RFA 4- Landscape-scale maps of terrestrial habitat and ecosystems based on a common mid-level classification framework for the Appalachian LCC region - Word Doc
Most past and current efforts to predict the geographic distribution of current or potential vegetated communities occur at national and regional scales (e.g., LANDFIRE, Gap Analysis Program, Northeast Terrestrial Habitat Mapping Project) and utilize a combination of remotely sensed imagery and mapped environmental and ecological variables. The resulting products, while comprehensive in coverage of the region, are often at a resolution too coarse or a precision too inaccurate to be utilized at the scale of on-the-ground habitat conservation delivery. Land managers and conservation planners need standardized, consistent, and accurate landscape-scale maps of terrestrial habitat and ecosystems based on a common mid-level classification framework. Managers also need mapping products with units developed at a resolution necessary to take into account or respond predictably to successional dynamics and disturbance regimes. Furthermore, mapping products which additionally identify habitat structural characteristics (e.g., canopy cover, layer stratification) are critical to better understanding habitat condition and determining suitability for specific species.
DOWNLOAD FILE — application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document, 29 kB (30,372 bytes)
