MNAP Activities

• Ecological Inventory and Monitoring
• Communities, Plants, and Animals
  • Natural Communities and Ecosystems
    • Natural Community Fact Sheets
    • Ecosystems in Maine
    • Natural Community Field Form and Instructions
    • Rarity Rank Explanations
  • Rare Plants
  • Invasive Plants
  • Rare Animals
  • Survey Forms
• Maine's Ecological Reserve System
• Focus Areas
• Beginning with Habitat
• Landowner Incentive Program
• Technical Assistance
• Outreach

MNAP Information

• Overview and Mission
• Legislation
• FAQs
• Staff

Natural Communities and Ecosystems

The Maine Natural Areas Program (MNAP) has classified and distinguished 98 different natural community types that collectively cover the state's landscape. These include such habitats as floodplain forests, coastal bogs, alpine summits, and many others. Each type is assigned a rarity rank of 1 (rare) through 5 (common) both within Maine (state rank) and globally (global rank). MNAP is particularly interested in any example of a natural community type ranked S1, S2, or S3, and outstanding examples (e.g., large, old growth stands) of S4 and S5 types.

Natural Landscapes of Maine (Gawler and Cutko in press) is a guide that describes the composition, rarity, and distribution of each of the 98 natural community types, as well as the methods used to classify them. It also describes the 24 broader ecosystem types within which these natural communities typically occur, and it provides cross-walks to other classification systems, including those used by the National Vegetation Classification System and Society of American Foresters.

Natural Landscapes of Maine is currently at press. It is anticipated that it will be available for purchase by autumn of 2009.

Community Classification Key

This is a "Key to the Keys", which will direct you to the following keys:

• Wooded Uplands Key
• Wooded Wetlands Key
• Open Uplands Key
• Open Wetlands Key