ArcheWild EcoRegion Lookup Tool

Click on the EcoRegion picture to launch our ArcheWild EcoRegion lookup tool, powered by ArcGIS.  Adjust the transparency of the EcoRegion layer using the three dots (…) under the layer heading on the left side of screen.  Key in your address and read the EcoRegion code from the map.

ArcheWild uses Level IV EcoRegion coding as an integral part of our accession coding system and plant labelling.  Responsible buyers of native plants strive to use plants whose genetic origin matches the EcoRegion of their project, or as close as possible.

Ecoregions denote areas of general similarity in ecosystems and in the type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources, such as plant communities and pollinator relationships. They are designed to serve as a spatial framework for the research, assessment, management, and monitoring of ecosystems and ecosystem components.

These regions are critical for structuring and implementing ecosystem management strategies across federal agencies, state agencies, and non-government organizations that are responsible for different types of resources within the same geographical areas. The approach used to compile this map is based on the premise that ecological regions can be identified through the analysis of patterns of biotic and abiotic phenomena, including geology, physiography, vegetation, climate, soils, land use, wildlife, and hydrology. The relative importance of each characteristic varies from one ecological region to another. A Roman numeral hierarchical scheme has been adopted for different levels for ecological regions.

Level I is the coarsest level, dividing North America into 15 ecological regions.

Level II divides the continent into 52 regions (Commission for Environmental Cooperation Working Group, 1997).

At Level III, the continental United States contains 104 regions whereas the conterminous United States has 84 (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2005).

Level IV ecoregions reflect significant regional differences in plant communities, such as inner and outer Coastal Plains, and the Trap Rock (diabase) region within the Upper Piedmont.  This is the level at which ArcheWild records its genotypes.

Methods used to define the ecoregions are explained in Omernik (1995, 2004), Omernik and others (2000), and Gallant and others (1989).