A preliminary riparian/wetland vegetation community classification of the Upper and Middle Rio Grande watersheds in New Mexico

The riparian wetland vegetation communities of the upper and middle Rio Grande watersheds in New Mexico were surveyed in 1992 through 1994. The communities are hierarchically classified in terms of species composition and vegetation structure. The resulting Community Types are related to soil conditions, hydrological regime, and temporal dynamics. The classification is part of a comprehensive effort to develop a systematic understanding across the state of the diversity of riparian/wetland communities and how they are influenced by specific hydrologic, edaphic and climatic environments. An overview of the classification is presented with an emphasis on the middle Rio Grande watershed. The floristic composition, structure, environmental relationships, and successional trends of example communities are briefly described. Also discussed is the classification process which leads to the initial inventory and mapping of resources, and the identification of high quality sites.