Outcomes for Habitat/Ecological Systems Classification and Mapping in the Northeast and Midwest U.S.

Abstract

A number of large-scale mapping projects have been completed in the U.S., and several cover all or some parts of the footprint of the Northeast Climate Science Center (NECSC; Figure 21). These include maps by the Southeast GAP Analysis (SEGAP) program (Jennings et al. 1993, Kleiner 2007), the national LANDFIRE program (Rollins et al. 2006, Rollins 2009), NatureServe (Comer et al. 2003, NatureServe 2009, Smyth et al. 2013), and The Nature Conservancy (Ferree and Anderson 2013). These mapping projects represent a major step forward in describing the current extent of ecosystems on the landscape, and provide resource management agencies and organizations with unprecedented access to spatial information on these systems.