Development of a multilevel ecological classification system for the state of Minnesota

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) began development of an Ecological Classification System (ECS) in 1991. The ECS is hierarchically organized into six levels following the United States Forest Service structure. The upper four levels are being developed State-wide by an interdisciplinary group from several agencies. Geographic Information Systems approaches are being used to overlay and integrate existing data. The first two levels (Province and Section) have been completed. The third level (Subsection) is nearly completed, and work on the fourth level (Land Type Association (LTA)) started in January 1995. Classification and inventory for the lowest two levels (Ecological Land Type and Ecological Land Type Phase) was cooperatively undertaken on two Land Type Associations within the Chippewa National Forest. A sample set of management interpretations is being developed and tested for the two lower levels. Workshops demonstrating how ECS can be used for natural resource management began in mid-1995 and will continue for several years, as will development of the lower two levels on LTAs beyond the Chippewa National Forest.