We are developing a new climate change vulnerability assessment for priority ecosystems in the Midwest and Northeast United States. The new assessment, Ecosystem Vulnerability in the Eastern Region (EVER), will expand on our previous assessments in several ways. Specifically, the new assessment will:  

  • Cover the full geographic extent of the 20-state Eastern Region, rather than being constrained to major forested landscapes
  • Include a wider variety of terrestrial ecosystems, spanning forests, grasslands, and wetlands
  • Utilize the U.S. National Vegetation Classification to describe ecosystems in a consistent way across the region
  • Divide the landscape according to the 2025 ECOMAP updated Ecological Provinces (Figure 1)

Despite these updates, the core of the EVER assessment will remain consistent with the previous vulnerability assessments we have produced. The assessment will synthesize information from ecosystem models, published research, Indigenous Knowledge, and land managers to present the best available science on the topic. The assessment will be conducted using a structured workshop process that involves participants from federal, state, tribal, NGO, private sector, and academic organizations. The assessment will serve as a foundational resource for the region, focusing on the needs of  land managers, forest stewards, and planners. In addition to preparing a written assessment, we are also developing a companion online tool that will enable users to interact with spatial data and explore assessment results at multiple scales. This assessment is an initiative of the USDA Northern Forests Climate Hub, hosted and led by the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station. The assessment will be published as a General Technical Report by the Northern Research Station.

Over 200 people from across the land management community are already participating in the EVER assessment. We look forward to releasing the assessment in 2026! Please contact Stephen Handler (stephen.handler@usda.gov) with any questions about the effort.

Map of the 20-state USDA Forest Service Eastern Region (ME, VT, NH, NY, MA, RI, MD, PA, CT, NJ, DE, WV, OH, MI, IN, IL, MO, IO, WI, MN) colored by specific ecological provinces (Acadia, Allegheny Piedmont, Allegheny Plateau, Appalachian Mountains, Aspen Parkland, Central Interior, Coastal Plain, Cross Timbers, Eastern Great Lakes, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Mississippi Embayment, Northern Appalachian, Prairie Peninsula, St. Lawrence Seaway, Upper Great Lakes, Voyaguers Subboreal).
Figure 1. Ecological Provinces are units of land defined by major climate zones, native vegetation, and biomes such as prairies, deciduous forests, or boreal forests. The 20-state region of the Midwest and Northeast United States contains 17 Ecological Provinces, as defined by the 2025 ECOMAP update.