Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/11681/7224
Title: Potential natural vegetation of the Mississippi alluvial valley : Bayou meto basin, Arkansas, field atlas
Authors: Klimas, Charles V.
Foti, Thomas L.
Pagan, Jody
Williamson, Malcolm.
Keywords: Bayou Meto Basin, Arkansas
Mississippi Alluvial Valley
Plant communities
Potential Natural Vegetation (PNV) maps
Restoration planning
Wetland site classification
Ecosystem Management and Restoration Research Program (U.S.)
Publisher: Environmental Laboratory (U.S.)
Engineer Research and Development Center (U.S.)
Series/Report no.: ERDC/EL ; TR-12-24.
Description: Technical Report
Over the past three decades, extensive field studies of wetland plant communities have been conducted in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. These field studies have been carried out for various purposes under the auspices of federal and state research programs or in conjunction with Corps of Engineers project planning efforts. In the process, a wetland site classification approach has evolved based on hydrology, soils, and geomorphic setting. The research data and classification system have been recently used for a new purpose: to create a set of Potential Natural Vegetation (PNV) maps covering more than 26,000 square miles within the region. The purpose of PNV maps is to serve as blueprints for restoration planning and prioritization. Due to the fact that the hydrology of the landscape has been permanently changed by major flood control projects, the PNV maps do not represent the distribution of the original, pre-settlement vegetation. Rather, they identify the natural communities that are appropriate to the modern altered site conditions. By using these maps, persons interested in restoring particular tracts of land can identify the plant communities appropriate to the conditions present. Conversely, individuals interested in restoring particular plant communities can identify parts of the landscape that can support each respective type. The PNV maps are available for use in a Geographic Information System, where a range of complex restoration scenarios (such as the development of wildlife travel corridors or refuge areas) can be explored efficiently, and alternative approaches can be compared to one another in terms of costs and ecological effectiveness. This report is one of six Field Atlases that present the same data in a downloadable, printable format at a scale of 1 in. = 1 mile.
Rights: Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/11681/7224
Appears in Collections:Technical Report

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