Managing your own wetland is a rewarding experience.
Wetlands represent the most productive ecosystems in the world and the benefits they provide
to wildlife, are unequaled by any other type of habitat. They help improve water quality,
can reduce damages caused by flood waters, and provide hours of recreational enjoyment. This video will introduce you to the different
types of wetlands found in Missouri, and provide you with things to consider for developing
or managing your wetland. It is our goal to help you gain a better understanding of your
wetland, and achieve your management objectives. We'll look at five different types of wetlands found in Missouri. Each has important
benefits, and knowledge of the different wetland types will help your understanding of management
principles and certain habitat values. Emergent marsh areas are seasonally to semi-permanently flooded wetlands dominated by persistent,
emergent herbaceous, non-woody vegetation such as cattails and river bulrush. Most have
water depths in excess of 18"-24" over at least part of the marsh. Emergent
marshes provide critical nesting habitat for many marsh birds, such as bitterns, sedge
wrens and rails. They also provide habitat for many permanent wetland residents such
as muskrats, and many species of reptiles and amphibians. Emergent wetlands are especially
important for amphibians if they are kept fishless, because juvenile amphibians are
vulnerable to fish predators. Early successional seasonal marshes are shallow, seasonally flooded wetlands dominated by annual
herbaceous, seed producing plants such as wild millet, smartweed, and beggarticks. Typically
these wetlands go dry during the growing season, and demonstrate fluctuating water levels during
the rest of the year. Often referred to as moist soil marshes, these areas provide important
habitat, especially for migrating birds. Seed production is an important function for fall
migrants, but equally important is the production of aquatic invertebrates utilized by shorebirds
and spring-migrating waterfowl. As water levels gradually recede, invertebrates are concentrated
along the edge of the retreating water line, making these areas prime foraging sites for
hungry birds. Seasonal marshes can be important for amphibian production. Shrub swamps are semi-permanent flooded wetlands
dominated by woody, shrubby vegetation such as buttonbush and willow. Cattails, bur reed
or other perennial herbaceous vegetation may be interspersed within the woody vegetation.
Water depths typically are in excess of 18" -24". These wetlands mainly develop
along deeper sloughs or old channels that have water present throughout the growing
season. Scrub Shrub swamps provide important loafing and foraging areas for certain waterbirds,
such as wood ducks and herons. They also serve as important thermal cover sites in the fall
and winter for migrating birds. And in the spring they are heavily used by migrating
birds for courtship. Greentree reservoirs have live timber that is seasonally flooded, sometimes called flooded
live timber. These areas range from the very flood tolerant bald cypress/tupelo swamps
of southeast Missouri, to tolerant silver maple/green ash woodlands, to moderately tolerant
pin oak/pecan woodlands. It is important to note that management which artificially keeps
water on these sites-- either through pumping and/or levee construction that allows
for longer flooding durations-- can lead to serious damage or complete loss of these
valuable wetlands. Before initiating artificial flooding on these sites, contact a resource
professional for specialized recommendations for your specific site. Even extremely water tolerant cypress/tupelo
swamps need occasional drying in order to maintain vigor and to produce young trees.
Flooding pin oak flats annually for the duck season is a sure recipe for eliminating the
pin oaks! Properly managed, Greentree Reservoirs serve as host to a variety of songbirds who use
these areas during migration or as nesting sites. In the fall, the fallen leaves feed
a variety of wetland invertebrates, which provide a high protein source for other wetland
wildlife. Bottomland timber also serves as home to a number of wetland wildlife, from
nesting great blue herons and wood ducks, to resident wildlife such as deer and turkey. Flooded cropfields include cropland which
is normally planted to an annually tilled crop--and that is flooded for wildlife habitat,
primarily corn and rice. Typically these sites are flooded in the fall after crops are harvested
to provide habitat for migrating waterfowl. This is a type of seasonal wetland and its
primary purpose is to provide high energy food for migrants. Benefits of this type of
wetland are limited to migration, but if managed, can also provide benefits to other migrating
birds, primarily shorebirds. Before you can successfully manage a wetland there are some things you must first understand
about how wetlands function. It will be an expensive failure if you try to make your
wetland into something it isn't capable of being! There are a number of different
wetland types in Missouri, and conditions at your site may dictate the wetland options
you have available. For example, not all wetland sites lend themselves to being seasonal wetlands--
it may be too wet-- there may not be a dependable source of water for the fall-- or the effort
to keep trees off the site is too much for you to handle. First, take a good look at the soils that
make up your wetland. You need to know what soil types are present, as well as any limitations
these soils may have that could impact your plans for your wetland area. A USDA-Natural
Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Soil Survey is a good place to start. These are
available for all counties in Missouri from your local NRCS office, or you can find them
on the web at "http://soils.missouri.edu" A soil survey will show you what soil types
are mapped for your wetland, and will also give you general information about each soil
--permeability--structure--natural fertility-- and general limitations. If you decide that you would like to manage your area as a seasonal wetland, your soil
survey can give you an indication of the likelihood of success. If the soils mapped in the field
have moderate permeability, then you know that artificial flooding will likely be necessary
in order to maintain dependable water levels in the fall. If your goal is to establish
pin oak woodland, but the soil survey indicates the site floods frequently for long duration,
then you should reconsider your goal for this site! In addition to the type of soil, the fertility
of the soil can have an impact on your wetland. Typically wetlands are quite fertile, and
the addition of nutrients or lime is not required. However, a soil test to determine fertility
levels in the field is a wise step-- especially if your management will include
planting crops. After acquainting yourself with the soils in your wetland, take a look at the available
water sources you have at your disposal. Access to water is one of the keys that determine
the management options you have available. Is water to your wetland coming primarily
from natural flooding? If so, then recognize that typically this happens in the spring
and that fall flooding events are much less common. If you want to have water to duck
hunt on a site that only floods, then don't drain the water from the site-- unless
it is necessary to conduct needed management. Also, any impoundment structures on sites
that flood need to be designed to handle floodwaters make sure that levees have flat side slopes
or have well designed emergency spillways that will allow flooding with limited damage.
Different streams and different stretches on the same stream may have flooding occur
at different times or durations. Typically, smaller streams tend to be flashier - they may flood
more frequently-- but do so for only a short time period. Larger streams flood less often
but for a longer period of time. Not only does this have implications for capturing
water within your wetland, but it can also impact the vegetation growing on the site. Does runoff from rain or snow flow into your
wetland? As with flooding, storms that result in runoff occur less frequently in the fall.
Fields managed as seasonal wetlands that depend on runoff may be dry in the fall and early
winter, although they can provide great habitat in the spring. Runoff not only brings moisture
into wetlands, but can also bring with it sediment --in the form of soil erosion-- or
excess nutrients or pesticides. Wetland systems are very efficient at utilizing nutrients
and neutralizing many pesticides, and their entry into a wetland system seldom has a significant
impact. However, sediment, over time, can reduce water depths and influence plant communities.
