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Preliminary Classification of Terrestrial Ecosystems in Southeast Alaska

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Summary

The Preliminary Classification of Terrestrial Ecosystems in Southeast Alaska is based on 4 major data layers: USDA Forest Service Existing Vegetation database, the National Wetland Inventory, the USDA Forest Service Landforms and Karst from USFS soils and karst inventories. These layers were merged with auxillary sources from Landsat Enahnced Thematic Mapper (ETM) and supplemented with aspect and elevation from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission Digital Elevation Model (SRTM DEM) . This master database retains all of the detailed features from each of these datasets to allow maximum flexibility for future researchers to use unique combinations of habitat variables that suit their subject of interest.

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Preliminary Classification of Terrestrial Ecosystems in Southeast Alaska.xml
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Purpose

This ecological classification provides a framework to synthesize complex patterns in biological communities based on the underlying processes of climate, geomorphology, geology, and hydrology. For the purposes of this preliminary classification and map, the focus is on structural diversity within forest stands, including tree size and stand density, and has further stratified these clasees within valley floor landforms, upland forests, and karst forests. Within the non-forested types, we have relied upon the descriptions contained in the Existing Vegetation database with additional detail provided by the National Wetlands data sets were in close agreement.

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