Classification and Description of World Formation Types

Post date: Oct 28, 2016 6:38:10 AM

A report of an ecological vegetation classification approach has been recently published by the US Department of Agriculture, in which a combination of vegetation attributes (physiognomy, structure, and floristics) and their response to ecological and biogeographic factors are used as the basis for classifying vegetation formations.

Faber-Langendoen, D.; Keeler-Wolf, T.; Meidinger, D.; Josse, C.; Weakley, A.; Tart, D.; Navarro, G.; Hoagland, B.; Ponomarenko, S.; Fults, G.; Helmer, E. 2016. Classification and description of world formation types. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-346. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 222 p.

http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs/rmrs_gtr346.html

Part I of the report provides an introduction to the overall classification, focusing on the upper formation levels. Part II provides a description for each type, following a standardized template format. These descriptions are a first preliminary effort at global descriptions for formation types, and are provided to give some guidance to our concepts.