is a one-     345,000 acres per year from the mid-1970's
                                   third reduction compared to the rate of the            to the mid-1980's.
                                   previous two decades (Fig. 16). The loss rate for
                                   estuarine wetlands showed particular
                                   improvement. And the rate of gains                                                             Great Egret
                                   in small open-water bodies accelerated.                                                          UkRRY R DITTOC

                                                                                    Figure 16
                                                                 All wetlands in the Southeast: Average annual loss
                                                                           (Wetlands 0- Non-wetlands)

                                                         386 000 acFes_PLr

                                                                                                                   259,000 acres pLr year

                                                          Mid 1950's - 1970's                         Mid 1970's - 1980's

                                                                                    Figure 17
                                                    Palustrine forested wetlands in the Southeast: Average annual loss/conversion
                                                           (Forested wetlands P- Non-wetlands or other wetland categories)

                                                               ----- -- --------- ------ - -- -

                                                                                                                    345,000 a(res per year

                                                      -----------

                                                             --------------- -  ------

                                                       276,000 a(res per year

                                                         Mid 1950's - 1970's                          Mid 1970's - 1980's

               22

                         t

                                                               Own

                                                                                                ir

          4N,V.

                                   Conclusion

                                   Wetland losses in the Southeast during the study          In recent years, public awareness of the
                                   period far exceeded losses for the remainder of           relationship between wetlands and environmental
                                   the conterminous United States. Losses were               quality has increased; wedand conservation
                                   concentrated in a few specific areas within the           effort@ have been bolstered. Federal legislation
                                   region: the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, coastal           such as the Federal Water Polution Control Act;
                                   Louisiana, the Gulf-Atlantic Coastal Flats of             the 1985 Food Security Act; the 1990 Food,
                                   North Carolina, and in Florida. One wetland               Agriculture, Conservation and Trade Act; Public
                                   type - palustrine forested - showed the                   Tax Reform Act of 1986; and the 1986
                                   greatest decline. Although large acreages were            Emergency Wetlands Resources Act include
                                   lost to agriculture and other upland categories,          provisions that positively influence wedand
                                   nearly as many additional acres were converted to         management.
                                   palustrine scrub/shrub and emergent wetland
                                   types. Scrub/shrub and emergent wetlands also             These laws have stimulated wetland programs
                                   would have displaved net losses without these             that include regulatory enforcement, wetland
                                   conversions (Fig. i8).                                    restoration, public outreach and education, direct
                                                                                             assistance to private landowners, disincentives for
                                   The Fish and Wildlife Service currently is                agricultural drainage, and public acquisition.
                                   collecting data to develop trend estimates for the        Clearly, these programs could be maximized in
                                   period from the mid-1980's to the mid-1990's.             the Southeast to achieve real gains in wetland
                                   Based on the findings of the current report,              conservation nationally@ The national wetland
                                   sampling has intensified throughout a large               trend study now in progress should provide an
                                   portion of the region, The number of upland               index for measuring these achievements.
                                   categories has been increased to identi4, more
                                   specifically the causes of wetland change.                                  Lutcher Moorc Swamp, Louisiana
                                                                                                                           PALUSTRINE FORESTED

                                                                                                                                         CNANCY WEBB

                                                                                                                                          -4
                                                                                                                                               A

                                                                                                              r

                                                                                                                         A

                                                M!V

                                                                                                                                                %

                                                                                                                         j-

                             Y".

               24

                                                                                       Figure 18
                                                     Palustrine forested wetland losses and conversions in the Southeast

                            gh Urban
                                 Agriculture                                                    1,0.2
                                 Deepwater                                  Other                  \\
                            7_ Other                                                                 Shrubs
                                                                                       f_20,5        4500.7
                                 Acres x 1000                                                        4554.1                                      9
                                                                                           13.8      +53.4                                                  Other

                                                                                       Ei R^                                                           7 7.1
                                                                                                                                     4.3
                                                                                                                                              Earergents
                                                                                                                                                 5459.7
                                                                                                                                                 5829.6     13.3
                                                                                                                                                 +369.9

                    Other                                                        I C,                                                         30.7

                                                                                                                   627.4

                                                                   9 2.7

                                                                                                                        61.2                       6EI

                                              A                                                                             NOR Vege
                                                                     867.1
                                                                                                                          Wetlands       s             3
                                                                                                                                         .7                Other
                                                                                                                                     1338.6
                                                                                                                                    +399.9
                                                                                  7.2
                                                                                             54.7

