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Ecoregions of the United States

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Description of the Ecoregions of the United States

Robert G. Bailey, U.S. Forest Service, USDA, March 1995

This volume was originally published in 1978 to provide a general description of the ecosystem geography of the Nation as shown on the 1976 map "Ecoregions of the United States." It was first published as an unnumbered publication by the Intermountain Region, USDA Forest Service, Ogden, Utah. It was reprinted in 1980 by the Forest Service, Washington, DC, as Miscellaneous Publication No. 1391. An explanation of the basis for the regions delineated on the map was presented elsewhere (Bailey 1983).

The technique of mapping ecoregions was subsequently expanded to include the rest of North America (Bailey and Cushwa 1981) and the world (Bailey 1989). In 1993, as part of the Forest Service's National Hierarchical Framework of Ecological Units (ECOMAP 1993), ecoregions were adopted for use in ecosystem management. They will also be used in the proposed National Interagency Ecoregion-Based Ecological Assessments. This volume updates the knowledge of the subject. It was my goal in preparing this edition, like its predecessor, not to present information, but to strive for synthesis, i.e., the illustration of interrelationships.

Please click on an individual map for ecosystem subdivision descriptions

For further information please contact:

Robert G. Bailey

USDA Forest Service

3825 E. Mulberry St.

Ft. Collins, CO 80524

References.

Appendix 1. Regional climates, based on the Koppen system of classification.

Appendix 2. Climate diagrams of representative climate stations.

Appendix 3. Approximate are and proportionate extent of ecoregions.