Level III and IV Ecoregions of EPA Region 3 Literature Cited: Ecoregions denote areas of general similarity in ecosystems and in the type, quality, and quantity of The level III and IV ecoregion map on this map was compiled at a scale of 1:250,000 and depicts Bailey, R.G., Avers, P.E., King, T., and McNab, W.H., eds., 1994, Ecoregions and subregions of the United States (map) (supplementary table of map unit descriptions compiled and edited by McNab, W.H. and Bailey, R.G.): Washington, D.C., U.S. Department of Agriculture-Forest Service, scale 1:7,500,000. environmental resources; they are designed to serve as a spatial framework for the research, revisions. It revises and subdivides earlier level III ecoregions that were compiled at a smaller assessment, management, and monitoring of ecosystems and ecosystem components. Ecoregions scale (USEPA 1998; Omernik 1987). It includes previously published level IV ecoregions (Woods Commission for Environmental Cooperation Working Group, 1997, Ecological regions of North America - toward a common perspective: Montreal, Quebec, Commission for Environmental Cooperation, 71 p. are directly applicable to the immediate needs of state agencies, including the development of and Omernik, 1996; Woods and others, 1996). It expands level IV coverage to include, for the first biological criteria and water quality standards and the establishment of management goals for time, western West Virginia and the Coastal Plain and Piedmont of Delaware, Maryland, and Gallant, A.L., Whittier, T.R., Larsen, D.P., Omernik, J.M., and Hughes, R.M., 1989, Regionalization as a tool for managing environmental resources: Corvallis, Oregon, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency EPA/600/3-89/060, 152 p. nonpoint-source pollution. They are also relevant to integrated ecosystem management, an ultimate Virginia. Compilation of this map was part of a collaborative project with the United States goal of most federal and state resource management agencies. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region III Environmental Services Division, the EPA Griffith, G.E., J.M. Omernik, and S.H. Azevedo. 1998. Ecoregions of Tennessee. (Map poster). U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA. National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL), and state Griffith, G.E., Omernik, J.M., Wilton, T.F., and Pierson, S.M., 1994, Ecoregions and subregions of Iowa - a framework for water quality assessment and management: The Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science, v. 101, no. 1, p. 5-13. The approach used to compile this map is based on the premise that ecological regions can be environmental resource management agencies from Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, and West identified through the analysis of the spatial patterns and the composition of biotic and abiotic Virginia. Omernik, J.M., 1987, Ecoregions of the conterminous United States (map supplement): Annals of the Association of American Geographers, v. 77, no. 1, p. 118- 125, scale 1:7,500,000. phenomena that affect or reflect differences in ecosystem quality and integrity (Wiken 1986; Omernik 1987, 1995). These phenomena include geology, physiography, vegetation, climate, soils, Omernik, J.M., 1995, Ecoregions-a framework for environmental management, in Davis, W.S. and Simon, T.P., eds., Biological assessment and criteria-tools for For additional information, contact James M. Omernik, U.S. EPA National Health and Environmental water resource planning and decision making: Boca Raton, Florida, Lewis Publishers, p. 49-62. land use, wildlife, and hydrology. The relative importance of each characteristic varies from one Effects Laboratory (NHEERL), 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, OR 97333 (phone: 541-754-4458). U.S. Department of Agriculture-Soil Conservation Service, 1981, Land resource regions and major land resource areas of the United States: Agriculture Handbook ecological region to another regardless of the hierarchical level. A Roman numeral hierarchical 296, 156 p. scheme has been adopted for different levels of ecological regions. Level I is the coarsest level, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1998, Level III ecoregions of the continental United States (revision of Omernik, 1987): Corvallis, Oregon, U.S. dividing North America into 15 ecological regions. Level II divides the continent into 52 regions PRINCIPAL AUTHORS: Alan J. Woods (Dynamac Corp.), James M. Omernik (USEPA), and Environmental Protection Agency-National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory Map M-1, various scales. (Commission for Environmental Cooperation Working Group 1997). At level III, the continental Douglas D. Brown (US Forest Service). Map preparation and development of digital files were Wiken, E., 1986, Terrestrial ecozones of Canada: