Download (PDF 98 KB): https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/27956.pdf
Abstract
Riparian ecosystems have been divided into three basic types; hydroriparian, mesoriparian, and xeroriparian associated in the desert lowlands with perennial, intermittent, and ephemeral water respectively. Floral species associated with these ecosystems can be divided into four categories; obligate, preferential, facultative, and nonriparian. Additionally, various site characteristics such as (1) latitude, (2) elevation, (3) soil, (4) slope, (5) exposure, (6) water periodicity, and (7) water chemistry, create a complex matrix of terms with each one needing delineation. Few of these parameters can be readily measured in the field. We examine the classifying of vegetation according to the species presence (actual or potential) and the evolutionary/developmental history of vegetational communities and implications in wetland and riparian land classification.
Parent Publication
Citation
Bennett, Peter S.; Kunzmann, Michael R.; R. Johnson, Roy. 1989. Relative Nature of Wetlands: Riparian and Vegetational Considerations. In: Abell, Dana L., Technical Coordinator. 1989. Proceedings of the California Riparian Systems Conference: protection, management, and restoration for the 1990s; 1988 September 22-24; Davis, CA. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-110. Berkeley, CA: Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; p. 140-142
