Not just crop or forest: an integrated land cover map for agricultural and natural areas.

ABSTRACT: Due to the key role surrounding landscape plays in ecological processes, a detailed characterization of land cover is critical for researchers and conservation practitioners. Unfortunately, in the United States, land cover data are split across thematic datasets that emphasize agricultural or natural vegetation, but not both. To address this gap, we merged two datasets, the LANDFIRE National Vegetation Classification (NVC) and USDA-NASS Cropland Data Layer (CDL), to produce integrated 'Spatial Products for Agriculture and Nature' (SPAN). Our workflow leveraged strengths of the NVC and the CDL to create detailed rasters comprising both agricultural and natural land-cover classes. We generated SPAN annually from 2012-2021 for the conterminous United States, quantified agreement and accuracy

SUBMITTER: Kammerer M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10817889 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature