Noteworthy collection: Alaska

This Noteworthy Collections article contributes a tabulation of range extensions for several vascular plant taxa found by our team in Katmai National Park and Preserve in 2016 and 2017. 

The objective of this project is to describe, classify, and map vegetation, soils, and local-scale ecosystems in Katmai National Park and Preserve using and Ecological Land Survey (ELS) approach. An ELS, in conjunction with a land-cover map, enables resource managers to more effectively evaluate land resources and develop appropriate management strategies. An ELS is an integrated approach that uses vegetation and soils field and laboratory data to inventory and classify ecological characteristics from the “bottom up,” while using multivariate statistical analysis, GIS modeling, and remote sensing to better differentiate the distribution of ecosystems across space from the “top down.”