Classification and Description of Vegetation Associations in Arctic Regions

This is an International Polar Year (IPY) project, funded by the IPY Federal Program office. The project lead is Environment Yukon, Government of Yukon; project partner is the Canadian Forestry Service, Natural Resources Canada. The Canadian National Vegetation Classification (CNVC) Technical Committee will provide further technical expertise.

The objective of this project is to extend the CNVC to include the vegetation associations of the arctic. A standardized arctic vegetation classification will provide a benchmark for monitoring climate change, species at risk, biodiversity, permafrost and wildlife habitat, and will support land use planning and conservation areas management.

The CNVC is being developed by a multi-agency partnership, including federal, provincial, and territorial governments as well as non-governmental organizations. The goal of the CNVC is to develop a nationally standardized classification of natural vegetation conditions for Canada. The CNVC is a data-driven classification system using existing ecological plot data as its foundation. The IPY project will expand the CNVC to include arctic vegetation associations, by acquiring vegetation consistent with CNVC standards.

When harmonized with similar systems in other arctic regions, this classification will be part of a standardized taxonomy of circumpolar arctic plant communities and contribute to a common international nomenclature for arctic vegetation.