OVERVIEW U.S. National Vegetation Classification A Classification Partnership Don Faber- Langendoen ALASKA GEOSPA TIAL COUNCIL February 23, 2018
USNVC: An Ecological Vegetation Classification Vegetation classification is the process of grouping stands (ecosystem locations) based on shared vegetation and ecological characteristics. As with any taxonomy, vegetation classification is used to simplify the complex patterns of ecosystems in order to communicate and share information.
S t andards for veget at ion dat a collect ion and analysis Facilit at e int er-agency collaborat ion and product consist ency Est ablish nat ional set of st andards for classifying exist ing veget at ion Fost er syst emat ic veget at ion classificat ion for t he U.S . Develop minimum met adat a requirement s Collaborat e bet ween st at e, federal and int ernat ional effort s
U.S . Forest S ervice: Lead Agency, Chair
INTERNATIONAL VEGETATION CANADIAN NATIONAL CLASSIFICATION VEGETATION CLASSIFICATION A classification of global A classification for all the vegetation. Best developed natural and semi-natural vegetation in Canada . in the Americas and Africa.
A large number of states helped the USNVC Many directly use the USNVC as their state classification Most have direct access to USNVC information - Natural Heritage Network / USNVC Classification Database (Biotics 5)
USNVC Standard: Guides classification development
First Release of USNVC 2.0: February 2016 http://www.esa.org/esa/national-vegetation-classification-press-release/
A great need t o syst emat ically invent ory, classify, and map t he incredible diversit y of ecosyst ems on Eart h in t he face of ever int ensifying land uses and changing landscapes. The implicat ions for biodiversit y, ecological processes, and ecosyst em services are profound, as hist oric nat ural syst ems are degraded, or replaced by novel ecosyst ems .
Natural Forest Orchards and Forests Plantations Treed Lawns Douglas fir Apple orchard Beech - maple forest, (Empire) plantation (40 partially logged yr) Ruderal and Nat ive Cult ural Veget at ion Veget at ion
NVC Hierarchy – Natural Vegetation General, Dominant Growth Forms Dominant/ codominant and diagnostic species Multi-layer Diagnostic species and local environmental conditions http://usnvc.org/data-standard/natural-vegetation-classification/
From: Viereck et al. 1992
Jorgensen and Meidinger 2015
Jorgensen and Meidinger 2015
From K. Baldwin
The NVC Standard “ presents a process standard to be used to create a dynamic content standard for all vegetation types in the classification .” (FGDC 2008, p.1). Ongoing improvement of the USNVC is based on new information or analyses, assessed through a peer review process maintained by ESA Vegetation Panel. At all times, there is an authoritative, standard classification available to users (posted on usnvc.org).
1. Maintain Dynamic Content 2. Submit Proposals: Field Data Literature USGS NatureServe 5. Maintain Vegetation ecologists Supporting Da ta 3. Review Proposals 4. Publish Updates Ecological Society of America
Region Regional Editor Warm Desert Este Muldavin WEST Californian Todd Keeler-Wolf Great Basin Marion Reid Vancouverian Del Meidinger (CA) / Beth (Pacific Coastal) Schulz (US) Rocky Mountain Jack Triepke Great Plains Bruce Hoagland GREAT PLAINS Laurentian-Acadian Don Faber-Langendoen EAST Central Interior-Midwest Shannon Menard Appalachian-Northeast Lesley Sneddon • Expert ise is in Southeast Coastal Plain Alan Weakley place Caribbean Fito (Humfredo) Marcano CARIBBEAN • Peer review Boreal Alaska TBD (US) / Ken Baldwin BOREAL submission t ool (CA) ready March 2018 Arctic (& alpine) Alaska Scott Guyer (US) / TBD • Funding needed ARCTIC for soft ware (CA) development POLYNESIA Hawaii TBD
Scope Editorial Notes will be relatively short, editorial improvements to existing type concepts in the US NVC. changes typically handled directly by the NVC Review Board. Revision Articles published in US NVC Proceedings: substantially revise existing type concepts or propose new type concepts. Articles are similar to j ournal articles. Methods, Data, and Best Practices discussions of sampling methods, data gaps, or best practices when analyzing data).
Alaska 4 5 8 8 32 70 2 (46) 3 (113) 3 2 in review 3 in development
Federally-funded veget at ion classificat ion proj ect s must collect , record, and classify dat a and informat ion in a manner t hat allows ot hers t o “ crosswalk ” t heir veget at ion classes t o some level of t he US NVC. Descript ions from a given proj ect classificat ion should be relat able t o descriptions wit hin t he US NVC. Field dat a collect ed t o support a federal agency proj ect should meet t he minimum standards for vegetation data collection set fort h in t he st andard (http:/ / usnvc.org/ wp- content/ uploads/ 2011/ 02/ NVCS_V2_FINAL_2008-02.pdf; Agencies are free t o use as primary classificat ions t hose t hat best meet t heir needs.
M007 L o ng le a f M014 L a ure ntia n- Pine Wo o dla nd Ac a dia n Me sic Ha rdwo o d - Co nife r F o re st FIA PLOT DATA 24
ESA Panel 2015
The US NVC is working in a fashion t hat is open, t ransparent and compliant wit h FGDC st andards. Meet s missions of federal agencies, ES A Panel, Nat ureS erve, and part ners. A dat a management st ruct ure has been designed: considerable increases in efficiency and t urnover, considerable decreases in personnel expense, and improved dat a access for t he user communit y. Need t o assure cont inued viabilit y and increased usabilit y of VegBank plot dat a archive.
www.usnvc.org THANK YOU!
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