Updated National Wetland Plant List Released

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has released the updated National Wetland Plant List (NWPL). This national list of wetland plants by species and their wetland ratings provides general botanical information about wetland plants and is used extensively by federal and state agencies, the scientific and academic communities, and the private sector in wetland delineations and the planning and monitoring of wetland mitigation and restoration sites.

In the early 1980s, the four primary federal agencies with responsibilities for wetlands (USACE, EPA, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and Natural Resources Conservation Service) agreed to assemble panels of wetland ecologists and botanists to review and revise a national wetland plant list for the U.S. and U.S. territories. The NWPL released today will replace the FWS 1988 National List of Plant Species that Occur in Wetlands.

The 2012 NWPL will be used in any wetland delineations or determinations performed after June 1, 2012. The 2012 NWPL may be used in delineation/determination forms prior to that date, and should be referenced on any data forms used in the wetland delineation/determination if used.

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