California Biodiversity Council
c/o CAL FIRE FRAP
PO Box 944246
Sacramento, CA 94244
(916) 445-5845
(916) 324-1180 fax lauren.mcnees@fire.ca.gov

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Vegetation Mapping MOU

Vegetation is among the most important characteristics of California’s natural environment. Vegetation provides food and shelter for the State’s terrestrial animal species, aids in the maintenance of aquatic habitats and is the larger community that supports our many unique plant species. Vegetation acts as a filter for the state’s watershed lands, provides valuable forest products, economic benefits, and recreational opportunities to the citizens of California. High quality data are critical for the preservation, management, and risk assessment of California’s ecosystems and the vegetation upon which we all depend.

In keeping with the policies and principles of the California Biodiversity Council, the signatories mutually agree by this Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish a cooperative vegetation and habitat mapping initiative which will facilitate statewide joint data collection and processing, establish common mapping and classification standards across all ownerships, and provide timely response to both State and Federal information and analytical requirements.

Agencies involved in this MOU have intermingled responsibilities and often produce vegetation, habitat maps, and classification systems in their ongoing activities in different ways. Such maps help to pinpoint habitat and species likely to be affected in any given planning area by management decisions. They also provide critical information necessary to identify and prioritize vegetation and habitat conservation activities. Coordinating efforts across the state will improve the efficiency in the use of public funds to meet our shared responsibilities. This combined effort will improve access to data, provide greater consistency in how data are developed, and meet the on-the-ground needs of field staff. A statewide effort to facilitate more standardized mapping, and classification of vegetation and habitat, will produce more compatible data across administrative boundaries.

Vegetation MOU

• Memorandum of Understanding
• Briefing Points for the MOU

Vegetation Mapping Standards

• Mapping Standards Summary Table (12/12/02 version)
• Map Unit Design Attributes (03/03/03 version)

Vegetation Mapping Projects

• Central California Coast Interagency Land Cover Mapping Project Proposal (06.18.03 draft)
• Status Report (08/06/03 version)
• California Wetlands Inventory (09/09/03 version)

Vegetation MOU Meeting notes

• June 5, 2000 (Meeting of 3 subgroups)
• August 22, 2001
• November 2001
• December 12, 2001
• February 20, 2002
• April 18, 2002
• May 29, 2002
• July 23, 2002
• October 1, 2002
• December 12, 2002
• March 5, 2003
• April 24, 2003
• June 18, 2003
• October 23, 2007 (DFG Mandate for Vegetation Mapping and Classification)
• October 23, 2007 (Forest Service Existing Vegetation Map)

For more information please contact:

Mark Rosenberg (GIS Specialist, Vegetation)
Fire and Resource Assessment Program
CA Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
mark.rosenberg@fire.ca.gov