Terms of Green Infrastructure

Source: Green Infrastructure by Mark A. Benedict & Edward T. McMahon

Green Infrastructure uses terminology that some may not be familiar with.  We have included this list of terms to accompany this website for easier navigation of the language associated with GI. 

Agricultural Lands and Working Lands-land that has been modified by humans to produce food, fiber, or other materials; working lands include lands used for agricultural protection, forestry, ranching, and mining.  

Connectivity-The creation of functionally contiguous blocks of land or water through linkage of similar ecosystems or native landscapes; the linking of trails, communities, and other human features. 

Corridor-a narrow or linear segment of land that differs from the matrix on each side; they may serve as biological and/or hydrological connecting corridors and/or provide outdoor, resource-based recreational opportunities.

Green Infrastructure-promotes a strategic approach to land and water conservation that is systematic and well integrated.  It also addresses a community's development needs.

Hubs- anchor green infrastructure networks and provide space for native plants and animal communities, as well as an origin or destination for wildlife, people, and ecological processes moving through the system.

Natural Area-places within nature that have not been changed by human settlement.

Trail-a linear corridor on land or water that provides public access for recreation of authorized alternative modes of transportation.

Wetlands- Swamps, marshes, fens, and bogs.

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