Typologie des groupements végétaux forestiers du canton de Vaud: rupture nécessaire d'une tradition | Classification of forest vegetation types in Canton Vaud: a necessary break with tradition

The classification of forest vegetation types in Switzerland is based on the nomenclature of Ellenberg and Klotzli (1972), consisting of a list of units and a closed coding system with no apparent structure. The system leaves little room for adjustments to new phytosociological findings and has been fundamentally called in question by the analysis of the forest data base of the Canton Vaud, containing the results of 12,000 vegetation survey samples covering all forests in the Canton. A new, logical 4-digit coding system has therefore been developed, based on a revised set of indicators, allowing for the addition of new units, yet conserving the link to the classical range of forest vegetation types recognized in Switzerland.