                  A complete analysis of forested wetlands in the Southecst,                    other wetland types: 627,400 acres to emergents, 440,700
                  which showed a loss of 3.1 mil ion acres during the study                     acres to shrubs, and 61 200 acres to nonvegetated wetcnds.
                  period, has to include the impact of human activities and
                  conversion to other wetland categories. Human activities                      Although scrub/shrub wetlands lost more than 400,000 acres
                  converted more then one million acres of forested wetlands to                 to upland categories, these losses were completely offset by
                  other wetland types. Without these conversions, scrub/shrub                   conversions from forested wetlands.
                  and emergent wetlands would have experienced net losses in
                  acreage.                                                                      The net gain of 369,900 acres of emergent wetlands similarly
                                                                                                is deceptive. The nearly 250,000-acre loss to agriculture,
                  Nearly two million acres of forested wetlands were lost to                    "other" and urban categories was more than offset by
                  upland categories - mostly "other" and agriculture.                           conversion of 627,400 acres of forested wetlands.
                  Large forested wetland acreages were converted to

                                                                                                                                                                             25

                                    Literature Cited

                                    Anderson, J.R., E. Hardy, J. Roach, and R.             Hammond, E.H. 1970. Physical subdivisions of
                                    Witmer. 1976. A land use and cover classification      the United States of America. In: National Atlas
                                    system for use with remote sensor data. U.S.           of the United States of America. U.S. Geol.
                                    Geol. Surv. Prof Paper 964. 22 pp.                     Surv@, Washington, D.C. Page 61.

                                    Brown, S.L. 1984. The role of wetlands in the          Hefncr, J.M., and J.D. Brown. 1984. Wetland
                                    Green Swamp. -In: Cypress Swamps, K.C. Ewel            trends in the southeastern United States.
                                    and H.T. Odum, eds. University Presses of              Wetlands 4:1-11.
                                    Florida. Gainesville, Fla. pp. 40@415.
                                                                                           Mississippi Flyxay Council (MFC). 1991.
                                    Cowardin, L.M., V. Carter, F.C. Golet, and E.T.        Technical section minutes of a meeting held in
                                    LaRoe. 1979. Classification of wetlands and            Nashville, Tenn. (February 22-27, 199 1). MFC.
                                    deepwater habitats of the United States. U.S.          138 pp.
                                    Fish Wildl. Serv. 103 pp.
                                                                                           National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).
                                    Dahl, T.E. 1990. Wetlands losses in tile United        1991. Fisheries of the United States, 1990. U.S.
                                    States, 1780's to 1980's. U.S. Department of the       Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.
                                    Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington,
                                    D.C. 21 pp.                                            Shaw, S.P., and C.G. Fredine. 1956. Wetlands of
                                                                                           the United States. U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv.,
                                    Dahl, T.E. and C.E. Johnson. 1991. Status and          Washington, D.C. 67 pp.
                                    trends of wetlands in the conterminous United
                                    States, mid-1970's to mid-1980's. U.S. Fish            Tiner, R.W. Jr. 1984. Wetlands of the United
                                    Wildl. Serv., Washington, D.C. 28 pp.                  States. U.S. Fish Wildl. Scrv@, Washington, D.C.
                                                                                           59 pp.
                                    Frayer, WE. 1991. Status and trends of wetlands
                                    and deepwater habitats in the conterminous             U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1990a.
                                    United States, 1970's to 1980's. Michigan              Cartographic conventions for the National
                                    Technological Univ@ Houghton, Mich. 32 pp.             Wetlands Inventory. St. Petersburg, Fla. 73 pp.

                                    Frayer, W.E., and J.M. Heffier. 1991. Florida          U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1990b. Photo
                                    wetlands: Status and trends, 1970's to 1980's.         interpretation conventions for the National
                                    U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv., Atlanta, Ga. 32 pp.            Wetlands Inventory. St. Petersburg, Fla. 45 pp.
                                                                                           and appendices.
                                    Fraver, WE., T.J. Monahan, D.C. Bowden, and
                                    F.A. Graybill. 1983. Status and trends of              Wharton, C.H. 1970. The southern river swamp:
                                    wetlands and deepwater habitats in the                 A multiple use environment. School of Business
                                    conterminous United States, 1950's to 1970's.          Administration, Georgia State Univ. Atlanta, Ga.
                                    Colorado St. Univ. 32 pp.                              48 pp.

