Science activity

VegCAMP focuses on developing and maintaining maps and classifying all vegetation and habitats in the state to support conservation and management decisions at the local, regional, and state levels. The principal roles of the program include: Developing and maintaining a standardized vegetation classification system for California;Implementing and updating best methods of vegetation assessment including sampling, analyzing, reporting, and mapping vegetation at multiple scales;Training resource professionals on these methods and coordinating with other agencies and organizations to ensure a statewide, standardized approach toward collecting, reporting, and interpreting vegetation data;Developing best practices for using these data for long-range conservation and management of natural lands in the state;Conducting integrated vegetation assessments throughout the state in areas with high conservation and management interest to the Department of Fish and Wildlife and other agencies;Archiving and distributing vegetation data;Coordinating with other state, federal, and local agencies and organizations involved in vegetation assessment;Integrating standard vegetation classification systems with species distributions to encourage unified habitat assessments and conservation efforts. Long-range goals of the program include: Completing and maintaining a statewide SCV-compliant classification and map in collaboration with other agencies and organizations;Developing and updating the most appropriate vegetation products for conservation planning and natural resources management within the state;Integrating the program with similar ones from other states and countries to facilitate national and international conservation and management of natural resources.