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Impact Area

Swamps

What is a swamp?

Swamps, sometimes called thickets, are dominated by either trees or tall shrubs. A treed swamp is more likely at drier sites while a shrub swamp is associated with relatively wetter conditions. A hummocky (raised mounds and lower dips) topography (landscape) is typical of swamps, where the lower areas are wetter and can have pools of water visible especially after snowmelt or rain.  

Swamps – peatlands or mineral wetlands?
While swamps are generally classified as mineral soil wetlands, they can also be peatlands. Because swamps are dominated by either tall shrubs or trees, the upper layers (closer to the ground surface) of peat in swamps is composed of woody materials.  

Diagram of a swamp

Types of wetlands

Canada’s wetlands can be broadly categorized into two types: organic and mineral. Within these categories, they are further grouped into five classes: bog, fen, swamp, marsh, and shallow water wetlands.

Organic wetlands

Organic wetlands are known as peatlands (or muskeg) and include bogs and fens and sometimes swamps. These wetlands have accumulated 40 cm or more of organic material (peat).

Bogs

Bogs

Bogs are peatlands with over 40 cm of accumulated peat, averaging 3 to 5 m, and with some exceptional cases reporting up to 10 m.

Fens

Fens

Fens are peatlands with over 40 cm of accumulated peat that is primarily composed of sedge and brown moss plant materials.

Mineral wetlands

Mineral wetlands include swamps, marshes and shallow water. Mineral wetlands are characterized by saturated (wet) soils resulting in gleying (blue-grey colour) and mottling (red or brown mottles). There may be some organic material (peat) accumulation, but it is a thin layer less than 40 cm thick.

Marshes

Marshes

Marshes are mineral wetlands with areas of shallow water that tend to fluctuate (change up and down), daily, seasonally or even annually.

Swamps

Swamps

Swamps, sometimes called thickets, are dominated by either trees or tall shrubs.

Shallow water wetlands

Shallow water wetlands

Shallow water wetlands (that may also be called ponds, shallow lakes, oxbows and sloughs), are a distinct class of mineral wetlands.

Salt marshes

Salt marshes

Salt marshes are tidal wetlands typically found in the upper intertidal zone between mean sea level and high tide, where salt- and flood-tolerant vegetation can grow.