                                    Frayer, W.E., D.E. Peters, and H.R. Pywell.            Wharton, C.H., V.W. Labou, J. Newsom, P.V.
                                    1989. Wetlands of the California Central Valley:       Winger, L.L. Gaddy, and R. Mancke. 1981. The
                                    Status and trends, 1939 to mid- 1980's. U.S.           tai-ina of bottomland hardwoods in Southeastern
                                    Fish Wildl. Serv., Portland, Ore. 29 pp.               United States. In: Wetlands of Bottomland
                                                                                           Hardwood Forests. JR. Clark and J. Benforado,
                                    Gosselink, J.G. 1984. The ecology of delta             eds. Elsevier, Amsterdam. pp. 87-100.
                                    marshes of coastal Louisiana: a community
                                    profile. U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv., FWS/OBS-
                                    84/09. 134 pp.

                26

                Habitat Categories

                Wetlands and deepwater habitat categories used              Within the Cowardin et al. (1979) classification
                in this study were adapted from Cowardin et al.             structure, wetlands and deepwater habitats are                  Appendix A
                (1979). In general terms, wetland is land where             grouped according to five systems: Marine,
                saturation with water is the dominant factor                Estuarine, Riverine, Lacustrine and Palustrine.
                determining the nature of soil development and              A system consists of environments of similar
                the types of plant and animal communities living            hydrological, gcomorphological, chemical and
                in the soil and on its surface. Technically,                biological influences. Each system is further
                wetlands are lands transitional betAecn terrestrial         divided by the driving ecological force, such as
                and aquatic systems where the water table usually           the ebb and flow of the tide, and by substrate
                is at or near the surface or the land is covered by         material and flooding regimes, or on vegetative
                shallow water. For the purposes of this                     life form. Groupings of categories were made to
                classification, wetlands must have one or more of           accommodate the special interests of the study
                the following attributes: 1) at least periodically, the     and the detail to which aerial photography could
                land supports predominantly hydrophytes; 2) the             be interpreted.
                substrate is predominantly undrained hydric soil-,
                and 3) the substrate is nonsoil and is saturated            An overview of the Cowardin et al. (1979)
                with water or covered by shallow water at some              classification system and general descriptions of
                time during the growing season of each year.                the category types can be found in Dahl and
                                                                            Johnson (1991) and Frayer (1991). The
                Deepwater habitats consist of certain                       following are specific examples of the most
                permanently flooded lands. The separation                   common Southeastern wetland environments
                between wetland and deepwater habitat in                    included within the study categories.
                saltwater areas coincides with the elevation of the
                extreme low water of spring tide. In other areas,           Marine Wetlands
                the separation is at a depth of 6.6 feet below low          Marine intertidal category includes beaches, bars
                water. This is the maximum depth in which                   and flats alternately exposed and flooded bV tidal
                emergent plants normally grow.                              action - including the splash zone - of the
                                                                            open ocean.
                Wbite-Tailed Deer

                PALUSTRINE EMERGENT

                LARRY R D[7-TO@

                                                                                                                                                       q

                                                                                                                                                      27

                                                                                                 ESTUARINE FORESTED AND SCRUB/SHRUB
                                                                                                 Mangroves, Everglades National Park

                                                                                                 JOHN HEFNER

                                                                                                 The estuarine intertidal unconsolidated shores
                                                                                                 category includes wetlands with less than 30
                                                                                                 percent areal coverage by vegetation and are
                                                                                                 periodically flooded by tidal waters with at least
                                                                                                 0.5 parts per thousand ocean-derived salts. These
                                                                                                 areas include sand bars, mudflats and other
                                                                                                 nonvegetated or sparsely vegetated habitats called
                                                                    A
                                                                                                 saltflats. SaItflats are hypersaline environments
                                   41                                                            that generally occur near the interface of
                                                                                                 saltmarsh and upland habitats. Sparse vegetation
                                                                                                 of the saitflats may include glassworts (Salicornia
                                                                                                 spp.) and saltwort (Batt's maritima). This
                                                                                                 category also includes intertidal sandbars
                                                                                                 and mudflats.

