The California Native Plant Society (CNPS) and California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) have established an Alliance and Association level classification for California per the second edition of A Manual of California Vegetation (Sawyer et al. 2009). In this project, partners will relate this state classification to the FGDC endorsed National Vegetation Classification (NVC) Standard (Version 2), FGDC-STD-005-2008. The CNPS and CDFG along with NatureServe and the Vegetation Subcommittee of the USNVC will work together to correlate and evaluate the USNVC standard’s newly revised classification hierarchy, including the six upper levels to the lower Alliance and Association levels. They will attempt to establish links between the 480+ Alliances in California to the upper levels including the new Groups and Macrogroups, focusing first on alliances that are endemic to California, and they will evaluate potential revisions to new hierarchy with these and other shared alliances as time allows. Products will include online information/applications on the CNPS and CDFG websites for thousands of users to access, query and download the relationships between the USNVC hierarchy and California Alliances, and updated web information on the USNVC and NatureServe websites.

Interim Report

Kick-off Meeting Presentation (PDF)

California Native Plant Society

Contacts:

Julie M. Evens
916-327-0714
jevens@cnps.org

Todd Keeler-Wolf
916-324-6857
tkwolf@dfg.ca.gov

Marion Reid
703-797-4805
Marion_Reid@natureserve.org