FGDC Vegetation Subcommittee Update to Coordination Group

1. September 10, 2013 Coordination Group Meeting FGDC Vegetation SubcommitteeUpdate to Coordination Group Marianne K. Burke, Ph.D National Research Program Leader for NEPA and Performance Accountability, Forest Service Research and Development 571-733-7972 mburke@fs.fed.us September 4, 2013, v1

2. IntroductionThe Mission/Purpose of the Vegetation Subcommittee is: the coordination of terrestrial vegetative data-related activities among Federal agencies and the establishment of a mechanism for the coordinated development, use, sharing, and dissemination of terrestrial vegetation data. Members include:  • Marianne Burke, USFS • Mike Mulligan, USGS • Gene Fults, NRCS • Don Faber-Langendoen, NatureServe • Dave Cleland, USFS • Scott Franklin, ESA • Alexa McKerrow, USGS • Carol Spurrier, BLM • Greg Reams, USFS • Nate Herold, NOAA • Karl Brown, NPS • Kathy Goodin, NatureServe • Laurel Gorman, USACE • Elizabeth Middleton, NASA • Patrick Donnelly, FWS • Kristin Snow, NatureServe • Jill Parsons, ESA • Cliff Duke, ESA • Harbin Li, USFS • Robert Peet, UNC/ESA • Dave Tart, USFS • John Dennis, NPS • Michelle Cox, US Navy

3. NGDA Data Themes and Data Sets • The following data themes and datasets fall under the purview of the FGDC Vegetation Subcommittee: • The National Vegetation Classification Standard. • Revised content (types and descriptions) for eight levels of the NVC hierarchy. • VegBank – a permanent archive of the vegetation plot data.

4. Recent Meetings • Meeting with Deputy Chief and Associate Deputy Chiefs of Forest Service R&D (June 14, 2014). • The topics discussed at this meeting included: • Update on activities of Subcommittee, Panel, working groups and grants. • Plans for Year 5 of the Forest Service Cooperative Agreement. • Succession plan for Ralph Crawford • Some of the outcomes arising from this meeting include: • FS is maintaining its role as champion of the Vegetation Subcommittee and year 5 of the Cooperative Agreement.

5. Recent Meetings (continued) • The Strategic Collaborative Science Summit II (July 2013) hosted by the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units Network. • The ESA Vegetation Classification Panel workshop in Minneapolis, MN (August 6, 2013) • The Vegetation Subcommittee presented an update to the Interagency Land Management Adaptation Group (September 5, 2013). • The Vegetation Subcommittee met approximately monthly during FY 2013.

6. Recent Developments/Projects(Subcommittee Administration) • A new MOU was written to formalize the partnership between federal and non-federal partners. • The NVC Implementation plan is being revised • The Subcommittee Charter was revised • A mapping working group is being created

7. Recent Developments/Projects(Content Maintenance and Dissemination)

8. Recent Developments/Projects, (Preparation and submission of proposals for revising content) • A NSDI cooperative agreements program grant was used to establish an alliance and association level classification for California using the NVC. Focus is on the alliances that are endemic to CA.

9. Recent Developments /Projects(Peer review and evaluation of proposals for revising content) • ESA has an agreement with the USGS to test the peer review process • Identify dataset, propose types, submit plots to VegBank, and manage a peer review process • ESA Vegetation Classification Panel is managing the reviews of proposed type concept revisions at the alliance level

10. Recent Developments /Projects(Peer review and evaluation of proposals for revising content) • A peer review pilot project was initiated. • ESA Peer Review Board was briefed on the peer reviewed process. • Pilot project ‘US National Vegetation Process Testing Peer Review’ underway • Longleaf pine dataset used as case study to identify the process and policies decisions specific to reviewing proposed changes to the NVC

11. Recent Developments /Projects(Peer review and evaluation of proposals for revising content) • Draft Proposal has been submitted for Peer Review. • ESA Panel is refining the process and establishing policies specific to reviewing proposed changes to the NVC.

12. Recent Developments/Projects(Publication of peer review results and incorporation of changes into the public record) • Planning has begun for publication of the proceedings of the USNVC peer review. • Requirements analysis has been completed • A prototype interface has been developed.

13. Recent Developments/Projects(Publication of peer review results and incorporation of changes into the public record) • The HRWG report for level 1-3 of the USNVC is informally published, and the Subcommittee is working on getting it formally published by FS as a multi-agency document.

14. Recent Developments/Projects(Collaborations involving use of NVC) • USFS and NatureServe are developing a key to the USNVC groups and macrogroups for Forest of the Eastern US. • ILMAG is scoping for projects to use NVC. • NPS- USNVC has being used in the Parashant National Monument (BLM), Lake Mead Natural Recreation Area, Grand Canyon. • BLM – has guided their field offices to use the USNVC Macrogroup level in their land use plans.

15. Recent Developments/Projects(Outreach and education) • Developed education materials that are available to the public • FAQ for NVC users. • A Workshop for the National Military Fish and Wildlife Association - March 2014 (contingent on travel for federal partners). • Web presence • FGDC Vegetation Subcommittee site • USNVC.org • ESA Panel on Vegetation Classification http://esa.org/vegweb2/ • NatureServe Explorer www.natureserve.org

16. Next Meeting • The next meeting of the Vegetation subcommittee will be held in September, 2013. It will take place via teleconference . • Some of the topics to be discussed at the next meeting include: • Status of the revised Charter • Status of the MOU • Publication of HRWG report. • Funding for VegBank • Web site revision

17. Next Steps • In the coming months, the Vegetation Subcommittee hopes to accomplish/discuss: • Finalize MOU • Finalize Charter • Publish HRWG report • Revise the Implementation Plan • Research the potential for an interagency agreement and funding specific to maintaining and revising content, conducting outreach, and building and maintaining the necessary cyber-infrastructure. • .

18. Questions? Marianne Burke, Forest Service R&D Phone – 571-733-7972 mburke@fs.fed.us