                                            V,                                                   Palustrine Wetlands
                                                                                                 The palustrine forested category includes all
                                                                                                 freshwater (containing less than 0.5 parts per
                                                                                                 thousand ocean-derivcd salts) wetlands
                                                                                                 dominated by woody vegetation greater than 20
                                     Estuarine Wetlands                                          feet in height. Floodplain wetlands locally called
                                                                                                 bottomland hardwoods make up the
                                     The estuarine intertidal emergent category                  predominant portion of this category. Water
                                     includes coastal marshes that are flooded                   regimes range from brief periodic flooding to
                                     periodically by tidal waters with salinity of at least      near permanent inundation. For example,
                                     0.5 parts per thousand. Three types of estuarine            communities dominated by oaks (Quercus nira,
                                     marshes are locally recognized throughout the               Q. micbauxii and Q. phello@), along with green
                                     region. They are commonly called saltmarsh,                 ash (Fraxinuspennsylvanica), sweet gum
                                     brackish marsh and, along the Gulf of Mexico,               (Liquidambar styraciflua) and ironwood
                                     intermediate marsh. These types are separated               (Carpinus caroliniana) are subject to spring and
                                     based on degrees of salinity, as reflected by the           winter flooding. Old river scars and oxbows
                                     vegetation. Common plant species of the                     vegetated by cypress (Taxodium disticbum) and
                                     estuarine marshes include smooth cordgrass                  water tupelo (Nyssa aquatica) may be flooded
                                     (Spartina alterniflora), black needlerush (Juncus           nearly continuously. Forested wetland
                                     roemerianus), seashore saltgrass (Disticblis                communities with intermediate degrees of
                                     spicata), and saltmeadow cordgrass (Spartina                flooding are an extensive part of the bottorriland
                                     patens). Extensive saltmarshes occur in South               hardwood spectrum. Important species of the
                                     Carolina and Georgia; brackish marshes in North             intermediate zones include willows (Salix spp.),
                                     Carolina, Florida and Louisiana; and                        maples (Acer spp.), overcup oak (Quercus lyrara)
                                     intermediate marshes in Louisiana.                          and water hickory (Carya aquatica).

                                     The estuarine intertidal forested/shrub category            In addition to bottomland hardwoods, non-
                                     describes wetlands dominated by woody                       alluvial forested wetlands cover large acreages.
                                     vegetation and are periodically flooded by tidal            These include pine (Pinus spp.) dominated
                                     waters with ocean-derived salinity of at least 0.5          pocosins, savannas and wet pine flatwoods; hydric
                                     parts per thousand. This category primarily                 hammocks; bay (Magnolia virginiana, Gordonia
                                     encompasses the mangrove -dominated wetlands                lasiantbus and Persea borbonia) heads; Atlantic
                                     of peninsular Florida and Louisiana. Principal              white cedar (Chamaecyparis tbyozdes) swamps; pin
                                     species of mangrove communities include red                 oak (Quercuspalustris) flats; and cypress or gum
                                     mangrove (Rbizopbora mangle), white mangrove                (Nyssa sylvatica Par. biflora) ponds.
                                     (Laguncularia racemosa) and black mangrove
                                     (Aviecenniagerminans). Of these species, only               The palustrine scrub/shrub category
                                     black mangroves are found along coastal                     encompasses all freshwater (containing less than
                                     Louisiana. The most extensive mangrove forests              0.5 parts per thousand ocean derived salts)
                                     are located along the southern tip of Florida.              wetlands dominated by woody vegetation less
                                                                                                 than 20 feet in height. These habitats include
                                                                                                 formerly forested wetlands that have been

                28

               cleared, burned or otherwise impacted but are            The palustrine aquatic bed category includes
               still wetland and are now experiencing regrowth.         shallow freshwater (containing less than 0.5 parts
               Also within this category are shrub-dominated            per thousand ocean-dcrived salts) wetlands
               bogs vegetated by species such as hollies (11ex          vegetated by floating or submerged vegetation.
               spp.), bays, fetterbushes (Lyonla lucida and             Typical of the plant species found within this
               Leucorhoe racemosa), buckwheat-tree (Cliftonia           category are floating vascular plants such as
               monophylla) and titi (Qyrilla racemiflora);              duckwe@d (Lemna spp.) and mosquito fern
               accreting river point bars, backwaters of ponds          (Azolla caroliniana); and rooted vascular plants
               and reservoirs, beaver ponds and sand or gravel          such as spatterdock (Nuphar spp.), water-lilies
               pits vegetated by buttonbush (Cephalanthus               (Nymphaea spp.), pondweeds (Potamogeton spp.)
               occidentalis), wiilows or alders (Alnus serrulata);      and hornworts (Ceratophyllum spp.).
               and mountain bogs dominated by rhododendron
               (Rhododendron maximum).                                  Two palustrine nonvegetated (containing less
                                                                        than 30-percent coverage by vegetation)
               The palustrine emergent category includes all            categories were evaluated. These are palustrine
               freshwater (containing less than 6.5 parts per           unconsolidated shore, which includes periodicallv
               thousand ocean-derived salts) wetlands                   flooded fresh-,vater (less than 0.5 parts per
               dominated bv rooted erect soft-stemmed plants.           thousand ocean-derived salts) beaches, bars and
               Most habitat@ in this category are freshwater            flats as well as palustrine wetlands that may be
               marshes vegetated by plants @uch as cattail (Typba       temporarily devoid of vegetation; and palustrine
               SPP.), arrowhead (S@gittaria spp.) and                   unconsolidated bottom, which includes all ponds
               pickerelwecd (Pontederia cordata). Also included         and other permanently flooded open freshwater
               are wet prairies, wet meadows and pitcher plant          bodies less than 20 acres in size.
               (Sarracenia spp.) bogs, each of which may be
               vegetated by a diverse assemblage of non-woody
               plant species.

