Vegetation classification

Vegetation classification is the process of classifying and mapping the vegetation over an area of the earth's surface. Vegetation classification is often performed by state based agencies as part of land use, resource and environmental management. Many different methods of vegetation classification have been used. In general, there has been a shift from structural classification used by forestry for the mapping of timber resources, to floristic community mapping for biodiversity management. Whereas older forestry-based schemes considered factors such as height, species and density of the woody canopy, floristic community mapping shifts the emphasis onto ecological factors such as climate, soil type and floristic associations. Classification mapping is usually now done using geographic information systems (GIS) software. Following, some important classification schemes. Köppen classification Although this scheme is in fact of a climate classification, it has a deep relationship with vegetation studies: Class A Tropical rainforest (Af) Tropical monsoon (Am) Tropical savanna (Aw, As) Class B Desert (BWh, BWk) Semi-arid (BSh, BSk) Class C Humid subtropical (Cfa, Cwa) Oceanic (Cfb, Cwb, Cfc, Cwc) Mediterranean (Csa, Csb, Csc) Class D Humid continental (Dfa, Dwa, Dfb, Dwb, Dsa, Dsb) Subarctic (Dfc, Dwc, Dfd, Dwd, Dsc, Dsd) Class E Tundra (ET) Ice cap (EF) Alpine (ET, EF) Wagner & von Sydow (1888) scheme: Vegetationsgürtel (vegetation belts): Tundren (tundra) Hochgebirgsflora (mountain flora) Vegetationsarme Gebiete (Wüsten) (vegetation poor areas [deserts]) der gemässigten zone (the temperate zone) Grasland (prairie) Vorherrschend Nadelwald (mainly coniferous forest) Wald (Laub und Nadelwald) und Kulturland (forest [deciduous and coniferous forest] and cultivated land) in tropischen und subtropischen Gebieten (in tropical and subtropical areas) Grasland (prairie) Wald und Kulturland (forest and cultivated land) Urwald (jungle) Warming (1895, 1909) oecological classes: A.