Ottawa, Environment Canada, Ecological Land Classification Series no. 19, 26 p. Woods, A.J., and Omernik, United States contains 104 regions (United States Environmental Protection Agency provided by Jeffrey A. Comstock, Sandra H. Azevedo, M. Frances Faure, and Suzanne M. Pierson J.M., 1996, Ecoregions of Pennsylvania; Pennsylvania Geographer, v. XXXIV, no. 2, p. 3-37. [USEPA],1998). Level IV is a further subdivision of level III ecoregions. Explanations of the (OAO Corp.). Woods, A.J., Omernik, J.M., Brown, D.D., and Kiilsgaard, C.W., 1996, Level III and IV Ecoregions of Pennsylvania and the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Ridge methods used to define the USEPA’s ecoregions are given in Omernik (1995), Griffith and others and Valley, and the Central Appalachians of Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland: Corvallis, Oregon, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Health (1994), and Gallant and others (1989). and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, EPA/600R-96/077, 50 p. Woods, A.J., J.M. Omernik, C.S. Brockman, T.D. Gerber, W.D. Hosteter, and S.H. Azevedo. 1998. Ecoregions of Indiana and Ohio. (Map poster). U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA. 83° 82° 81° 80° 79° 78° 77° 76° 75° 56 83 55 Binghamton Erie 58 56 60 Elmira 42° Lake Erie 61 42° 62 83a Jamestown 60a NEW YORK PENNSYLVANIA 60a 60b 62e 57 A AD ATES 61c 62 CAN Warren Allegheny Montrose 61b Reservior Smethport 61c MICHIGAN UNITED ST Monticello OHIO Toledo 57a 62c Meadville 60a 57b Pymatuning 61d Lake 61b 62d Emporium Tionesta Laporte Scranton Cleveland Sandusky Ridgway 62c 62b 83a Franklin 67c 67e 62d 62d 57a 57d 61c Williamsport Wilkes-Barre 67a 61d 67d 67 62a 67a 67a Lock Haven 67b 41° Akron Youngstown 41° 67a Stroudsburg New Castle 67e 61e 67a 67c 61c 67c ANIA V 58 70c Sunbury OHIO Butler 61c r 67b e iv State Canton PENNSYL R 55a 67c Susquehanna River y College Easton n e h 69b 67e g 61c le l 67a Beaver A 67a 67c 67b D 70c 67a Allentown e Marion Indiana la w O 67a Lewistown 67b a h 64b 67b r i e o 67b R R i iv 67b v 64 er e New Cumberland 67d 58h r Co Huntingdon Pittsburgh ne Altoona maugh River 67d NEW JERSEY 64a PENNSYL 67a 67d 64b 64d 67b Lebanon Steubenville Reading V 67a 58h 64a ANIA 70e 67c Trenton Johnstown Harrisburg 70b Raystown 67a 64b Lake Sch 67c 64b uy ki 64b 64a ll 69a R iv Norristown er 63a 67b Carlisle 64a 69b 64d Washington 67a 64c 55c 40° Newark Wheeling 67a 64c Lancaster 40° 67d 64a Philadelphia Somerset 67c 66b Springfield Cambridge Columbus 70b Chambersburg York 69a 67b Moundsville 67b Uniontown 67a 64a 55b 70b Gettysburg Susquehanna River ANIA Wilmington V 64d 55e VIRGINIA 70a 67b 67a PENNSYLVANIA 67c YLAND PENNSYL MAR WEST 84 55b 70a 64a 64c Cumberland Hagerstown New Martinsville Elkton 67b 67c Morgantown Westminster Aberdeen 67c 66b 67d 69b Vineland OHIO 67b VIRGINIA Fairmont 67c 64d 67b Martinsburg 63b WEST 67c Towson Marietta Kingwood D 69b e la Keyser Frederick w a Chillicothe YLAND re Athens Baltimore R MAR VIRGINIA iv 63 e Grafton 67b Charles 63a r Clarksburg WEST Romney Parkersburg Town Chestertown Dover 70d Harrisville Winchester 55d 67c 67d Gaithersburg 63b Philippi 67c 67a Rockville 67c 39° 67c NEW JERSEY 66b DELA DELA 39° MAR Weston 67b Annapolis 64b W YLAND ARE Buckhannon W 67c Washington D.C. Denton ARE Front 70f Elkins Royal Arlington 63b Point 67b 67d 63f Pleasant 63b Easton Ripley 67a Fairfax 70b 64c 64b Georgetown 71d Portsmouth 67d Manassas 67c Warrenton OH 65n IO 66b 64a KEN T U Franklin Maysville C K Y St. Charles 63d Ohio R 67d Cambridge iv 69a e r 67c 63b P Culpeper o t Ohio River Harrisonburg o m Salisbury 67a a c 67b 71 Huntington R iv er Fredericksburg Charleston 70 67a Summersville 67c 67b Marlinton 63b Morehead 67c 63b Staunton Lake 38° Madison Anna Bowling Green Louisa 38° Greenbrier River 67a Warm 67b Charlottesville Springs YLAND MAR 66b 66a Tappahannock VIRGINIA R a p 67c p ah an New Riv no er Lewisburg ck 69d Covington R Beckley iv Chesapeake Lexington er 66a Bay Williamson Hinton J 67f am 67g es 67f R Bluestone iver 69a 67c Lake 66a Buckingham Richmond 65m Pikeville 67g Fincastle 63b 69 New Castle Welch Y 69c 67g 45g o 67f rk Princeton 67h R iv Lynchburg e 45g r Williamsburg Hazard New R i v Roanoke Bedford e r Farmville VIRGINIA KENTUCKY 67i WEST Petersburg VIRGINIA VIRGINIA 67h Smith 67g 66e 63e 66e Mountain 67f Lake J Atlantic 66d Dinwiddie am es 63b 37° 67f Christiansburg R i 67h 67h Pulaski Leesville ve 37° r 67g Lake 69e Ocean 67i Lunenburg Wytheville o R ano Sussex ke R 67i 45g i Virginia Beach 67i ve Norfolk 66e 67g r Marion 45e 45f 63e 67i 66c 45c 63d 67h 67f 67f 66e 67f 63b Abingdon Jonesville 63c 69e Martinsville 67f 67g 67i Emporia VIRGINIA 66f 66d TENNESSEE John H Kerr 67f Bristol 67g Lake 66d Danville Reservoir 67h 67i Gaston VIRGINIA Kingsport 67i 67i 67f 67i 66e NORTH CAROLINA 67f 66f 66 Mount Airy 63