Canadian Arctic vegetation mapping

During the next few decades the Arctic is expected to experience unprecedented changes in climate and resource development. All of these will potentially affect land use and vegetation cover. There is a need for a comprehensive and consistent circumpolar map of arctic vegetation that will be useful for modelling vegetation change in the circumpolar region. The Canadian arctic vegetation map is part of the Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation Mapping project (CAVM) which was initiated to fulfil this need. The CAVM is an effort by an international group of arctic vegetation scientists to create a map and GIS database of circumpolar vegetation at the 1:7 500 000 scale. The Canadian vegetation map and ultimate circumpolar map will be useful for the study of arctic vegetation, modelling vegetation change at the continental and circumpolar scale, interpreting patterns of wildlife distribution and migration, land management, and educational purposes. The mapping effort combines information on soils, bedrock and surfici...