               White Water Lilies
               PALUSTRINE AQUATIC BEDS
               NANCY VVEBBC

                                                                                                                                               29

                                     Deepwater Habitats                                       Upland Categories
                                     Several categories of deepwatcr habitats were            All areas not identified as wefland or deepwater
                                     included to encompass the entire aquatic                 habitat were placed in three upland categories.
                                     spectrum of which wetlands are a part. Among             The categories agriculture, urban, and "other"
                                     these are: estuarine subtidal, which includes the        were adapted from the descriptions provided by
                                     permanently submerged area of bays and sounds            Anderson et al. (1976). "Other" includes
                                     where ocean-derived salts exceed 0.5 parts per           Anderson's Level I classes of forest land, range
                                     thousand, where there is at least partial                land and barren land, as well as lands that have
                                     obstruction from the open ocean, and there is            been drained and cleared but not put to
                                     occasional dilution by freshwater runoff from the        identifiable use.
                                     land; riverine, which includes all permanently
                                     flooded open freshwater (containing less than 0.5
                                     parts per thousand ocean-derived salts) habitats
                                     found within a channel; and lacustrine,which
                                     includes all permanently flooded open freshwater
                                     (containing less than 0.5 parts per thousand
                                     ocean-derived salts) areas of lakes and reservoirs
                                     exceeding 20 acres.

                                                                                                                                         Soybeans
                                                                                                                                    AGKICULTURE

                                                                                                                              POTASH & PHOSPHATE INSTITUTE

                                                                                              &

                                                                                          @, W.r-

                                                                                           W10,
                                                            4-Z

                30

                Data Tables

                Estimates produced include acreages with                     Estimates for the mid-1970's, the mid-1980's
                associated standard errors. Many estimates are               and change during the period were produced for                 Appendix B
                not considered reliable enough to recommend                  categories described in Appendix A. These
                their use for making decisions. An indication is             estimates are summarized in Table I of
                given of the reliability of each estimated acreage           Appendix B. Totals for columns are estimates of
                in the summary tables included in this appendix.             total acreage by category for the mid-1980's.
                The standard error of each entry expressed as a              Row totals (the extreme right column) are
                percentage of the entry (SE%) i@ below each                  estimates of total acreage by category for the
                estimate. Reliability can be stated generally as             mid-1970's. Entries are interpreted @s in the
                4c'we are 68 percent confident that the true value           following examples (all from the ninth row or
                is within the interval constructed bv adding to              column of Table 1):
                and subtracting from the entry the SE%/100
                times the entry." For example, if an entry is one            oe  4,842,400 acres classified as palustrine
                million acres and the SE% is 20, then we are 68                  emergent in the mid-1970's were again
                percent confident that the true valuc is between                 classified palustrinc emergent in the mid-
                800,000 and 1,200,000 acres. An equivalent                       1980's.
                statement for 95 percent confidence can be made
                by adding and subtracting twice the amount to                    208,700 acres are classified as palustrine
                and from the entry. Therefore, a large SE%                       emergent in the mid-1970's had changed to
                indicates low reliability, if any, in the estimate.              agriculture by the mid-1980's.

                This discussion on reliability is meant to aid in                156,800 acres classified as palustrine
                interpretation of the study results. It was                      scrub/shrub in the mid-1970's had changed
                expected that only certain estimates would be                    to palustrine emergent by the mid-1980's.
                precise enough to be meaningful. However, all
                entries are included in the summary table for                    The estimate of palustrine emergent area in
                additivity and ease of comparison.                               the mid-1970's is 5,459,700 acres.

                                                                             ee  The estimate of palustrine emergent area in
                                                                                 the mid-1980's is 5,829,600 acres.

                                                                             eo  The estimate of net change in palustrine
                Pitcher Plants                                                   emergent area in the mid-1970's and the
                PALUSTRINE EMERGENT                                              mid-1980's is 369,900 acres.

                NORA MURDOCH
                                                                               N                       VM971
                                          1. Al
                                                                                                                  4%
                                                               .;A

                                                                                               e
                                                      V.

