Terrestrial Vegetation of the United States, Volume 1
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International Classification of Ecological Communities: TERRESTRIAL VEGETATION of the UNITED STATES VOLUME I The National Vegetation Classification System: Development, Status, and Applications This work was accomplished through a partnership with ecologists from the following Natural Heritage Programs and Conservation Data Centers Alabama Natural Heritage Program Navajo Natural Heritage Program Alaska Natural Heritage Program Nebraska Natural Heritage Program Alberta Natural Heritage Information Centre Nevada Natural Heritage Program Arizona Heritage Data Management System New Hampshire Natural Heritage Inventory Arkansas Natural Heritage Program New Jersey Natural Heritage Program Atlantic Canada Conservation Centre New Mexico Natural Heritage Program British Columbia Conservation Data Centre New York Natural Heritage Program California Natural Heritage Division North Carolina Natural Heritage Program Colorado Natural Heritage Program Ohio Natural Heritage Data Base Connecticut Natural Diversity Database Oklahoma Natural Heritage Inventory Delaware Natural Heritage Program Ontario Natural Heritage Information District of Columbia Natural Heritage Centre Program Oregon Natural Heritage Program Florida Natural Areas Inventory Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory- Georgia Natural Heritage Program Central Hawaii Natural Heritage Program Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory- Idaho Conservation Data Center East Illinois Natural Heritage Division Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory- Indiana Natural Heritage Data Center West Iowa Natural Areas Inventory Le Centre de Données sur le Patrimoine Kansas Natural Heritage Inventory Naturel du Québec Kentucky Natural Heritage Program Rhode Island Natural Heritage Program Louisiana Natural Heritage Program Saskatchewan Conservation Data Centre Maine Natural Areas Program and Maine South Carolina Heritage Trust Department of Inland Fisheries and South Dakota Natural Heritage Data Base Wildlife Tennessee Division of Natural Heritage Manitoba Conservation Data Centre Tennessee Valley Authority Regional Natural Maryland Heritage and Biodiversity Heritage Conservation Programs Texas Conservation Data Center Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Utah Natural Heritage Program Endangered Species Program Vermont Nongame and Natural Heritage Michigan Natural Features Inventory Program Minnesota Natural Heritage and Nongame Virginia Division of Natural Heritage Research and Minnesota County Washington Natural Heritage Program Biological Survey West Virginia Natural Heritage Program Mississippi Natural Heritage Program Wisconsin Natural Heritage Program Missouri Natural Heritage Database Wyoming Natural Diversity Database Montana Natural Heritage Program International Classification of Ecological Communities: TERRESTRIAL VEGETATION of the UNITED STATES VOLUME I The National Vegetation Classification System: Development, Status, and Applications D. H. Grossman, D. Faber-Langendoen, A. S. Weakley, M. Anderson, P. Bourgeron, R. Crawford, K. Goodin, S. Landaal, K. Metzler, K. Patterson, M. Pyne, M. Reid, and L. Sneddon Citation: Grossman, D. H., D. Faber-Langendoen, A. S. Weakley, M. Anderson, P. Bourgeron, R. Crawford, K. Goodin, S. Landaal, K. Metzler, K. D. Patterson, M. Pyne, M. Reid, and L. Sneddon. 1998. International classification of ecological communities: terrestrial vegetation of the United States. Volume I. The National Vegetation Classification System: development, status, and applications. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, Virginia, USA. Anderson, M., P. Bourgeron, M. T. Bryer, R. Crawford, L. Engelking, D. Faber-Langendoen, M. Gallyoun, K. Goodin, D. H. Grossman, S. Landaal, K. Metzler, K. D. Patterson, M. Pyne, M. Reid, L. Sneddon, and A. S. Weakley. 1998. International classification of ecological communities: terrestrial vegetation of the United States. Volume II. The National Vegetation Classification System: list of types. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, Virginia, USA. ISBN: 0-9624590-1-1 Copyright 1998 The Nature Conservancy Photographs on the front cover, from top to bottom: 1. Forest: Thuja plicata / Athyrium filix-femina, northern Idaho. The Nature Conservancy, Western Conservation Science. 2. Woodland: Juniperis monosperma Alliance, northern Arizona. The Nature Conservancy, Western Conservation Science. 3. Shrubland: Rhizophora mangle / Eleocharis cellulosa (grading into Eleocharis cellulosa Herbaceous Vegetation), Everglades National Park, Florida. Photograph by Jim Snyder. 4. Dwarf Shrubland: Vaccinium (angustifolium, myrtilloides, pallidum) High Allegheny Plateau/ Central Appalachian, Dolly Sods, West Virginia. Photograph by W. Beals. 