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 (NE CSC). These include maps by the Southeast GAP Analysis (SEGAP) program, the national LANDFIRE program, NatureServe, and The Nature Conservancy. 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. In a number of cases, the ranges of these maps overlap. As a result, staff of resource management agencies and organizations are faced with trying to determine how to use these multiple products to effectively and efficiently meet their needs.
To address this question in the Northeast and Midwest U.S., the NE CSC funded a project to critically evaluate these ecosystem or habitat mapping methods and to move toward standardization of these maps. The objectives of the project were to: (1) review and compare existing map products; (2) extend the map legends and identify legend elements (ecosystems) most vulnerable to climate change; (3) develop recommendations for an improved map for the region; and (4) produce an improved regional map. The four map products that span all or large parts of this area include: (1) Southeast GAP (SEGAP), (2) LANDFIRE EVT (Existing Vegetation Type), (3) NatureServe, (4) TNC.
