Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Forested wetland habitat

August 12, 2015

A forested wetland (swamp) is a forest where soils are saturated or flooded for at least a portion of the growing season, and vegetation, dominated by trees, is adapted to tolerate flooded conditions. A tidal freshwater forested wetland is a forested wetland that experiences frequent but short-term surface flooding via tidal action, with average salinity of soil porewater less than 0.5 g/l. It is known locally as tidal várzea in the Amazon delta, Brazil. A tidal saltwater forested wetland (mangrove forest) is a forested wetland that experiences frequent but short-term surface flooding via tidal action, with average salinity often exceeding 3 g/l and reaching levels that can exceed seawater. Mangrove ecosystems are composed of facultative halophytes that generally experience better growth at moderate salinity concentrations.

Publication Year 2015
Title Forested wetland habitat
DOI 10.1007/978-94-017-8801-4_387
Authors Jamie A. Duberstein, Ken W. Krauss
Publication Type Book Chapter
Publication Subtype Book Chapter
Index ID 70159181
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization Wetland and Aquatic Research Center