Access Glossary

Items starting with C

Community

(a) A group of species of plants and/or animals living and interacting at a particular time and place.(b) A group of people residing in the same place and under the same government; spatially defined places such as towns.

Composition

The numbers and kinds of plants and animals in an area. What an ecosystem is composed of. Composition could include water, minerals, trees, snags, wildlife, soil, microorganisms, and certain plant species,

Comprehensive Evaluation Report (CER)

A Forest Service planning document that evaluates ecological, social, and economic conditions and trends that contribute to sustainability.

Concessionaire/Concessioner

An indiivdual or a private company that is under permit or contract to operate a business on Federal land (e.g., campground, parking lot, ice cream stand, or boat launch). Not all concessionaires accept National Parks and Federal Recreation Lands Passes, based on the terms of their contracts.

Condition Class 1 - Low risk from uncharacteristic wildfire effects.

Fire regimes within this class are within the historical range of variability for fire frequency and intensity.

Condition Class 2 - Moderate risk from uncharacteristic wildfire effects.

Fire regimes are beginning to be altered since one or more wildfires have been suppressed allowing for forests to become noticeably denser especially with younger sapling trees.

Condition Class 3 - High risk from uncharacteristic wildfire effects.

The fire regimes in this condition class are significantly altered, having missed many natural fires. Forests that were once open and park-like are now densely stocked.

Conformance

Means that a proposed action shall be specifically provided for in the land use plan or, if not specifically mentioned, shall be clearly consistent with the goals, objectives, or standards of the approved land use plan.

Conifer

A tree that produces cones, such as a pine, spruce, or fir tree.

Connectivity (of habitats)

The arrangement of habitats that allows organisms and ecological processes to move across the landscape; patches of similar habitats are either close together or linked by corridors of appropriate vegetation. The opposite of fragmentation.