                                                                             V
                                                                                                    lot
                                                                                                              pop,

                                                                                                                                                       31

                            Southeast Wetlands, 1970's to 1980's
                            TABLE I Area, in tkousands of acres, by surface area classification.

                                                                                                                   C U        R R E N T                                     C L A S S I F                                    I C A T 1 0 N S

                            Sampling error, in percent,
                            is given below estimate.
                                                                                                                                           0
                                                                                                                                           ff
                                                                                                                                           -\9       4"'        %%
                                                                                 40                                                        %z
                                                                                                                                                                                                   P                                                                              TV
                                                                                                                                                                                                                             %\*                 0'                     jo,       4,
                                                                                                    0                                                                                  ------
                                                                                             <
                                                                       '-W
                                                MARINE INTERTIDAL                                                             .1           0         0          0           0.1:i      0                      4@                                 00          0          1.4       53.2
                                                                                 26.7                                                                                                              86.1       88.2                                                      43.3      25.1

                            Cn
                                                   UNCONSOLIDATED                            .61    0.4d                                                        -0          0          -0-         -0--[-- - -3.3i;          0                   651- 0-     - 0-.1-'- -0.41 233.1
                                                              SHORE              78.81       14.2   GA             25.7       52A                                                                                                                94'91       81.1       76.31     13.8
                                                                                                                                                                                                              26.7

                                                                                                                                                                                                                 - ----------
                                                                                                                                                                                                   0                                             0
                                                       AQUATI( BEDS                                 203.7          0          <01          0                    0           0                                 011            0                   0           0          0   210.6
                                                                                             92.1   25.0
                                                                                                                                                                                                              96.5                                                                24A

                                                                                                                                           0         0.4!!      0           8.9        <0.1        0.9        45.5           0                   03.4@,      13         4.7 3164.7
                                                              EMERGENT                       .4@@   0     3087 1!
                                                                                             @L                    4.8@@      79.81i                 52.6                   57.5                   57.3       14.9                               93.7        43.0       19,1      4.7

                                                                                 -4f                                                                                                                                                                                    1.1 704.3
                                                              FORESTED &                     0.31!  0              3.7        694.71@      0                    0           0. 3       03:         0          1.1,           0                   003
                                                                                             52.                              12.7                                                                            40.9                               94.8
                                                       S(RUB/SHRUB                           7                     60.5                                                     94.5       94,8:                                                                 57.3'@     64.4      13.5

                            C-1                    UNCONSOLIDATED                -- ---------                      07----<OJI@             12.1-1    -2.0       0.1,        --0.6,     -0.1        -0.71 --<O.I,             -0                  1 .-2<0.1   -0.1@      1.0,      17.9
                                                              SHORE                                                                        27.7      42.3       74.1        11.3 _90.0@            72.4 1                                        76,8        84.6:1     41.5      20.8

                                                                                                                      --------                       824-.9     1.5         11.3i1     03          1-.6-1     01             0.2                 1-.9 20.2   I.V!       7.0, 870.5
                                                   UNCONSOLIDATED                            0                                0            0,54,
                            LL.                                                                        d
                                                                                                                                                                                                              ?6.9:          57-2                42.5 361    38.3,L     33.1j     4,9
                                                              BOITOMS                                                                                0          29,8        16.7       38 1        311

                                                                                                    -----------                                                     -------
                                                       AQUATIC BEDS              0           0      0              0          0 1          0         1.7        47.2        OJ         0.1         <0. 1      0              0.2                 0.6, <0. 1  41         0.2 1     50.3
                                                                                                                                                     36.7       12.4        50.@       98.1
                                                                                                                                                                                                                             74.8                74.6                   74.1      111
                            COD
                                                                                                                              0-           --O.f     RA,        34                                            <0. 1          10.1                60.1' 208.7 13.3       88.6, 5459.7
                                                              EMERGENT                                                                                             4W 4                1 N
                                                                                                                                           63A       15J        33.3        7.1        21@4        2 .4                      37.7                26,61, 163  27.2       63.3      6]

                                                              FORESTED                              0              <0.1       0            04        48.6       12.7        639.8" 32  53 8.2      719 .3,    0              13.3                49.01 8691  57 .3  997.8  35946.1
                                                                                                                                           57.5      15.1       41.8                                                         2&2                 33.5 13.0
                                                                                                                                                                            138        3.6.        1 Il                                                      24.2       17.7      3.5

                                                       S(RUB/SHRUB                           <01i   0              0.1@       0            0.1       111        13@         156.81  278.6,         3616.81                   10.11               27.8 111.6  14.0  271.8   4500.7
                                                                                 101A                              65.1                    63,0      15.8       29,0        14.8       14.5;       9.6                       75.8                62.3 31.6   38.1       405       9.2

