1. WetSAG
GIS
Survey
Methods
June
2014
1
WetSAG
GIS
Survey
Methods
Summary
The
WetSAG
GIS
survey
is
based
on
the
spatial
intersection
of
forest
practice
applications
(FPA)
and
wetlands
in
western
Washington.
This
analysis
includes
only
those
FPA’s
that
were
approved
by
WDNR
and
are
within
the
spatial
extent
of
the
WDOE’s
predictive
wetland
model
(Wetwria),
which
includes
all
of
western
Washington
to
the
backside
of
the
Cascade
mountain
range
(Figure
1).
The
FPA
analysis
was
further
restricted
those
FPA’s
with
wetlands
within
200ft
of
the
FPA,
or
that
identified
wetlands
on
the
actual
FP
application.
The
wetlands
analysis
includes
only
those
wetlands
within
200ft
of
an
FPA.
The
wetlands
data
should
be
considered
to
be
conservative,
and
may
not
include
wetlands
less
than
1
acre
in
size
as
modeled
in
the
wetland
dataset.
The
outcome
of
this
analysis
is
intended
to
provide
insight
into
the
extent
that
forest
practices
might
be
impacting
wetlands
in
western
Washington.
The
WetSAG
GIS
Survey
was
completed
using
GIS
spatial
analyses
of
three
primary
GIS
data
sources:
DNR
Forest
Practices,
Wetwria
Modeled
Wetlands,
and
DNR
Hydrography.
The
outcome
of
these
analyses
provides
data
that
describe
each
FPA
and
Wetland
as
well
as
quantify
the
extent
of
spatial
overlap
regarding
FPA’s,
wetlands,
and
hydrographic
features.
However,
since
multiple
wetlands
exist
within
a
single
FPA
and
multiple
FPA’s
exist
within
a
single
wetland,
the
WetSAG
GIS
Survey
outcome
is
provided
in
two
different
datasets;
one
containing
individual
FPA
related
information
and
the
other
containing
individual
wetland
related
information.
The
resulting
datasets
can
be
used
to
calculate
summary
statistics
quantifying
the
interaction
between
these
three
geographic
features.
Each
of
the
primary
data
sources
used
in
this
analysis
is
described
in
more
detail
in
the
next
section.

2. WetSAG
GIS
Survey
Methods
June
2014
2
Figure
1:
WetSAG
GIS
Survey
Study
Area
Primary
Data
Sources:
WDNR
Forest
Practices
(All)
The
Washington
Department
of
Natural
Resources,
Forest
Practices
Division
maintains
the
Forest
Practices
GIS
data
that
was
used
in
this
analysis.
This
data
set
includes
digitized
polygons
representing
the
geographic
areas
of
forest
practice
applications
and
notifications
that
have
been
received
by
WDNR
from
1987
through
2014.
The
associated
FPA
attributes
were
collected
from
the
Forest
Practices
Application
and
other
associated
documents
that
were
compiled
into
the
current
Forest
Practices
Application
Review
System
(FPARS)
and
previous
Mapping
and
Planning
System
(MAPS).
This
data
source
continues
to
be
updated
and
maintained
for
compliance
with
forest
practice
regulations,
Timber,
Fish
&
Wildlife
(TFW)
planning
and
analysis,
natural
resource
planning,
and
as
a
general
mapping
reference.
One
limitation
to
this
dataset
is
the
duplication
of
some
FPA
polygons
based
on
FPA
renewal.
This
results
in
two
identical
FPA
polygons
being
digitized
directly
on
top
of
one
another.
To
maintain
a
unique
list
of
FPA’s
that
interact
with
wetlands,
duplicate
FPA
polygons
were
removed
from
the
analysis
leaving
only
the
FPA’s
with
the
most
recent
FP_ID.

