John: Work on the new USDA map began on August 18, 2004. In 2003, a draft version was released by the American Horticulture Society which caused quite an uproar in the horticultural community. This revision would have done away with the "a" and "b" zone designations and would have been based on a fifteen year sample (1986-2001) of climatic data. By using a 15-year warm period sample, the draft map would have moved Chicago into zone 6 and made other such disastrous errors. Thanks to the support of Dr. Judy St. John of USDA-ARS, the map revision was put on hold until input from the stakeholders (government term for folks most affected by government decisions) could be gathered. The August 18 meeting included representatives from USDA- ARS, the American Horticulture Society, the American Association of Botanic Gardens and Arboreta, University Researchers, and representatives of the nursery industry. The project will consist of two phases. In Phase I, the map will be reconstructed using the most recent 30 years of average annual extreme minimum temperatures. The map will also retain the "a and b" designations. For the first time, the map will include a better breakdown of coastal/lake effects, urban heat islands, wind patterns, and elevation differences. Due to advances in interpolation algorithms, the map will pick up on small differences that were previously missed. The map will be made available on-line where it can be searched both by city and zip code. The on-line map will be clickable for more detailed climatic data to satisfy what the research scientists called, "those pointy-head weather nerd types." Phase II of the project will involve overlay maps for other factors such as duration of cold, summer heat factors, and possibly air flow patterns. It's not often that I get excited about a government project, but this will be a huge improvement for our industry. Thanks both to the USDA-ARS for making their resources available and for all of the committee members for their time and input into the process. Tony Avent Plant Delights Nursery @ Juniper Level Botanic Garden 9241 Sauls Road Raleigh, NC 27603 USA Minimum Winter Temps 0-5 F Maximum Summer Temps 95-105F USDA Hardiness Zone 7b email tony@plantdelights.com website http://www.plantdel.com/ phone 919 772-4794 fax 919 772-4752 "I consider every plant hardy until I have killed it myself...at least three times" - Avent