                                                                                 6.                 D1                                     ---,<6 I!                                               -<6 988    -2.51 --       6
                                                              ESTUARINE          5@          14.51:                9.1        02;          01@                                                                                                   &I <D.1,    0.4@@      1.2 9909.0
                                                              SUBTIDAL           723
                                                                                             26.5                  6.1        41           96.91                            903        1                      2.2                                            55.3                 2.2

                                                              R
                                                                       7         -Y          -0                               0i@          0                                           7.4         15.1       0   158        8.8                 6.41.3      0          2.8 1637.0
                                                              IVERINE                                                                                0,7        &1,         15.3;
                                                                                                                                                     56.5                   38.5       36.6        30.5                      10.9                99.1 62.1              60.1      10.7

                                                                                                                                                     0'.4"      0.31        -8 4-J                            0
                                                              LACUSTRINE                                           I          1                                                        0.2         2*91                      0.1 3960.4,         18.01       0.11@      3.7 4071.0
                                                                                                                                           96.7      63.0       96.0        64.81      63 2        70'!                      95.1                13.6 93.5   70.3 1     784       13.3

                                                                                             0      0              0          0.3,         1,2       79.7       1.1         57.9@i     26          11.41,     0              6.01                681; 822 44.8:306.9@@  897.1 63677.9
                                                       AGRICULTURE                                     j
                                                                                                                              98.2         40                   46.7        25.1       55.7        33.3.                     45.7                28.3 3.2    15.91      21.2      3.1

                                                                                 0           -0.1,  --O-j
                                                                                                                                                                                                              1.7!           0                   0.3 1.2 6649.4 i       0.4 665S.8
                                                              URBAN                                                0          0            01@       25         <01         0.2'       0.1         02
                                                                                             831                                           77.0,1    27.61
                                                                                                                                                                            39A        93.4        97.8       91J                                91.3 1?4.8  6.6        99's      8.6

                                                              OTHER                          --0.4  a              0.4,       01           5,-61     2-38.8     0,.5        -- 10-.9@@ 5.1         -- 33      -1.2@@         12.1                92,81-3291.1L74S..6[ 153465.6J5L7874.5
                                                                                 75.1        44.1                  59.0:1                            70.1       34.5        36,21      53.7        38.4       36.6' i                            12.7'       12.1       2.0       1.9
                                                                                                                              65.          30.1                                                                              49.7
                                                                                                                   -J@                                                                                                                           64.2!--     -

                                                                                                    204.4  3105.1@:           704.41       20.5      1249.4     681  5829.611  32845.4i'           4554] 9935.C   1640.3     4269.9'             86770.3,  7792.0 155744.8, 315036.3
                                               TOTAL SURFACE AREA                --@2.@!     . i;l                                                                                                            i
                                                                                 25.2        13.1   24.9           4.8        13.5;        18.6      15.6,      12.5,       6.4        3.6;        8.2        2.2            10.a                128 1.2     8.0        2.0       0

                                                              CHANGE             _O.B]       16.6@@ 6.2            -596@      0. 1:@       2.6       370.9@     184         369.9'  -3100.7        53.4       26.91L         3.3                 198.9 3092.4  1136.2  -2129]     0
                                                                                 224.4       46.3   101'a i        20.9       1314.3,      83.6      502        30.8        AD         8.4         299.5      33.9           596.8               0@3 15.6    10.2       26.1

                            32

                                            Southeast Wetlands, 1970's to 1980's
                                            TABLE 2 Area, in tkousands of acres, by selected surface area groups.

                                                                                                                                   C U R R E N T                         C L A S S I IF I C A T 1 0 N S

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              I
                                            Sampling error, in percent,                                                                                                                                                       &P
                                            is given 6elow estimate.                                                                                                        Al
                                                                                                                                                                                                   _01
                                                                                                                                                                                                   141VP
                                                                                                                                                                                                   1
                                                                                                                       &              *e         az4                     4e                   S@p0
                                                                                                                                                                         I                    np                   Ak,
                                                                                                  4        10                                                                                                      N*_                               q
                                                                                                                                   A*,-       "VI           �111    1014@                     <
                                                                                                                                              101     Y             -                         0                               '00
                                                                                                           41                                 4%      A0            10091                                                             401         401-
                                                                MARINE INTERTIOAL            49.1          41          1.4         1-.4       0                                               O.@               0             -0      1-141'      53.2
                                                                                             26.7                      39.5        08.7               77.3          77.3                      88.2                                    43.3        25J
                                            z
                                                            Lu       NONVEGETATED            0.1           434.5       -4.7                   0       0             0                         3.9@:             0             0.1     0.4         443.7
                                                                23                           78.8          14.2        26,3,@                                                                 26.1                            81.1    76.3        13.9

