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The NHESP Natural Communities datalayer consists of polygons that represent the extent of various natural communities of biodiversity conservation interest in Massachusetts. These polygons are based on records of natural communities maintained in the Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program (NHESP) database. Program scientists classify and delineate natural community polygons by analyzing field data collected on-the-ground and available information about the landscape (particularly topographic maps and aerial photographs). All sites in the NHESP database have been visited by NHESP biologists or by other biologists who have submitted reports on community occurrences that NHESP biologists have reviewed and accepted. Aquatic community types are not included. The polygons are spatially represented at 1:25,000 or 1:24,000. The natural community types are from Swain, P.C. 2016. Classification of the Natural Communities of Massachusetts, Version 2.0. Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program. The classification is available from NHESP. The classification names and describes 107 types of natural communities found in Massachusetts.
The datalayer is based on information on natural communities determined by NHESP to be of biodiversity conservation importance on a statewide basis. It is not intended to be part of a comprehensive vegetation map of the state. Not all the named types are actively tracked by NHESP; NHESP’s focus is on the least common types and those for which Massachusetts has a significant part of the regional or global occurrences. Additional verified natural community occurrences received during and after the preparation of this datalayer will be included in future iterations of the datalayer.
The datalayer contains 952 records of natural communities from the NHESP database. These include 97 community types, of which 73 are Priority for conservation (ranked S1 through S3S4) and 24 types are more common or Low-priority for conservation (S4 and S5), with the included examples considered to be in Exemplary condition. Please note that a very few occurrences of natural communities in the NHESP database are not included in this public datalayer due to either the sensitivity of the sites, or they are too degraded or small to be considered viable examples of the Priority types or they are non-exemplary examples of the more common, Low Priority for conservation types.
These polygons are not related to “Priority Habitat” or "Significant Habitat" as defined by the regulations of the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act (MESA). Natural Communities are not protected under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act, but the rare species that may occur within some of these natural communities are protected by that law.
In ArcSDE the layer is named NATCOMM_POLY.
Estimated Habitats are for use with the Wetlands Protection Act regulations (310 CMR 10.00). The Estimated Habitats of Rare Wildlife datalayer contains polygons that are a subset of the Priority Habitats of Rare Species. They are based on occurrences of rare wetland wildlife observed within the last 25 years and documented in the NHESP database. They do not include those areas delineated as Priority Habitat for rare plants or for rare wildlife with strictly upland habitat requirements. The Estimated Habitats presented here are part of the 15th Edition of the Massachusetts Natural Heritage Atlas, and are effective beginning August 1, 2021.
For projects or activities that fall within Estimated Habitats of Rare Wildlife and that require a Notice of Intent (NOI) to be filed under the Wetlands Protection Act, proponents are required to send a copy of the NOI to the Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program (NHESP). Please note, the Notice of Intent form allows for a streamlined joint Massachusetts Endangered Species Act/Wetlands Protection Act review, and these filings will be reviewed by the NHESP within 30 days. Applicants choosing not to file jointly will be required by the NHESP to submit a separate MESA filing, which may take up to 90 days to review. For more information, please seewww.mass.gov/dfw/nhesp/regulatory-review.
The Estimated Habitats of Rare Wildlife layer is stored in ArcSDE as ESTHAB_POLY.
Estimated Habitats were extracted from the Priority Habitats of Rare Species datalayer, which was delineated by NHESP scientists from documented observations of rare species and are based on such factors as species movements and habitat requirements. The polygons were heads-up digitized in ArcGIS 10x and referenced to the MassGIS 2019 Aerial Imagery.
Occurrence records are continually being added, updated, deleted or otherwise modified in the NHESP database. These changes are incorporated into the Estimated Habitats of Rare Wildlife datalayer every four years.
Questions about the creation of this datalayer and its use should be directed to NHESP at 508-389-6360 or natural.heritage@state.ma.us.
The Priority Habitats of Rare Species datalayer contains polygons representing the geographic extent of Habitat of state-listed rare species in Massachusetts based on observations documented within the last 25 years in the database of the Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program (NHESP). Priority Habitat polygons are the filing trigger for project proponents, municipalities, and all others for determining whether or not a proposed project or activity must be reviewed by the NHESP for compliance with the (MESA) and its implementing regulations. Areas delineated as Priority Habitats can include wetlands, uplands, and marine habitats. The Priority Habitats presented here are part of the 15th Edition of the Massachusetts Natural Heritage Atlas, and are effective beginning August 1, 2021.
If your project or activity falls within Priority Habitat and does not meet a MESA filing exemption (321 CMR 10.14), then you must file directly with the NHESP pursuant to MESA. For more information, please see www.mass.gov/dfw/nhesp/regulatory-review.
The Priority Habitats of Rare Species datalayer is stored in ArcSDE as PRIHAB_POLY.
Priority Habitats were digitized by NHESP scientists from documented observations of state-listed rare species and are based on such factors as reported species movements and known habitat requirements. The polygons were heads-up digitized in ArcGIS 10x and referenced to the MassGIS 2019 Aerial Imagery.
Occurrence records are continually being added, updated, deleted or otherwise modified in the NHESP database. These changes are incorporated into revisions to the Priority Habitats of Rare Species datalayer every four years.
Questions about the creation of this datalayer and its use should be directed to NHESP at 508-389-6360 or natural.heritage@state.ma.us.