February 1993

Michael D. Jemings
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
University of Idaho
Moscow, Idaho 83843 USA

Table 1. A land and water classification system for Gap Analysis.

LEVEL 1 LEVEL 2 LEVEL 3

--Forest--Mainly Evergreen -Mainly Deciduous

Mainly Evergreen -Woodlands ~ainl~

Deciduous L~xtremel~

Xeromomphic

Mainly Evergreen -Shrublands Mainly Deciduous Extremely Xeromorophic Natural Terrestrial Cover Mainly Evergreen warf-Shrublands Mainly Deciduous -Extremely Xeromorophic Tundra

Grasslands Short

ry Salt Flats Beaches andy Areas

erennial Snowfields

,--fiverim drower

Upper

ntermittent

Natural Aquatic Cover Palustrine None

Estuarine p u b t i d a l

ntertidal

Row Crop, Pasture rchard, Horticulture Agriculture ₄Confined Livestock Feeding Other Agriculture Developed Cover Residential ommerciauIndustrial

Natural Ternsoid Cover Classiic(~~'on: Assumptiom and DeJnitiom

E. The classification system should fit within and among existing accepted national and international land cover classification systems (e.g., UNESCO and The Nature Conservancy for mapping vegetation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service classification of wetlands and deepwater habitats, U.S. Geological Survey classification of land use and land cover).

F. The classification scheme is open-ended. Categories may be added to any of the hierarchical levels (e. g., class, subclass, group, formation) as long as the additions are truly an equivalent category within the given classification level.

G. The classification scheme is intended to be the super-structure upon which information can continuously be placed for meaningful analysis and interpretation. It is assumed that:

(a)

vegetation patterns will be forever changing; and (b) better and more detailed information will continually be developed and entered into Gap Analysis databases.

H.

Although Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) imagery and its spectral classifications are used as a base map, TM imagery is not the sole source of information for the vegetation classification. Because substantial amounts of ancillary data are used (i.e., air photos, expert knowledge, agency records, digital elevation models, field reconnaissance), the classification system and the overall map products are considered "platform independent" --that is, not constrained or defined only by what can be resolved from TM processing.

I.

Because the minimum mapping unit (MMU) is 100 hectares, cover type occurrences smaller than this will not be resolved. If greater resolution is desired for certain objects of interest the MMU may be smaller, for example, an MMU of 40 hectares is often used to resolve riparian areas.

1. closed canopy in which more than 60 % of the area is covered by dwarf- shrubs
2. open canopy in which 26 to 60 % of the area is covered by dwarf-shrubs;

B. associated forms of vegetation, e.g.,
mixed with herbaceous plants;

C. climate, e.g., cold, drought;

D. morphology, e.g., evergreen,
deciduous.

111. for grasslands:

A. tree or shrub canopy less than 10 % for areas dominated by graminoids;

B. tree canopy or shrub canopy 11 -25 %
for areas dominated by graminoids,
e.g., tree or shrub savannah;

C. alpine and subalpine occurrence;

D. areas dominated by forbs more than 1
meter in height;

E. areas dominated by forbs less than 1
meter in height.

Formation: Categories within each group
comprised of areas in which the vegetation
similarities are based on any of the following
criteria.

I. tree size and crown shape:

A. giant forests are those more than 50
meters in height having

1. rounded crowns, e.g. Pinus ponderosa
2. conical crowns, e.g. Pseudotsuga
   menziesii
   
3. narrow cylindro-conical crowns, e.g., Abies lasiocarps;

B. non-giant forests are those 5-50 meters in height having

1. rounded crowns, e.g. Pinus
   ponderosa
   
2. conical crowns, e.g. Pseudotsuga menziesii
3. narrow cy lindro-conical crowns, e.g., Abies lasiocarps;

11. life zone:

A. temperate lowland

B. montane

C. alpine

D. boreal

111. substrate:

Nclatral Tenvsm'al Cover Classification: Assumptions and Dejhitions

A. alluvial

B. serpentine

IV.

kinds of associated vegetation, e.g.,

A. broad-leaved forest with evergreen
needle-leaved trees
B. with or without succulents

V.

amount and kind of understory, e.g.,
creeping or matted dwarf-shrubland.

Cover Type: A group of plant community types having the same primary dominant species and similar physiognomy; an aggregation of plant community types.

Community Type: An assemblage of plant species that interact at the same time and place, of defined species composition, and physiognomy, regardless of sera1 stage; usually named by combining the name of the species that dominates the canopy layer with the name of the species that dominates lower vegetation layers (e.g., Juniperus occidentalis /Arternisia tridentata) .

Other terms used in the classification of terrestrial vegetation for Gap Analysis and their definitions follow.

Data Quality Objectives: The accuracy and precision objectives for data representation of location and object attributes.

Dominant or Codominant: Pertaining to the plant species having the greatest relative canopy cover.

Forb: A non-graminoid herb.

Natural Community: A discrete group of plant and animal species that reoccur across a landscape.

