Park Authority

CONTACT INFORMATION: Open during regular business hours 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday - Friday
703-324-8700 TTY 711
12055 Government Center Pkwy.
Fairfax, Virginia 22035
Jai Cole
Executive Director

Department Resources

Natural Vegetation Community Classification

Natural Vegetation Community Classification

Initiated in 2016, the Natural Vegetation Community Classification (NVCC) is an ongoing effort to map, classify and inventory vegetation communities within Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) properties. The goal of this field-based inventory is to develop a planning-level geographic database of vegetation resources across the FCPA park system. 

The NVCC provides critical information on the type, location and quality of vegetation resources within county parks, which is currently used by county staff to: 

  • Identify rare or significant natural resources.
  • Protect sensitive areas during land-use planning.
  • Inform future habitat management activities.
  • Identify candidate areas for restoration.

This information also aids in strategic planning efforts, such as corridor planning. As the inventory progresses, updates are shared with county staff via the county’s enterprise geodatabase. With additional resources, this effort could be expanded to other parks and private lands across Fairfax County. 

Natural Vegetation Community Classification Aspects

Vegetation communities are plant assemblages with similar species composition and structure, occurring in similar habitat conditions and repeating across the landscape. 

FCPA ecologists use GIS software to map and inventory these communities on park properties. Based on observed plant composition and structure, each community occurrence is classified as one of the Natural Community Types described in The Natural Communities of Virginia: Ecological Groups and Community Types (Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, July 2021) or as a Successional Community Type as outlined by the United States National Vegetation Classification. Additionally, each community occurrence is assigned a quality ranking and deer browse rating. 

Ecologists also inventory vascular plants within these vegetation communities, documenting each species’ relative abundance within four vertical strata: the canopy, understory, shrub, and herbaceous layers.

Natural Vegetation Community Classification Progress

As of October 2024, over 14,000 acres of park property have been mapped and inventoried, resulting in the documentation of over 4,000 unique community occurrences across 85 different community types. Additionally, the botanical inventory has documented over 2,000 plant taxa, including: 

  • 51 species previously unknown in Fairfax County.
  • 3 species previously unknown in Virginia.
  • 52 species listed as rare or vulnerable in Virginia.

map of vegetation community classification natural community type

Selection of Natural Community Types documented in Fairfax County

ellanor c. lawrence park forest restoration project

Central Appalachian / Inner Piedmont Chestnut Oak Forests

ellanor c. lawrence park forest restoration project

Piedmont / Central Appalachian Rich Floodplain Forests

ellanor c. lawrence park forest restoration project

Tidal Freshwater Marshes (Arrow-arum – Pickerelweed Type)

ellanor c. lawrence park forest restoration project

Piedmont / Northern Coastal Plain Basic Seepage Swamps

ellanor c. lawrence park forest restoration project

Piedmont / Northern Coastal Plain Basic Seepage Swamps (Pin Oak – Swamp White Oak Type)

All photos were taken by Nelson DeBarros

Fairfax Virtual Assistant