From Data to Diversity: Modernizing Minnesota’s Native Plant Community System

This will be a hybrid meeting, in-person at Dakota Lodge and on-line through Zoom. MNNPS members check your email for instructions.

Presenter: Alaina Berger, NPC Classification Coordinator,  Division of Ecological and Water Resources, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Program: From Data to Diversity: Modernizing Minnesota’s Native Plant Community System

Minnesota DNR’s Native Plant Community Classification is a dynamic tool for conservation, vegetation management, and land-use planning, evolving with new data and user experiences. This talk will highlight ongoing efforts to integrate two decades of vegetation data and address knowledge gaps in various plant communities across Minnesota.

Speaker Bio: Alaina Berger is an experienced Forest Ecologist with a passion for understanding and preserving forest ecosystems. With a BS degree in Environmental Science and a Master of Science in Forest Ecology at the University of Minnesota, she has dedicated over 30 years to studying plant communities and how they respond to changes in their environment. Alaina has worked on various projects, from mapping natural habitats to developing guidelines for forest management. Her past research has focused on understory flora response to forest stand structure and disturbance from management activities. Alaina has extensive experience with the Native Plant Community Classification, including 12 years in various roles at the MNDNR, where she was part of the initial launch of the Native Plant Classification. Currently, she serves as the Native Plant Classification Revision Coordinator with the Minnesota Biological Survey (MBS) at the DNR. She coordinates a 3-year project to modernize the DNR Native Plant Community Classification system. Her work is driven by a deep commitment to maintaining the health and diversity of Minnesota’s natural landscapes.