3. Description and Classification of Natural Vegetation

FGDC-STD-005 (Version 2)
[pic] NATIONAL VEGETATION CLASSIFICATION STANDARD, VERSION 2 - FINAL DRAFT
Vegetation Subcommittee
Federal Geographic Data Committee October 30, 2007 Federal Geographic Data Committee
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The Federal Geographic Data Committee Vegetation Subcommittee would
like to acknowledge the valuable contributions of the Ecological Society of
America's Vegetation Classification Panel. This draft standard is based on
the minimum requirements of the Panel's Guidelines for Describing
Associations and Alliances of the U.S. National Vegetation Classification,
Version 4.0 (Jennings et al. 2006) with modifications to satisfy the needs
of Federal agencies
CONTENTS
Page
1. Introduction 1 1.1 Dynamic Nature of Vegetation Classification 2
1.2 Objective 3
1.3 Scope 5
1.4 Applicability 5
1.5 Related Standards 6
1.6 Standards Development Procedures 7
1.6.1 Guiding Principles 8
1.7 Maintenance Authority 9 2. Structure of the National Vegetation Classification 11 2.1 NATURAL VEGETATION 14
2.1.1 Overview of the Natural Vegetation Hierarchy 14
2.1.2 Classification Criteria for Natural Vegetation 14
2.1.3 Definitions of Natural Vegetation Hierarchy Levels 16
2.1.4 Criteria for Natural Vegetation Hierarchy Levels 18
2.2 CULTURAL VEGETATION 21
2.2.1 Overview of the Cultural Vegetation Hierarchy 21
2.2.2 Criteria for Classification of Cultural Vegetation 21
2.2.3 Definitions of Cultural Vegetation Hierarchy Levels 22
2.2.4 Criteria for Cultural Vegetation Hierarchy Levels 24 3. Description and Classification of Natural Vegetation 26 3.1 Data Sources 26
3.1.1 Collecting Field Plot Data 26
3.1.2 Use of Literature and Other Data Sources 36
3.2 Classification and Description 37
3.2.1 Data preparation 37
3.2.2 Classification Analysis and Interpretation 37
3.2.3 Description of Vegetation Types 38
3.2.4 Naming of Mid and Lower Level Vegetation Types 41
3.2.5 Naming of Upper Level Vegetation Types 42
3.3 Peer Review of Proposed Vegetation Types 44
3.3.1 Classification Confidence and Status 44
Page
3.3.2 Peer Review Process 45
3.4 Data Management and Dissemination 48
3.4 Data Management and Dissemination 49
3.4.1 Component Datasets 49
3.4.2 Web Access 50
3.4.3 Publication 50 4. Description and Classification of Cultural Vegetation 51 4.1 Data Sources 51
4.2 Classification and Description 51
4.3 Peer Review 52
4.4 Data Management and Dissemination 52 5. References 53
APPENDICES 59 Appendix A (Normative): Glossary 59
Appendix B (Informative). Relation of USNVC to Land Cover
Classifications 67
Appendix C (Informative): Multilingual version of natural hierarchy.
70
Appendix D (Normative): Required attributes for plots 71
D.1 Information required in field plot data sets. 71
D.2 Information to be included as field plot metadata. 74
D.3 Information about each assignment of a field plot to a vegetation
type. 78
Appendix E (Normative): Growth Form Names, Codes, and Definitions 79
Appendix F (Informative): Example Association Description 83
APPENDIX G. (Informative). Pilot examples of units for Natural
Vegetation: Levels 1 - 4 93
APPENDIX H. (Informative). Pilot examples of units for Natural
Vegetation: Levels 1 - 7 for Eastern U.S. forests. 95
APPENDIX I. (Informative). Pilot example for Cultural Vegetation:
Levels 1 - 8. 109
APPENDIX J (Informative). Comparison of U.S. NVC and Braun-Blanquet
approaches to classifying pastures. 121
APPENDIX K (Informative): A Process for Estimating Stratum Cover from
Species Cover Values 122
APPENDIX L (Informative): FGDC Vegetation Subcommittee Contributors
to the Development of this Standard 123
Figures Page 2.1 Vegetation classification criteria for the US NVC
..............................19
3.1 An illustration of strata showing growth forms of individual
plants
as may be found in a
plot....................................................... 32
3.2 Flow of information through the peer-review process for formal
recognition of a vegetation
type.................................................. 47
3.3 Relationship of the peer-review process to the
NVC............................. 48 Tables 2.1 Conceptual Categories and Level One of the NVC
Hierarchy..................13
2.2 Comparison of Revised Hierarchy for Natural Vegetation with
the 1997
Hierarchy................................................................15
2.3 Revised Hierarchy for Natural Vegetation with
Example....................... 17
2.4 Summary of Criteria and Rationale for the Natural
Vegetation
Hierarchy............................................................ 20
2.5 Revised Hierarchy for Cultural Vegetation with
Examples..................... 22
3.1 Comparison of commonly used cover-abundance
scales........................ 29
3.2 Example of describing growth forms first, then subdividing
into size
classes...................................................................
30
3.3 Example of describing strata first, then subdividing by growth
forms......... 31
3.4 A crosswalk of strata categories with common growth form and
size class
categories.............................................................. 33
3.5 Required topical sections for monographic description of
vegetation
types.................................................................. 40 B.1 Relation of USNVC to land cover
classifications................................ 67
B.2 Relation of NRCS Natural Resources Inventory classification to
the NVC...68 C.1 Multilingual version of the natural
hierarchy......................................70 D.1.1 Information required in the field plot
record................................... 71
D.1.2 Information required for the plot
vegetation................................... 72
D.1.3 Information required for the plot
location....................................... 73
D.1.4 Information about the plot environment
(reserved)........................... 73
D.2.1 Metadata about the plot and the plot
observation.............................. 74
D.2.2 Metadata about the methods used to collect the field
data................... 75
D.2.3 Metadata about the human sources of the field
data........................... 75
D.2.4 Metadata about references for other sources of plot
data.....................76
D.3.1 Information about each assignment of a plot to a vegetation
type........... 78 E.1a General growth
forms............................................................... 79
E.1b Specific growth
forms.............................................................. 80 J.1 A brief comparison of NVC pasture types to the European Braun-
Blanquet classification...............................................................
......121 K.1 A process for estimating canopy cover of a single stratum from
the
cover values of individual species occurring in that
stratum.............. 122
1. Introduction The United States Federal Geographic Data Committee (hereafter called the
FGDC) is tasked to develop geospatial data standards that will enable
sharing of spatial data among producers and users and support the growing
Nation