Gary Wein, Rebecca Sharitz, J V. McArthur, Kenneth McLeod,
Eric Nelson, and Randall Kolka

BASIC ECOLOGY OF REFERENCE WETLANDS

Wetland restoration and creation involves establishment of wetland conditions and processes in such a way as to provide the basis for self-sustaining ecosystems.  Experience on the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Savannah River Site (SRS) in restoration and creation of wetlands has resulted in the development of expertise, technologies, and metrics for monitoring success.  Research has focused on acceleration of successional trajectories, development of planting technologies, species selection, and comparison of important ecological parameters and processes on restored sites to norms established in mature wetlands.  These research experiences in wetland restoration provide transferable technologies to other sites and federal agencies.
 

Restoration studies on the SRS were a logical extension of previous and ongoing basic research in freshwater wetland systems such as bottomland hardwood and floodplain forests, and Carolina bays.  Numerous studies during the last several decades have established baseline information on biotic and environmental conditions in reference wetlands.

More than 300 isolated depressional wetlands (Carolina Bays) occur on the SRS.  Bays may contain open water, extensive wetland marshes, and wetland forests.  These wetlands are centers of high biological diversity in the upland terrestrial landscape.

Extensive wetlands around man-made reservoirs provide habitat for numerous species of plants, invertebrates, fish and other aquatic vertebrates, and nesting waterfowl.

The wetlands of the 310 square mile Savannah River Site exist in many forms.  The picture above indicates the major wetland types found on the site.

Bottomland hardwood forests are abundant along stream and river floodplains in the Southeast.