5. Herbaceous Vegetation: Cladium mariscoides - Sanguisorba canadensis / Sphagnum subsecundum, Bluff Mountain Preserve, North Carolina. Photograph by Alan S. Weakley. 6. Nonvascular Vegetation: Racomitrium lanuginosum Montane Bog, Kanaele Bog, Hawaii. Photograph by Win Anderson. 7. Sparse Vegetation: Cobble-Gravel Shore, north shore of Lake Superior, Minnesota. Photograph by Don Faber-Langendoen. Background photograph: Seasonally Flooded Tropical or Subtropical Seasonal Evergreen Forest Formation, south of Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve, Florida. Photograph by Jim Snyder. Back Cover: Map of vegetation types, Scotts Bluff National Monument, Nebraska. Published courtesy of the USGS-NPS Mapping Program. Contents ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................. viii PREFACE........................................................................................ ix INTRODUCTION.............................................................................. 1 I. The Need for a Standard Classification of Ecological Communities ................................................................................... 1 II. Developing a Classification Approach: Key Issues ............................. 4 II.A. Vegetation or Multi-factor Classifications ..................................................... 4 II.B. Vegetation Pattern and the Continuum Concept........................................... 6 II.C. Natural versus Cultural Vegetation............................................................... 7 II.D. Existing Natural versus Potential Natural Vegetation ................................... 7 II.E. Physiognomic versus Floristic Characters .................................................... 8 II.E.1. Physiognomic Systems .................................................................... 8 II.E.2. Floristic Systems.............................................................................. 9 II.E.3. Physiognomic-Floristic Systems.................................................... 10 II.F. Identification of Vegetation Units ................................................................ 11 II.F.1. Delineating Stands of Vegetation (Entitation) .................................. 11 II.F.2. Identifying Vegetation Types: Quantitative Approaches .................. 11 II.F.3. Identifying Vegetation Types: Qualitative Approaches .................... 12 II.G. Classification and Mapping ....................................................................... 12 THE U.S. NATIONAL VEGETATION CLASSIFICATION ....................... 14 III. Guiding Principles of the U.S. National Vegetation Classification ................................................................................. 14 III.A. Base the Classification on Vegetation ........................................................ 14 III.B. Use a Systematic Approach to Classifying a Vegetation Continuum.......... 15 III.C. Apply the Classification to Natural Vegetation.......................................... 15 III.D. Apply the Classification to Existing Vegetation......................................... 16 III.E. Use a Physiognomic-Floristic Approach ................................................... 17 III.F. Identify Types Using a Pragmatic Approach............................................... 18 III.F.1. Delineating Stands........................................................................ 18 III.F.2. Identifying Vegetation Types ........................................................ 18 III.G. Facilitate Mapping Applications ...............................................................18 Table of Contents iii IV. The Structure of the U.S. National Vegetation Classification ................................................................................. 20 IV.A. System Level............................................................................................. 20 IV.B. Hierarchical Structure of the Terrestrial System ......................................... 20 IV.B.1. Physiognomic Levels ................................................................... 20 IV.B.2. Floristic Levels ............................................................................. 23 V. Development of the U.S. National Vegetation Classification and Its Relationship to Other Classification Systems ....................... 27 V.A. History of the Development of the USNVC System .................................... 27 V.B. Development of the USNVC Types.............................................................. 29 V.B.1. The Process of Identifying Plant Associations ................................ 30 V.B.1.a. Planning ............................................................................. 30 V.B.1.b. Data Review and Needs Assessment................................... 31 V.B.1.c. Data Collection..................................................................