Section 1	Identification Information
Originator	USDA Forest Service
Title	Ecological Classification: the US side of the Lake Superior Basin
Abstract	This data set represents a coarse-level hierarchical terrestrial ecosystem classification based on climate, soil, and landform information. The aim of landscape ecosystem classification and mapping is to distinguish appropriately sized ecosystems—useful and functional land units that differ significantly from one another in abiotic characteristics as well as in their related biotic components. The subdivision of a large area into distinctive landscape ecosystems provides a much-needed framework for integrated resource management and planning; for biological conservation; and for comparsion of differences in composition, occurrence, interactions, and productivity of plants and animals among ecosystems. This publication provides such a regional landscape ecosystem classification for Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Based on differences in climate, bedrock geology, glacial landform, and soils, this classification delineates and describes map units at the Section, Subsection, and Sub-subsection levels that represent areas with distinctive natural conditions affecting species composition and productivity. Macroclimate and physiography were the major components used to distinguish sections and subsections; differences in local physiography and soil were used primarily to delineate sub-sections. Vegetation was used wherever possible to validate climatic and geomorphological boundaries. Further, by drawing on the expertise of numerous members of the scientific and conservation communities, I have incorporated specific information on rare species distributions, adequacy of existing preserves, and management concerns relative to the ecosystem mapping units delineated. The result is a product that expresses the interactive character of landscape ecosystems and their components of climate, geological parent material, physiography (landform and waterform), soil, plants, and animals that will prove useful for resource management, conservation, and study.
Purpose	A base data layer.
Time Period of Content Date	1994
Currentness Reference	Publication of: Albert, Dennis A. 1995. Regional landscape ecosystems of Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin: a working map and classification. Gen. Tech. Rep.NC-178. St. Paul, MN: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, North Central Forest Experiment Station. Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Home Page. http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/1998/rlandscp/rlandscp.htm (Version 03JUN98).
Progress	Complete
Maintenance and Update Frequency	As needed
Spatial Extent of Data	Parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan within the Lake Superior Basin
Bounding Coordinates	-97.293 -81.564 49.255 41.573
Place Keywords	Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin
Theme Keywords	ecological, ecoregion, regional landscape
Theme Keyword Thesaurus	None
Access Constraints	None
Use Constraints	None
Contact Person Information	Mark White, Research Fellow Natural Resources Research Institute 5013 Miller Trunk Hwy Duluth, Minnesota 55811 Phone: (218)-720-2710 FAX: (218)-720-4328 E-mail: gsjerven@sage.nrri.umn.edu
Browse Graphic File Name	none available
Browse Graphic File Description
Associated Data Sets
Section 2	Data Quality Information - - - - - - Go back to top
Attribute Accuracy	Contact USFS and Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/1998/rlandscp/rlandscp.htm
Logical Consistency	Contact USFS and Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/1998/rlandscp/rlandscp.htm
Completeness	Contact USFS and Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/1998/rlandscp/rlandscp.htm
Horizontal Positional Accuracy	Contact USFS and Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/1998/rlandscp/rlandscp.htm
Vertical Positional Accuracy	Not applicaple
Lineage	NRRI used a 50 km buffer of the Lake Superior Basin Boundary to clip out the relevant area. The data then was split into counties.
Source Scale Denominator
Section 3	Spatial Data Organization Information - - - - - - Go back to top
Native Data Set Environment	UNIX-ARC/INFO Ver. 7.1.2, Sun Solaris operating system
Geographic Reference for Tabular Data	None
Spatial Object Type	Vector
Vendor Specific Object Types	Polygon, area
Tiling Scheme	Counties
Section 4	Spatial Reference Information - - - - - - Go back to top
Horizontal Coordinate Scheme	Geographic (Lat. Long.)
Ellipsoid	GRS80
Horizontal Datum	NAD83
Horizontal Units	Meters
Distance Resolution
Altitude Datum	Not applicable
Depth Datum	Not applicable
Map Projection Name	Albers Equal Area
Map Projection Parameters	Standard Parallel: 29.5 Standard Parallel: 45.5 Longitude Of Central Meridian: -96 Latitude Of Projection Origin: 23 False Easting: 0 False Northing: 0
Other Coordinate System's Definition	Planar Coordinate Encoding Method: Coordinate Pair Abscissa Resolution: 1 Ordinate Resolution: 1 Semi-Major Axis: 6378206.4 Denominator of Flattening Ratio: 294.98
Section 5	Entity and Attribute Information - - - - - - Go back to top
Entity and Attribute Overview	Entity and attribute information is self-explanatory, except for a few fields: plp_id = combination of province, section, and subsection codes Province = Purposes: Broad applicability for modeling and sampling. Strategic planning and assessment. International planning. Size: Millions to tens of thousands of square miles. Provinces are subdivisions of a Division that correspond to broad vegetation regions, which conform to climatic subzones controlled primarily by continental weather patterns such as length of dry season and duration of cold temperatures. Provinces are also characterized by similar soil orders. Section, subsection = Purpose: Strategic; multi-forest, statewide and multi-agency analysis and assessment. Size: Thousands to tens of square miles. Sections are broad areas of similar geomorphic process, stratigraphy, geologic origin, drainage networks, topography, and regional climate. Section names generally describe the predominant physiographic feature upon which the ecological unit delineation is based. Subsections are smaller areas of Sections with similar surficial geology, lithology, geomorphic process, soil groups, subregional climate, and potential natural communities. Names of Subsections are usually derived from geologic features. See lineage.
Entity and Attribute Detailed Citation	Albert, Dennis A. 1995. Regional landscape ecosystems of Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin: a working map and classification. Gen. Tech. Rep. NC-178. St. Paul, MN: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, North Central Forest Experiment Station. Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Home Page. http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/1998/rlandscp/rlandscp.htm (Version 03JUN98).
Section 6	Distribution Information - - - - - - Go back to top
Publisher	Natural Resources Research Institute
Publication Date	Unpublished material
Contact Person Information	Gerald Sjerven, GIS Specialist Natural Resources Research Institute 5013 Miller Trunk Hwy Duluth, Minnesota 55811 Phone: (218)-720-4388 FAX: (218)-720-4328 E-mail: gsjerven@sage.nrri.umn.edu
Distributor's Data Set Identifier
Distribution Liability	No warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the accuracy or utility of the data on any other system or for general or scientific purposes, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. This disclaimer applies both to individual use of the data and aggregate use with other data. It is strongly recommended that careful attention be paid to the contents of the metadata file associated with these data. The University of Minnesota shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the data described and/or contained herein.
Transfer Format Name	ARC/Info export format
Transfer Format Version Number
Transfer Size
Ordering Instructions
Online Linkage	Click here to download data. (See Ordering Instructions above for details.) By clicking here, you agree to the notice in "Distribution Liability" above.
Section 7	Metadata Reference Information - - - - - - Go back to top
Metadata Date	08/25/1999
Contact Person Information	Joel Nelson, GIS Intern Natural Resource Research Institute 5013 Miller Trunk Highway Duluth, Minnesota 55811 Phone: (218)-720-4254 FAX: (218)-720-4328 E-mail: jnelson@sage.nrri.umn.edu
Metadata Standard Name	Minnesota Geographic Metadata Guidelines
Metadata Standard Version	Datalogr 2.01
Metadata Standard Online Linkage	http://www.lmic.state.mn.us/gc/stds/metadata.htm

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