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STANDARDS FOR ASSOCIATIONS AND ALLIANCES OF THE U.S. NATIONAL VEGETATION CLASSIFICATION Michael Jennings1*, Orie Loucks2, David Glenn-Lewin3, Robert Peet4, Don Faber-Langendoen5, Dennis Grossman5, Antoni Damman6, Michael Barbour7, Robert Pfister8, Marilyn Walker9, Stephen Talbot10, Joan Walker9, Gary Hartshorn11, Gary Waggoner1, Marc Abrams12, Alison Hill9, David Roberts13, David Tart9 The Ecological Society of America Vegetation Classification Panel Version 1.0 May 2002 1. U.S. Geological Survey, 2. Miami University, 3. Unity College, 4. University of North Carolina, 5. NatureServe, 6. Kansas State University, 7. University of California-Davis, 8. University of Montana, 9. USDA Forest Service, 10. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 11. Organization for Tropical Studies, 12. Pennsylvania State University, 13. Utah State University *Contact: U.S. Geological Survey, 530 S. Asbury St., Suite 1, Moscow, ID 83843, USA; [email protected]; 208-885-3901 Standards For Floristic Vegetation Classification, Version 1.0, May 2002 Dedicated to Antoni Damman 1932-2000 He worked hard to help create a unified vegetation classification in the United States, based on his wealth of experience from around the world. These standards have been shaped by his desire for a rigorous, plot-based approach to vegetation description and analysis. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The work of the Panel on Vegetation Classification has been made possible by support from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Gap Analysis Program, the Federal Geographic Data Committee, the National Science Foundation, the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Bureau of Land Management, the Army Environmental Policy Institute, and the Ecological Society of America’s Sustainable Biosphere Program. Many individuals have contributed in one way or another to the development of these standards, including Mark Anderson, David Brown, Rex Crawford, Kathy Goodin, David Graber, John Harris, Miles Hemstrom, Bruce Kahn, Kat Maybury, Ken Metzler, William Michener, J. Scott Peterson, Thomas Philippi, Milo Pyne, Marion Reid, Rebecca Sharitz, Denice Shaw, Marie Loise Smith, Lesley Sneddon, Miklos Udvardy, Jan van Wagtendonk, Alan Weakley, Neil West, and Peter White. Jim MacMahon, Jerry Franklin, Jane Lubchenko, Mary Barber, and Julie Denslow fostered establishment of the Panel and liaison to the ESA Governing Board. Thanks to Elisabeth Brackney for help with editing. Special thanks to Lori Hidinger of ESA who provided unflagging staff support over the many years of deliberation, ebb, and flow, in developing these standards. 2 Standards For Floristic Vegetation Classification, Version 1.0, May 2002 SUMMARY The purpose of this document is to provide both a technical and a general basis for describing and classifying the plant associations and alliances that are to be formally recognized as units of vegetation under the U.S. National Vegetation Classification (NVC). It should be useful to practitioners, researchers, and students of vegetation ecology. The standards presented here are to be used by anybody proposing additions, deletions, or other changes to the named units of the NVC. By implementing standards for field sampling, analysis, description, peer review, archiving, and dissemination, the Ecological Society of America’s Vegetation Classification Panel—in collaboration with the Federal Geographic Data Committee, NatureServe, the U.S. Geological Survey, and others—intends to advance our common understanding of vegetation and improve our capability to sustain this resource by formal, science-based processes. We begin with the rationale for developing these standards. Then the history and development of vegetation classification in the United States is briefly reviewed. Standards for establishing and revising the floristic units of vegetation include the definition of association and alliance concepts, requirements for vegetation field plots, and classification and description of associations and alliances. A standard framework for peer review of types that are proposed for inclusion in the National Vegetation Classification is provided, as is a structure for data access and management. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of future prospects of and new directions in vegetation classification. Because new knowledge will inevitably lead to the need for improvements to the standards described here, this document is written with the intention that it will be revised, with new versions produced as needed. Recommendations for revisions should be addressed to the Panel Chair, Vegetation Classification Panel, Ecological Society of America, Suite 400, 735 H St, NW, Washington, DC. Email contact information can be found at www.esa.org/vegwebpg.htm or contact the Ecological Society of America’s Science Program Office, 1707 H St, NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20006, Telephone: (202) 833-8773. 3 Standards For Floristic Vegetation Classification, Version 1.0, May 2002 Table Of Contents ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...............................................................................................2 SUMMARY ....................................................................................................................3 INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................6 1. RATIONALE .......................................................................................................................6 2. THE EMERGING FLORISTIC CLASSIFICATION.....................................................8 3. A BRIEF HISTORICAL BACKGROUND.....................................................................12 3.1. DESCRIBING AND CLASSIFYING VEGETATION ..............................................12 3.1. A NATIONAL VEGETATION CLASSIFICATION IN THE UNITED STATES......2 STANDARDS FOR ESTABLISHMENT AND REVISION OF FLORISTIC UNITS OF VEGETATION...............................................................................................................1 4. THE ASSOCIATION AND ALLIANCE CONCEPTS....................................................1 4.1. ASSOCIATION.............................................................................................................1 4.2 ALLIANCE....................................................................................................................3 4.3. LIMITATIONS OF FLORISTIC CONCEPTS .............................................................5 4.4. STANDARDS FOR FLORISTIC UNITS.....................................................................5 5. VEGETATION FIELD PLOTS .........................................................................................6 5.1. MAJOR TYPES OF REQUIRED DATA .....................................................................6 5.2. STAND SELECTION AND PLOT DESIGN ...............................................................7 5.3. VEGETATION PLOT DATA.....................................................................................11 5.4. LEGACY DATA .........................................................................................................16 5.5. STANDARDS FOR VEGETATION PLOTS .............................................................17 6. CLASSIFICATION AND DESCRIPTION OF FLORISTIC UNITS..........................21 6.1. FROM PLANNING TO DATA INTERPRETATION ...............................................21 6.2. DOCUMENTATION AND DESCRIPTION OF TYPES...........................................25 6.3. NOMENCLATURE OF VEGETATION TYPES......................................................28 6.4. STANDARDS FOR DESCRIPTION OF FLORISTIC UNITS OF VEGETATION .31 7. PEER REVIEW .................................................................................................................35 7.1. CLASSIFICATION CONFIDENCE...........................................................................35 7.2. PEER-REVIEW TEAMS ............................................................................................37 7.3. PEER-REVIEW PROCESS.........................................................................................38 4 Standards For Floristic Vegetation Classification, Version 1.0, May 2002 7.4. PUBLICATION...........................................................................................................40 7.5. STANDARDS FOR PEER REVIEW..........................................................................41 8. DATA ACCESS AND MANAGEMENT.........................................................................43 8.1. INFORMATION FLOW AND THE USER COMMUNITY......................................43 8.2. BASIC DATABASE REQUIREMENTS....................................................................44 8.3. COMPONENT DATABASE ARCHITECTURE.......................................................45 8.4. DATA MANAGEMENT.............................................................................................49 8.5. STANDARDS FOR DATA MANAGEMENT...........................................................49 PROSPECTS AND NEW DIRECTIONS.......................................................................51 9. LOOKING AHEAD...........................................................................................................51 9.1. DIRECTIONS IN THE UNITED STATES ................................................................51 9.2. POTENTIAL COLLABORATION WITH OTHER COUNTRIES............................54 9.3. CONCLUSION............................................................................................................55