Terrestrial Landscape Features

Land cover types common to several existing terrestrial classification systems were the basis for most of the 43 terrestrial landscape features (see table below). Natural communities (MNFI 2003), the DNR's multi-scaled vegetation inventory (Donovan et al. 2004), general wetland types (USEPA 2005a), and other information were considered in the development of terrestrial features.

A description of the relationships between natural communities and terrestrial landscape features (Appendix C) was completed to help conservation partners identify how landscape features correspond with ongoing conservation efforts. These relationships also are included in the Landscape Feature Summaries. Many terrestrial landscape features correspond closely to higher-level natural community groupings (e.g., lowland shrub, savanna, bog). Review of scientific literature revealed that some land cover types not incorporated within the natural community classification are important to SGCN (e.g., agricultural lands) or highly prevalent within the State (e.g., urban and suburban/small town).

The terrestrial landscape features also correspond to many classes in the DNR's multi-scaled vegetation inventory (e.g., upland conifer forest, upland shrub, urban). However, some classes, including many forest classes, were too fine for use within this edition of the WAP because the information needed to differentiate their importance to SGCN was unavailable in the scientific literature. Other classes, such as 'herbaceous open land,' were too coarse; for example, the importance to SGCN and the susceptibility to threats of native grasslands differ from those of agricultural grasslands.

In addition to the land covers already discussed, several other landscape components and characteristics were identified through scientific literature review as important to a significant number of SGCN and at risk to threats. These landscape features, such as 'down woody debris' and 'large contiguous natural landscape,' are not captured by land covers and generally occur at scales much larger or smaller than the previously discussed terrestrial landscape features.

Location/distribution maps of terrestrial landscape features were generated using DNR and MNFI spatial data (DNR 2003a, DNR 2003b, Donovan et al. 2004, MNFI 2005) and are included in the Landscape Feature Summaries.