U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Classification of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats of the United States (Cowardin, et. al., 1979)
Example: E2EM1Pd6 is Estuarine Intertidal Emergent Persistent Ditched Brackish
The first character is the System: E = Estuarine M = Marine
The second number is the Sub System:
1 = Subtidal 2 = Intertidal
The third and fourth characters comprise the Class:
AB = Aquatic Bed UB = Unconsolidated Bottom EM = Emergent RF = Reef RS = Rocky Shore SS = Scrub-shrub US = Unconsolidated Shore SB = Streambed
The fifth number is the Sub-Class:
AB1 = Aquatic Bed, Algal AB3 = Aquatic Bed, Rooted Vascular AB4 = Aquatic Bed, Floating Vascular UB = Has no subclasses EM1 = Emergent, Persistent EM5 = Emergent, Phragmites australis RF2 = Reef, Mollusc RS1 = Rocky Shore, Bedrock RS2 = Rocky Shore, Rubble SS1 = Scrub Shrub, Broad Leaved Deciduous US1 = Unconsolidated Shore, Cobble-Gravel US2 = Unconsolidated Shore, Sand US3 = Unconsolidated Shore, Mud
Level 1
1 Urban or Built-up Land 2 Agricultural 3 Rangeland 4 Forest 5 Water, and 6 Wetlands Use Cowardin (1979) for freshwater wetlands in the buffer zone** 7 Barren Land
Level 2
11 Residential 12 Commercial and Services 13 Industrial 14 Transportation, Communications and Utilities (includes lighthouses) (for roads, map 4-lane highway corridors; no 2-lanes) 15 Industrial & Commercial Complexes 16 Mixed Urban or Built-up Land 17 Other Urban or Built-up Land 21 Cropland 22 Orchards, Nurseries, Vineyards, Ornamental Horticulture) 23 Confined Feeding Operation 24 Pasture and Hayfields 25 Other 31 Herbaceous Cover 32 Shrub and Brush Cover 33 Mixed 41 Deciduous Forest Cover 42 Evergreen Forest Cover 43 Mixed 71 Dry Flats 72 Beaches (classified under Cowardin, 1979) 73 Sand Areas other than Beaches (dunes, backdunes) (Note: Dunes were mapped on original wetlands layer as "D") 74 Bare exposed rock 75 Strip Mines, Quarries and Gravel Pits 76 Mixed Barren Land 77 Transitional (active earthwork)
Level 3
RESIDENTIAL 111 Single Family 112 Multi-family 113 Mobile Home Parks 114 Lawns (includes non- residential lawns) 115 Other (e.g., military barracks)
COMMERCIAL AND SERVICES 121 Commercial and Institutional Structures (plazas, malls, schools, universities, military bases) 122 Recreational structures (e.g., beach pavilions, water slides) 123 Marinas 124 Junkyards 125 Paved surfaces associated with commercial and services 126 Unpaved surfaces (sandy parking lots in beach areas) 127 Wharves, piers & shipyards
OTHER URBAN 171 Golf courses 172 Cemeteries 173 Other (zoos, urban parks, ski areas, forts) 174 Landfills
Note: **Freshwater wetlands within the 500-foot buffer zone classified under Cowardin (1979) included palustrine wetlands, some of which were tidally-influenced freshwater hydrology and others strictly freshwater types.
AJG - Artificial jetties and groins, construction or removal BT - Boat traffic CED - Coastal erosion and deposition - Coastal processes D - Ditching - Succession following ditching DR - Ditching removed or re-vegetated - Succession following ditching IM - Impoundment IMR - Impounding structure removed MC - Marsh plant colonization - Coastal processes OC - Oyster colonization OD - Oyster de-colonization - - Coastal processes PI - Phragmites australis invasion SD - Spoil deposition; not effectively filled TR - Tidal restriction TRP - Tidal restriction w/ Phragmites australis invasion UK - Unknown XM - Excavation, marina-related- Excavation XR - Excavation, re-vegetated- Excavation XU - Excavation, unknown use- Excavation