3. WetSAG
GIS
Survey
Methods
June
2014
3
Wetwria
Modeled
Wetlands
The
2011
Wetwria
modeled
wetlands
GIS
dataset
used
in
this
study
is
the
outcome
of
the
wetland
change
analysis
project
conducted
by
the
Washington
Department
of
Ecology,
National
Oceanic
and
Atmospheric
Administration’s
Coastal
Services
Center
(NOAA-­‐CSC),
and
the
Washington
Department
of
Fish
and
Wildlife
(WDFW).
This
project
took
the
NOAA
Costal
Change
Analysis
land
cover
project
that
uses
30-­‐meter
resolution
LANDSAT
imagery
to
classify
land
cover
in
Washington
and
improved
the
land
cover
identification
and
classification
to
better
identify
and
define
wetlands
in
western
Washington.
This
process
included
more
detailed
land
cover
assessments
and
wetland
modeling
from
the
following
data
sources:
National
Wetland
Inventory
(NWI),
SSURGO
Soils
Data
(Hydric
Soils),
NAIP
Aerial
ortho-­‐imagery,
Elevation
data
(including
LiDAR),
Landsat
Thematic
Mapper
Imagery,
and
Local
wetland
data
layers.
The
resulting
land
cover
and
wetland
inventory
is
observed
to
be
82%
accurate
in
land
cover
classification.
This
is
a
10%
improvement
in
overall
accuracy
from
the
previous
land
classification
method.
However,
as
a
limitation
to
this
dataset
the
accuracy
improvement
can
only
be
applied
to
wetlands
that
are
greater
than
1
acre
in
size
due
to
the
resolution
of
the
land
cover
modeling.
Wetlands
that
are
less
than
1
acre
in
size
are
likely
to
have
not
been
mapped
in
this
dataset.
Despite
this
limitation,
the
Wetwria
modeled
wetland
data
is
expected
to
be
more
accurate
for
wetlands
greater
than
one
acre
than
the
NWI
data
set
because
of
the
additional
data
sources
and
more
current
digital
imagery
used
in
the
analysis.
While
still
being
widely
used
as
a
valuable
wetland
inventory
resource,
the
NWI
data
set
was
derived
from
digital
imagery
from
the
1970’s
and
early
1980’s
and
it
is
likely
these
features
have
changed
over
the
past
35
years.
The
Wetwria
modeled
wetland
inventory
reflects
these
changes.
The
following
table
describes
the
various
wetland
class
types
identified
by
the
Wetwria
wetland
model:
Wetland
Class
Name
Description
Estuarine
Aquatic
Bed
Includes
tidal
wetlands
and
deepwater
habitats
in
which
salinity
due
to
ocean-­‐derived
salts
is
equal
to
or
greater
than
0.5
percent
and
which
are
dominated
by
plants
that
grow
and
form
a
continuous
cover
principally
on
or
at
the
surface
of
the
water.
These
include
algal
mats,
kelp
beds,
and
rooted
vascular
plant
assemblages.
Total
vegetation
cover
is
greater
than
80
percent.
Estuarine
Emergent
Wetland
Includes
all
tidal
wetlands
dominated
by
erect,
rooted,
herbaceous
hydrophytes
(excluding
mosses
and
lichens).
Wetlands
that
occur
in
tidal
areas
in
which
salinity
due
to
ocean-­‐derived
salts
is
equal
to
or
greater
than
0.5
percent
and
that
are
present
for
most
of
the
growing
season
in
most
years.
Total
vegetation
cover
is
greater
than
80
percent.
Perennial
plants
usually
dominate
these
wetlands.
Estuarine
Forested
Wetland
Includes
tidal
wetlands
dominated
by
woody
vegetation
greater
than
or
equal
to
5
meters
in
height,
and
all
such
wetlands
that
occur
in
tidal
areas
in
which
salinity
due
to
ocean-­‐derived
salts
is
equal
to
or
greater
than
0.5
percent.
Total
vegetation
coverage
is
greater
than
20
percent.