Natural Vegetation: Vegetation that is regenerating without cultivation regardless of previous disturbance; not restricted to undisturbed climax vegetation.

Shrubs: Woody perennial plants, usually with

APPENDIX A
A KEY TO NATURAL TERRESTRIAL VEGETATION FORMATIONS'

'~rom Driscoll, R.S., D.L. Merkel, D.L. Radloff, D.E. Snyder, and J. S. Hagihara. 1984. An ecological land classification framework for the United States. U.S.D.A. Forest Service, Miscellaneous Publication 1439, Washington, D.C. p. 21.

Natural Ternstrial Cover Classification: Assumptions and Definitions

Class: ~orestl

Subclass Group Formation

Trees over 5 m tall forming 61 to 100	A.	Mainly evergreen forest (canopy	1.	Tropical rain forest (mainly broad-	a.	Tropical lowland rain forest
percent canopy cover		never without green foliage although		leaved evergreen trees, neither cold-	b.	Tropical submontane rain forest
		some trees may shed their leaves)		nor drought--resistant)	c.	Tropical montane rain forest
					d.	Tropical "subalpine" rain forest
					e.	Tropical (rain) cloud forest
					f.	Tropical alluvial rain forest
					g. h.	Tropical swamp rain forest Tropical evergreen bog forest
						(classical tropical rain forests)
			2.	Tropical and subtropical evergreen	a.	Tropical or subtropical evergreen
				seasonal forest (mainly broad-leaved		seasonal lowland forest
				evergreen trees with some foliage	b.	Tropical or subtropical evergreen
				reduction in dry season)		seasonal submontane forest
					C.	Tropical or subtropical evergreen
						seasonal montane forest
						Tropical or subtropical evergreen dry
						"subalpine" forest
			3.	Tropical and subtropical		Tropical or subtropical
				semideciduous forest (upper canopy		semideciduous lowland forest
				trees drought deciduous)		Tropical or subtropical
						semideciduous montane or cloud
						forest
			4.	Subtropical rain forest (not		Subtropical lowland rain forest
				represented in U .S.)		Subtropical submontane rain forest
						Subtropical montane rainforest
						Subtropical "subalpine" rain forest
						Subtropical (rain) cloud forest
						Subtropical alluvial rain forest
						Subtropical swamp rain forest
						Subtropical evergreen bog forest
						(with organic surface deposits)

Class: woodland1
Class:Woodland		Subclass		Group	Formation
Open to 60 forest (trees over 5 m tall forming 26 percent canopy cover)	A.	Mainly evergreen woodland (canopy never without green foliage although some trees may shed their leaves)	1 . 2.	Evergreen broad-leaved woodland Evergreen needle-leaved woodland	(No formations defined; includes evergreen oak woodlands) a. Evergreen needle-leaved woodland with rounded crowns (e.g., pine and juniper) b . Evergreen needle-leaved woodland with conical crowns (e.g., spruce in the west) c, Evergreen needle-leaved woodland with very narrow cylindro-conical crowns (e.g., some spruce in Alaska)
	B .	Mainly deciduous woodland (majority of trees shed foliage as result of drought or cold)	1.	Tropical and subtropical drought- deciduous woodland (frost and freeze generally absent or moderate)	a. b .	Drought-deciduous broad-leaved lowland and submontane woodland Drought-deciduous montane (and cloud) woodland
			2.	Cold-deciduous woodland, with evergreen trees (winter frost and freeze)	a. b .	Evergreen broad-leaved woodland Evergreen needle-leaved woodland
			3.	Cold-deciduous woodland, without evergreen trees (winter frost and freeze)	a. b . c.	Broad-leaved deciduous woodland. Needle-leaved deciduous woodland Mixed deciduous woodland (broad- leaved and needle-leaved)
	C .	Extremely xeromorphic woodland (dry woodlands)	1.	Scierophyllous woodland	a.	Evergreen scierophyllous-dominated xeromorphic woodland
			2.	Thorn-woodland (may not be represented in U.S.)	a. b .	Mixed deciduous-evergreen thom woodland Purely deciduous thom woodland
			3.	Mainly succulent woodland

l~hekey to the vegetation element is patterned after UNESCO 1973. The key contains a few exainples of known communities in the United States.

