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Wetlands

Oregon's Wetland Vegetation Classification

The Oregon Biodiversity Information Center (ORBIC), formerly the Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center (ORNHIC), compiles and periodically updates a classification of plant associations in Oregon, consistent with the National Vegetation Classification (NVCS). These are based on 50 years of published and unpublished research on our wetlands, and extensive sampling of wetland vegetation by many different people. Of the 1,042 plant associations currently recognized in the state, 500 are wetland associations. With support from the Oregon Department of State Lands, ORBIC has updated its classification of native wetland plant associations. Users can access the classification via the Major Wetland Types page.

ORBIC's current Classification of Native Vegetation of Oregon (2004) statewide vegetation classification lists the native plant associations known to occur in Oregon, and includes both successional and climax vegetation types that were an important part of the presettlement landscape of Oregon.

NatureServe is a non-profit conservation organization whose mission is to provide the scientific basis for effective conservation action. Use the NatureServe Explorer search tool to find descriptions of plant associations, alliances, and ecological systems.

Authored by John A. Christy, Wetlands Ecologist, Oregon Biodiversity Information Center and The Wetlands Conservancy (2009)

 

Sources

Image source: Portland State University. Oregon Biodiversity Information Center (ORBIC). [Accessed July 9, 2015]

 

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