Wetlands 101

I’ve been going through the threads in this new forum trying to figure out the basics of what it’s like to own property that fits in the wetlands category. Upon doing so, it’s come to my attention that there are probably several subcategories of wetlands worth differentiating between. I thought it would be nice if there was a thread where people(like me) could go to for an introduction on what it’s like to work with wetlands. Book recommendations, website links are welcome.

As I said, I’m sure there are subcategories here. A lot of “if this, then that”, but that is a big part of the point of this thread. Maybe one person can tell us the most important things to know if you have a flood plain. Another person with a swamp can tell us what that is like.

My motivation: I recently came across a property online which is described as “mostly wetlands”. My first question is “how much is mostly?” I need space on high ground to build all my stuff. My second question: “even if there is a decent amount of high ground(and it’s high enough, something I don’t know how to determine), do I even want wetlands to begin with?

So I’m curious, what’s it is like to own wetlands? What are the upsides and downsides?

The property I’m interested in is a forest, next to state forestland. Northern Michigan. I’m wondering what questions I should ask. I’m pretty damn open about permaculture projects, I’m not hung up on growing any particular plants or using any particular methods. I’m very ‘go with the flow’ that way. I would like to have animals though. Once again, not too picky about which animals though. My main concern is building permits, septic drain field, the well, that stuff.

You are wise to research this carefully. There is increasing regulation against disturbance or use of “wetlands”, and that definition can be, and is, interpreted broadly!

I will give you my case history and observations.  Of my 5 acres about 2 are considered wetland/one foot flood plain. This is a grandfathered farm location which was taken into consideration.   Because the house had burned down to replace it I had to supply evidence that the house site 20 feet in elevation above the one foot flood plain would not flood.   Officials will not risk liability so I had to pay a survey company for that documentation. Same with septic design.  As you observed wetland is variable requirements vary accordingly .  The  person inspecting the wetland for required protection tends to be  more practical minded and accepting of a permaculture plan so if you have done your preparatory planning with with reasoning on the environmental protection/improvement.  In my case the inspector stated that agricultural activities could continue in the flood plain.  The main concern was to put up signage 100 feet from the edge of the flood plain and enforce that no vehicles were refueled inside that boundary.  

Between county parcel maps which will show vacant land and unpaid tax parcels and Google map topography maps and others you may find problem property which is a permaculture solution.  

One element to consider is why those wetlands are wet and whether the activity of others (humans, beavers, etc.) are likely to change your property faster than you can react. For example, my parents have lived on a swamp for five decades. If the nearby railroad hasn't been clearing its culverts properly, the water is ten feet from the foundation. If they have (or if we go out ourselves and do it), the high water mark is forty to fifty feet from the house. Luckily, there's never been a large rain event that's coincided with a blocked culvert situation, but I can sure see how it could happen and my dad has redundant backups in pumps and energy to deal with it.

You're right that land can be described as wetlands for various different reasons. We tried to include a wide range of different wetlands types in the forum, since the problems of growing plants in them can be similar. The exception perhaps being floods due to exceptional weather, rather than seasonal differences in precipitation.

I consider my land to be wetlands mostly because I live in what should be temperate rain forest. My rainfall is nearly 1800mm (70 inches) a year and happens throughout the year. We get a brief dry spell in spring - April and May are often the months with best weather, which is nice when you are sowing seed and planting out. The rest of the year is wet and the rain leaches the soil of soluble nutrients. Since it is silty it is also easily compacted and turned anaerobic. I'm hoping that raised beds will help keep the soil aerated, and am relying on copious additions of seaweed to replenish lost nutrients. Keeping the soil covered with either growing plants or thick organic mulch materials will hopefully protect the soil a bit from the rain too.
On the positive side, I don't really have to worry about irrigation. If you get the timing right in spring the plants will be watered naturally after that. I did have to water some of our trees when we planted them, but normally you can plant at the end of March into wet soil and that will see them through to when the rain starts again.
We have planted much of our land with trees now (see my project thread for more details. It was a (rather overgrazed) sheep paddock previously. Subjectively we have noticed a decrease in the amount of surface run off already since planting the trees. There are some surface springs which we intecepted with a culvert which used to flow almost continually, and they now seem to stop flowing more quickly during a dry spell.

When doing wetland preservation for the parks or government projects,  they are usually large areas of more than 1ha, with the ground saturated year round.  A lot of the work is in managing plants that like soggy feet.  But also working with flow, increasing open water when overgrown,  that sort of thing.  There is a specific list of what qualifies and what doesn't because funding and government regulations.   There is a lot of value in wetlands here.