4. WetSAG
GIS
Survey
Methods
June
2014
4
Estuarine
Scrub/Shrub
Wetland
Includes
tidal
wetlands
dominated
by
woody
vegetation
less
than
5
meters
in
height,
and
all
such
wetlands
that
occur
in
tidal
areas
in
which
salinity
due
to
ocean-­‐derived
salts
is
equal
to
or
greater
than
0.5
percent.
Total
vegetation
coverage
is
greater
than
20
percent.
Palustrine
Aquatic
Bed
Includes
tidal
and
non-­‐tidal
wetlands
and
deepwater
habitats
in
which
salinity
due
to
ocean-­‐derived
salts
is
below
0.5
percent
and
which
are
dominated
by
plants
that
grow
and
form
a
continuous
cover
principally
on
or
at
the
surface
of
the
water.
These
include
algal
mats,
detached
floating
mats,
and
rooted
vascular
plant
assemblages.
Total
vegetation
cover
is
greater
than
80
percent.
Palustrine
Emergent
Wetland
Includes
tidal
and
non-­‐tidal
wetlands
dominated
by
persistent
emergent
vascular
plants,
emergent
mosses
or
lichens,
and
all
such
wetlands
that
occur
in
tidal
areas
in
which
salinity
due
to
ocean-­‐derived
salts
is
below
0.5
percent.
Total
vegetation
cover
is
greater
than
80
percent.
Plants
generally
remain
standing
until
the
next
growing
season.
Palustrine
Forested
Wetland
Includes
tidal
and
non-­‐tidal
wetlands
dominated
by
woody
vegetation
greater
than
or
equal
to
5
meters
in
height,
and
all
such
wetlands
that
occur
in
tidal
areas
in
which
salinity
due
to
ocean-­‐derived
salts
is
below
0.5
percent.
Total
vegetation
coverage
is
greater
than
20
percent.
Palustrine
Scrub/Shrub
Wetland
Includes
tidal
and
non-­‐tidal
wetlands
dominated
by
woody
vegetation
less
than
5
meters
in
height,
and
all
such
wetlands
that
occur
in
tidal
areas
in
which
salinity
due
to
ocean-­‐derived
salts
is
below
0.5
percent.
Total
vegetation
coverage
is
greater
than
20
percent.
Species
present
could
be
true
shrubs,
young
trees
and
shrubs,
or
trees
that
are
small
or
stunted
due
to
environmental
conditions.
Potentially
Disturbed
Wetlands
No
definition
available
Water
No
definition
available
Unconsolidated
Shore
Includes
material
such
as
silt,
sand,
or
gravel
that
is
subject
to
inundation
and
redistribution
due
to
the
action
of
water.
Substrates
lack
vegetation
except
for
pioneering
plants
that
become
established
during
brief
periods
when
growing
conditions
are
favorable.
WDNR
Hydrography
The
hydrography
GIS
dataset
is
maintained
by
the
Washington
State
Department
of
Natural
Resources
(WDNR)
and
represents
the
most
complete
and
up
to
date
hydrography
for
the
State
of
Washington.
This
data
is
intended
to
support
forest
practices
and
other
WDNR
activities
with
the
identification
of
fish
habitat
water
types
and
other
stream
and
water
body
information
throughout
the
State.
For
the
purposes
of
this
analysis,
the
DNR
hydrography
data
published
in
March
2014
was
used
in
this
study
to
describe
the
proximity
and
potential
impact
to
fish
bearing
streams
and
shoreline
habitat.

5. WetSAG
GIS
Survey
Methods
June
2014
5
Attribute
Spatial
Representation
The
following
section
is
intended
to
define
how
certain
attributes
in
the
WetSAG
GIS
survey
are
spatially
represented
on
the
landscape
and
identify
any
limitations
in
the
data.
Wetwria
Wetland
Spatial
Configuration:
The
Wetwria
layer
is
modeled
and
predicts
a
greater
extent
of
wetlands
than
are
in
the
NWI.
The
two
classifications
are
different,
but
have
a
lot
of
overlap.

6. WetSAG
GIS
Survey
Methods
June
2014
6
FP_ID
with
Multiple
Polygons:
In
some
cases
an
FPA
includes
multiple
areas
for
which
forest
practices
will
occur.
In
this
instance
multiple
FPA
polygons
were
digitized
but
maintain
the
same
FP_ID.
Due
to
this
occurrence,
the
GIS
survey
analysis
was
conducted
on
each
individual
FP
polygon
according
to
the
unique
Object_ID
rather
than
the
FP_ID.
This
means
there
will
be
multiple
FP_ID
entries
in
the
results
dataset
but
that
relevant
information
will
be
unique
to
each
FP
polygon
in
the
results
output.
Wetland
Area
in
FPA
Calculations:
There
are
two
attributes
related
to
the
area
of
wetlands
in
an
FPA:
Area
of
wetland
within
200ft
of
an
FPA
and
the
area
of
wetland
directly
within
an
FPA.
Spatial
representations
are
displayed
below.

7. WetSAG
GIS
Survey
Methods
June
2014
7
Length
of
Streams
in
FPA
Calculations:
There
are
two
length
of
stream
attributes
related
to
an
FPA:
length
of
streams
within
an
FPA
and
length
of
fish
bearing
streams
within
an
FPA.
Spatial
representations
are
displayed
below.
Number
and
Area
of
FPA
in
Wetland
Calculations:
There
are
four
attributes
that
describe
the
interaction
of
FPA’s
to
a
single
wetland:
The
number
of
FPA’s
directly
in
a
wetland,
the
number
of
FPA’s
within
200ft
of
a
wetland,
the
total
area
of
the
wetland
directly
within
FPA’s,
and
the
total
area
of
wetland
within
200ft
of
FPA’s.
Spatial
representations
are
displayed
below.

8. WetSAG
GIS
Survey
Methods
June
2014
8
Distance
from
Wetland
to
Nearest
Stream
Calculations:
Attributes
describing
the
distances
from
wetland
to
the
nearest
steam
were
calculated
using
a
Euclidian
distance
measure,
or
straight
line
distance.
This
distance
does
not
reflect
distance
to
the
nearest
stream
as
water
would
travel
over
land
or
through
a
watershed.
Spatial
representation
is
shown
below.