Natural Communities
The Maine Natural Areas Program (MNAP) has classified and distinguished 98 different natural community types that collectively cover the state’s landscape. These include such habitats as floodplain forests, coastal bogs, alpine summits, and many others. Each type is assigned a rarity rank of 1 (rare) through 5 (common) both within Maine (state rank [HTML][MS Word]) and globally (global rank [HTML][MS Word]). MNAP is particularly interested in any example of a natural community type ranked S1, S2, or S3, and outstanding examples (eg., large, old growth stands) of S4 and S5 types.
Natural Landscapes of Maine (Gawler and Cutko in press) is a guide that describes the composition, rarity, and distribution of each of the 98 natural community types, as well as the methods used to classify them. It also describes the 24 broader ecosystem types within which these natural communities typically occur, and it provides cross-walks to other classification systems, including those used by the National Vegetation Classification System, Society of American Foresters, and New Hampshire Natural Heritage Inventory.
Natural Landscapes of Maine is currently at press. It is anticipated that it will be available for purchase in the fall or winter of 2004.
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