Locally, in farming wetland refers to soggy ground.   In general,  it's ground that is too wet year round for most commercial food crops or hay.  There is no size minimum as this can be a single spring or dip in the ground with poor drainage.

What they share in common is a specific ecosystem and habitat.   But that varies from places to place.

Then there are regional variations.   Some feel that a water fountain qualifies.   That's very different from my training as a stone with water flowing on it doesn't provide the same habitat as reeds, rushes, and other wetland plants.  But that's the wonderful way with language.   It changes over time and place.

There doesn't seem to be a hard line that says this is wetland,  that isn't.

from the bc identification guide to wetlands

Wetlands are:

areas where soils are water-saturated for a sufficient length of time

such that excess water and resulting low soil oxygen levels are princi-

pal determinants of vegetation and soil development. Wetlands will
have a relative abundance of hydrophytes in the vegetation commu-
nity and/or soils featuring “hydric” characters.
This wetland definition encompasses a wide range of ecosystems, from
semi-terrestrial fens, bogs, and swamps to semi-aquatic marshes and
shallow open water. Wetlands include a broad range of ecosystem types,
from those permanently flooded by shallow water and dominated by
aquatic organisms to forested sites with merely wet soils.
The water-saturated environment of wetlands supports a unique group
of plants called hydrophytes. These plants are adapted to grow in water-
logged soils. Excessive water and the low rate at which oxygen diffuses
under these conditions leads to a complex of critical conditions that re-
quire specialized adaptations (Daubenmire 1959). Adaptations, such as
leathery leaves (to reduce nutrient requirements and combat physiologi-
cal drought) or specialized internal air compartments (to transport
oxygen to the roots) are required for wetland plants. Obligate hy-
drophytes (such as great bulrush) are restricted to wetlands and
semi-aquatic sites. Facultative hydrophytes (such as Labrador tea and
many other members of the Heather family) occur commonly in wet-
lands but also appear on some upland sites.
Wetland soils are subhydric or hydric and have one or more of the fol-
lowing features that reflect anaerobic soil conditions:
1. Peaty organic horizons greater than 40 cm thick.
2. Non-sandy soils with blue-grey gleying within 30 cm of the surface.
3. Sandy soils with prominent mottles within 30 cm of the surface or
blue-grey matrix.
4. Hydrogen sulphide (rotten egg smell) in upper 30 cm.
From an ecological perspective, either an abundance of hydrophytes or

hydric soil conditions is generally sufficient to indicate a wetland ecosys-

tem. The boundary of the wetland is identified by changes in vegetation
structure, loss of hydrophytes, and absence of wetland soil characteris-
tics.

Wetlands here are defined by the soil.  Often with more focus on soil than the water elements.

But it's just one definition in one corner of the world.

Thank you so much Raven. Great descriptions in both of your posts.

Kevin David wrote:So I’m curious, what’s it is like to own wetlands? What are the upsides and downsides?

The property I’m interested in is a forest, next to state forestland. Northern Michigan. I’m wondering what questions I should ask. I’m pretty damn open about permaculture projects, I’m not hung up on growing any particular plants or using any particular methods. I’m very ‘go with the flow’ that way. I would like to have animals though. Once again, not too picky about which animals though. My main concern is building permits, septic drain field, the well, that stuff.

The first question to ask is will I need flood insurance if I plan to build a home.

Since this is a thread from 2023. I wonder if Kevin bought this property.

I don't know for sure though I believe most wetlands are in a Flood Plain.

The way I know 'wetlands' is because of the large national nature park I live close-by: 'Weerribben-Wieden'. It's exactly what's defined by Raven Ranson here. There are some larger bodies of water, but most of it is 'soil saturated with water' and 'plants called hydrophytes'. In the less wet areas there is agricultural land too, almost all of it pastures with cows or sheep. There are many ditches to lead the water away.

Read James C Scott's book "Against the Grain".  Or at least the portion on wetlands.  It's very accessible.

More than just being the lungs of the planet, wetlands outproduce every other ecosystem for materials and food.  The whole reason that nations hate them is historically simply because the wetlanders didn't need the roman road, the roman patrol, or the roman administration, so every single nation gets rid of wetlands because ultimately they are deemed "untaxable".

And now we preserve them... except that we don't, because city planners think that you can just put a hard line around them.  If you build houses around a wetland, it compacts the soil around the edge, and the wetland shrinks.  The only downside to "owning" a functioning (crucial word there of course) wetland should really be the envy of your neighbors.