Washington, DC, Oct. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NatureServe, the Ecological Society of America (ESA), and federal partners at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) today announced the release of Version 3.0 of the U.S. National Vegetation Classification (USNVC), the official standard for classifying and mapping terrestrial ecosystems across the United States. This version includes major updates to U.S. ecosystem types and aligns the classification with global standards, providing critical support for natural resources management and biodiversity conservation.
The USNVC is an ecologically grounded framework for classifying the nation’s terrestrial vegetation in an eight-level hierarchy from global biomes to local plant communities. Built on the international EcoVeg Approach, the classification shares the same structure as the Canadian National Vegetation Classification (CNVC) and NatureServe’s International Vegetation Classification and is also aligned with the Global Ecosystem Typology, ensuring that U.S. ecosystem data can be integrated seamlessly into international assessments.
“This publication represents the sustained and coordinated effort of state, federal, academic, and conservation ecologists working together to deliver an authoritative and comprehensive synopsis of the nation’s terrestrial ecosystems,” said Don Faber-Langendoen, Senior Ecologist & Conservation Methods Coordinator at NatureServe and Editor-in-Chief of the USNVC.
What’s New in Version 3.0
Version 3.0 is the first major update since 2016 and includes:
- A global scientific foundation: The upper levels have been restructured using well-understood biome concepts, aligning the U.S. system with the IUCN’s Global Ecosystem Typology.
- Standardized ecosystem descriptions: A peer-reviewed set of mid-level units now provides up-to-date information in a consistent format suitable for regional and national reporting.
- More detail at finer scales: Updated alliances and associations are now closely linked with state classification systems lending even greater use in local applications.
- Interactive maps: New range-wide maps make it easier to see where different ecosystem types are found across the country.
Together, these updates make Version 3.0 the most comprehensive and accessible classification of U.S. ecosystems to date. These changes reflect years of collaboration, review, and scientific alignment across agencies, academic institutions, and the NatureServe Network. “USNVC 3.0 represents a ten-plus year effort coordinated by the Ecological Society of America’s Vegetation Classification Panel. This volunteer group of scientists from academia, government and NGOs is dedicated to developing a nationwide tool that can support a wide range of environmental applications in a rapidly changing world” said Catherine O’Riordan, Executive Director, The Ecological Society of America.
Why It Matters
The USNVC plays a vital role in ensuring that ecosystem data are consistent, comparable, and actionable across jurisdictions. For example, it is:
- The foundation for conservation and natural resources planning—the USNVC is integrated into the workflow of state natural heritage programs and wildlife agencies across the U.S.
- A resource to support national park resilience—helping identify and protect at-risk ecosystems across the National Park System.
- Aligning federal natural resource assessments —helping agencies work collaboratively across ownerships and collectively address priority issues, such as the National Fire Plan.
- An essential link to international initiatives—including contributions to the Global Ecosystem Atlas.
- A NatureServe Network standard—helping to guide surveys of all ecosystems, conduct ecosystem assessments to identify at-risk ecosystems, and contribute critical data for environmental review.
Real-World Examples
The New Mexico Natural Heritage Program used the USNVC to define regionally-scaled wildlife habitats for the State Wildlife Action Plan. The classification provided a clear ecosystem framework to address the needs and conservation opportunities of wildlife species of concern. “In New Mexico, the USNVC has been an essential tool for guiding ecosystem restoration and identifying conservation opportunities,” said Esteban Muldavin, Division Leader and Ecology Coordinator, Natural Heritage New Mexico.
The Colorado Natural Heritage Program uses the USNVC to define and track vegetation types and assign conservation ranks across the state. This approach helps identify and document rare plant communities, produce vegetation maps for partners, and support ecological integrity assessments. By aligning its database and field data with USNVC 3.0, the program ensures that conservation efforts in Colorado are consistent with national standards and comparable across regions. “The USNVC is the national standard that guides conservation of Colorado’s rare or otherwise significant vegetation, providing a comprehensive framework for understanding our plant communities and supporting conservation decision making,” said Brenda Wichmann, Ecologist, CNHP.
The Tennessee Natural Heritage Program is using the USNVC as the standard for classifying plant communities, particularly those of conservation concern, across the state. This data will be used to discover new communities, work with adjacent state programs to refine community concepts, support land management decisions, and prioritize land acquisitions across Tennessee. “One aspect of successful conservation is compelling storytelling. I plan to use the USNVC to talk about why Tennessee is such a special place! We are lucky enough to live in a state with an incredible richness of natural habitats, and all Tennesseans should be proud of that fact,” said Adam Dattilo, Vegetation Ecologist, Tennessee Division of Natural Areas.
Explore the Data
The updated classification is available through USNVC.org along with an interactive USNVC map and a new StoryMap, offering the public, policymakers, and researchers the ability to explore ecosystems in detail. Please also see a short video explaining this work here.
About NatureServe
For 50 years, NatureServe has been the authoritative source for biodiversity data and the central coordinating organization for a network of over 60 member programs throughout North America. Together, NatureServe and the network of member programs are dedicated to developing, collecting, and analyzing biodiversity information to support informed decisions about managing, protecting, restoring, and conserving natural resources. NatureServe and the Network develop and manage data for over 100,000 species and ecosystems, answering fundamental questions about what exists, where it is found, and how it is doing.