Class: Herbaceous Vegetationl
C1ass:fIerbaceous Vegetation		Subclass		Group
Trees or shrubs occupy 25 percent or less of the canopy cover	A.	Tall grassland (grasses or forbs over 1 m tall)	1.	Tall grassland with a tree layer (tree canopy cover is 11 to 25 percent (e.g., the transition from the true tall grassland prairie to the forests; a tree savannah)
			2.	Tall grassland with a shrub layer (shrub canopy cover is 11 to 25 percent) (e. g.. the transition from the true tall grassland prairie and shrub land; a shrub savannah)
			3.	Tall grassland with open layer of tuft plants, usually palms (specific examples unknown for U.S.)
			4.	Tall grassland without a woody layer (tree or shrub canopy cover is 0 to 10 percent) (e.g., tall grass prairie of eastern Kansas)
	B.	Medium tall grassland (grasses and forbs over 0.5 to 1 m tall)	1.	Medium tall grassland with a tree layer (tree canopy cover is 11 to 25 percent) (as in subclass tall grassland -the tree savannah)
			2.	Medium tall grassland with a shrub layer (shrub canopy cover is 11 to 25 percent) (as in subclass medium tall grassland -the shrub savannah)

Formation

Woody layer broad-leaved evergreen Woody layer broad-leaved semi- evergreen Woody layer broad-leaved deciduous Woody layer needle-leaved evergreen and broad-leaved deciduous Woody layer needle-leaved evergreen

Shrub layer broad-leaved evergreen Shrub layer broad-leaved semi- evergreen Shrub layer broad-leaved deciduous

Tall subtropical grassland with open groves of palms

Tall grassland consisting mainly of sod grasses Tall grassland consisting mainly of bunch grasses

Woody layer broad-leaved evergreen Woody layer broad-leaved semi- evergreen Woody layer broad-leaved deciduous Woody layer needle-leaved evergreen and broad-leaved deciduous Woody layer needle-leaved evergreen Woody layer needle-leaved evergreen and broad-leaved evergreen

Shrub layer broad-leaved evergreen Shrub layer broad-leaved semi- evergreen Shrub layer broad-leaved deciduous Shrub layer of mainly deciduous thorny shrubs Shrub layer of mainly needle-leaved evergreen

s: Herbaceous Vegetation -Continued
-C1ass:Herbaceous Vegetation		Subclass		Group		Formation
			6.	Mesophytic grassland(a1pine and subalpine meadows)(e.g., bluegrass and hairgrass communities)	a. b.	Sod grass communities usually dominated by hemicrtophytes Alpine and subalpine meadows of the higher latitudes
			7.	Short grassland tundra (grass tundra of Alaska)	a. b.	Bunch forming short grassland tundra Sod forming short grassland tundra
	D.	Forb-dominated vegetation (herbaceous communities with forb cover exceeding 50 percent)	1.	Tall forbs (forbs over 1 m tall) (tall forb meadows, Utah mountains)	a. b. c.	Mainly perennial flowering forbs, and ferns Fern communities especially in humid climates Mainly annual forbs
			2.	Low forbs (forbs 1 m or less tall) (Aleutian forb meadows, Alaska)	a. b.	Mainly perennial flowering forhs, and ferns Mainly annual forbs

he key to the vegetation element is patterned after UNESCO 1973. The key contains a few examples of known communities in the United States.

BAILEY'S SECI~O?-

Rcparcd from Ecorcgiona of the United Srrtcr, Robcr( G. Bailey, 1976, by Michael lenninga and Joel Hall, 1993,

U.S. Fiah and Wildlife Service Gap Anrlyaia Rognm, Idaho Coopenlive Fil and Wildlife Research Unit, Univenity of Idaho, Moocow, 83843.

ILEVEL ECOREGIONS

APPENDIX C
A LIST OF STATES BY EACH OF BAILEY'S SECTION-LEVEL ECOREGIONS

Spruce-Fir Forest (2111)	MN, WI.
Northern Hardwoods-Fir Forest (21 12)	MI, WI.
Northern Hardwoods Forest (21 13)	MI, NJ, NY, OH, PA, WI.
Northern Hardwoods-Spruce Forest (21 14)	CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, VT.
Mixed Mesophytic Forest (221 1)	AL, GA, KY, OH, PA, TN, VA, WV.
Beech-Maple Forest (22 12)	IN, MI, NY, OH, PA.
Maple-Basswood Forest + Oak Savanna (22 13)	IA, IL, MN, WI.
Appalachian Oak Forest (22 14)	CT, DE, GA, MA, MD, ME, NC, NH,
	NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA,
	wv.
Oak-Hickory Forest (22 15)	AL, AR, IL, IN, KY, MO, MS, OK,
	TN.
Beech-Sweetgum-Magnolia-Pine-OakForest (2311)	AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, SC TX.
Southern Floodplain Forest (23 12)	AL, AR, LA, MO, MS, TN.
Southeastern Mixed Forest (2320)	AL, AR, DE, GA, LA, MD, MS, NC,
	NJ, SC, TX,VA.
Willarnette-Puget Forest (2410)	OR, WA.
Oak-Hickory-Bluestem Parkland (25 11)	IL, IA, IN, KS, MO, OK.
Oak + Bluestem Parkland (25 12)	KS, OK, TX
Mesquite-Buffalo Grass (252 1)	TX,OK.
Juniper-Oak-Mesquite (2522)	TX.
Mesquite-Acacia (2523)	TX.
Bluestem Prairie (2531)	IA, KS, MN, MO, ND, NE, OK, SD.
	ND, NE, SD.