                                                                Uj
                                                                IZ                                                                                                                            46.6              3.7           3.8     5.8         3869.0
                                                            w             VEGETATED          1.6           3.7         3793ff                 0.4     10.4,         10.8
                                                            LLJ                              40.1          26.4        46                     47.0    52.2'         50.9                      14.6              85.8          40.0    19.6        4.6

                                                                ESTUARINE WETLANDS           1.7                           4235,9             0.4:1   10.4          10.8                      503;              3.7           3.9     6.2         4312.7
                                                                                             38.7                                  41         47.0    52.2          A9                        13.6              65.8.         39.11   19.1'       43

                                                            w        NONVEGETATED            0             0           <0.1        <0.1       890.0,  15.0                                    4.2               20.2          1.1     8.2,        938.7
                                            LL_                                                                                               4.7     14.6                                    34.31             36.2,         37.0    30.7        4.7
                                                            C02
                                                                          VE69ATED           0.2           41          0.1         0.1        117.4  42985.4;                                 170.611     1190.0              84.6    1358.2      45906.5
                                            C013            CL                               100.5                     64.4        62.5       ?.6     12                                      19.9              10.9          20.2    17.4        3.2

                                                                          PA[USTRINE         0.2           4 1         GA          0.1                      44007.8                           174.81      1210.2              85.7    1366.4      46845.2
                                                                          WETLANDS           iou                       5u          s6._6-,                          3.1                       1"                10 1.'        20.0,   _17.3       3.1

                                            _j                       ALLWETLANDS                                                                                         48307.9              225.7       1213.9              89.6    1374.0@     51211.1
                                                                                                                                                                                              154               10.7          @?.2                2.9

                                                                DEEPWATER HABITATS           0.5           14.8@       9.4         24.2       1.7     125.7         127.4, 152.1              15437.4           19.3          0.5     7.71        15617.0
                                                                                             72.3          26.0        25.3        20.5       42.7    45.9          45.3    38.0-             3.8               37.3          43.8    44.3        3 B

                                                                     WETLANDS AND                                                                                                             64123.1     123321              90.1    1381.7      66828.1
                                                                DEEPWATER HABITATS                                                                                                                 2.3          10.8          19.1    IN          2.3

                                                                        AGRI(U[TURE          0             0           0.3         0.3        82ff    71.9          153.9 154.2               74.9 229@1  82244.8             306.9   897.1       83677.9
                                                                                                                       98.2        93.2       285     21.0          19.7    19,2              26.5 15.6         3.2           IS.9    21.2        11

                                            CM
                                                                              URBAN          0             0.1         0           0.1        2.2     0.5           2.7     2.&               2.0  4.8          1.2           6649.4  0.4.        6655.8
                                                                                                           83.7                    83.7       25.7    40.6          23.0    22.5              783  34.5         94,8          8.6     99.5        8.6

                                                                               OTHER         0.9           0.4         0.6;        1.0        244.9   19.3          264.2 266.1               106.1 372.2 3291.1              745.6 153465.6 157874.5
                                            0                                                75.1          44.1        44.0        33.7       68.4    27.2          63.4    63.0              56.7 47.9         12.7          12.1    2.0         1.9

                                                                TOTAL SURFA(E AREA           52.4          453.5       3809.5  4263.0,  1338.6 -43229.1     44567.7      48883.1              15846.164729.2  86770.3         7792.0,155744.8 315036.3
                                                                                             212           13.6        4.6         4.3        14,6    3.2           3.1     2.9               3.8  2.3          12            8.0     2.0         0

                                                                             (HANGE          -0.8          9.8         -59.5       4@1        399.9  -2677.5 -2277.5     -2328.0-             229.1 -2098.9 3092.4            1136.2  -2129.7     0
                                                                                             224.4         39.8        21.1        26.3       42.6    10.4          14.8    14.5              43.9 16.1         15.6          30.2    26.1
                                                                                                                                                                                                   lole

                                                                              PHOTO CREDITS, BACK COVER:                           Bobcat: Larry R. Ditto@                                                      White-toiled deer: George Gentrf
                                                                                                                                   Alligator: AX Polmisono                                                      Florida panther: Wendell Metzen"'
                                                                                                                                   River offer: Larry R. Ditto@                                                 Great egret: Nancy WebP
                                                                                                                                   Fulvous whistling-du(ks: Milton Friend

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                to

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