Learn About Your Ecoregion
Choosing plants based on your site’s ecoregion supports a thriving landscape and strengthens the surrounding ecosystem.
Use regional data to guide
plant choices
When it’s time to choose your plant palette, there are tools that can help inform your decision. Ecoregions denote areas with similar ecosystems and the same type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. Understanding the ecoregion in which a site is located enables you to consider the broader context of the landscape and how it can hinder or contribute to the surrounding ecosystem.
Ecoregions are defined by soil type, climate, temperature, precipitation, and other characteristics. For example, temperate broadleaf and mixed forest can be found as far north as Maine and as far south as Louisiana. Typical species include sugar maple, American beech, basswood, oaks, and hickories.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed ecoregion maps for most of the U.S. Additional resources include your local branch of the EPA, local parks and wildlife agencies, The Nature Conservancy, and land grant universities.
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