The Alaska Vegetation and Wetland Composite (AKVWC) represents the best-available data derived from 28 regional land cover maps that have been developed within the last 31 years. The map is attributed with a uniform, two-tiered legend so that land cover classes that are similar in concept, yet different in nomenclature may be reconciled. These hierarchical levels of land cover classes are represented by a coarse-scale class, which is analogous to level III of the Alaska Vegetation Classification and fine-scale classes, which nest within the coarse-scale classes and are analogous to level IV of the Alaska Vegetation Classification (Viereck et al. 1992). This document includes descriptions, distribution maps, and images for the 2756 coarse-scale vegetation classes and describes 343 of the 374 fine-scale classes that best represent the range of variation within their parent coarse-scale class. Vegetation classifications and land cover maps such as those provided here represent a framework and baseline on which future monitoring of key natural resources can be structured. As ecologists continue to produce new regional land cover maps, ACCS will update the statewide vegetation map.

Mapping and conservation assessment of wetland ecosystems is a necessary step in promoting effective management of wetland habitats by providing a uniform and comprehensive inventory of both common and rare types. The statewide distribution of wetland, deepwater, and upland habitats presented here represents the first effort to map wetlands in accordance with the national wetland classification system at medium-scale resolution for Alaska. We inferred wetland and deepwater type and distribution using land cover and hydrographic data as proxy indicators.