The Swamp School

While the South was getting snowed in, the folks in New England were up to something else. On February 2, 2010 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, announced the publication and one year trial implementation period of the Interim Northcentral and Northeast Regional Supplement (“supplement”) to the 1987 Wetland Delineation Manual (“1987 Manual”). A copy of the public notice can be found at: http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/reg/10/spn020210-1987Manual.pdf

We have been using the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain edition for over a year now in the South. In short it takes a bit longer to do all the plant math, but the new hydrology indicators help out. I am still disappointed in the direction they have taken the soils. I like doing soil profiles. Can me strange, but it really helps to get a handle on why a soil is hydric, rather than it just matches a bunch of indicators. The new manual seems to dumb down the soil science. Please send your comments.