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We characterized wetland mitigation projects at 50 randomly selected sites across Tennessee, USA. Mitigation in the form of creation, restoration, enhancement, and preservation was used to replace the 38 ha of jurisdictional wetlands destroyed. Over 104 ha of compensatory wetland mitigation were proposed for this loss; however, only 77.7 ha were present when each of the sites was delineated. A large percentage of the mitigation area (61%) was in the form of preservation and enhancement of existing wetlands. The majority of sites (72%) contained less area than was stipulated in the permit. Poor design resulting in improper hydrology and poor survival of planted stock was likely the primary cause of this reduced area. Wetland mitigation efforts in Tennessee likely could be improved if greater emphasis was placed on design of the project, especially with regard to the hydrology of the site.

During spring of 1988 and winter of 1988–89, we sampled songbird populations and habitat characteristics along two belt transects extending across the broad, forested floodplain of the Cache River, Arkansas, USA. Objectives were to compare avian abundance and species richness among floodplain forest zones and to investigate bird species distributions in relation to the wetness gradient. Forest zones differed in structure, flooding regime, and use by birds. The tupelo/baldcypress zone, in particular, provided habitat unlike that in the higher oak-dominated zones and supported a number of bird species that were much less abundant elsewhere. Distributions of chimney swifts (Chaetura pelagica), prothonotary warblers (Protonotaria citrea), and great crested flycatchers (Myiarchus crinitus) were skewed toward wetter sites, whereas summer tanagers (Piranga rubra), red-eyed vireos (Vireo olivaceus), and others were skewed toward drier sites.