On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will unveil its long-awaited new "Plant Hardiness Zone Map" at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. The map � a vital tool for gardeners, farmers, researchers and policy makers � is expected to change in part to reflect changing climate patterns across the United States.

Cornell University, New York�s Land Grant university and home of the Northeast Regional Climate Center and the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future, has several experts available to discuss the significance of the changes to this decades-old system for planting ornamental and crops.