This raster dataset depicts climatic stratification used to differentiate the approximately one million acres identified as Annual Grasslands in the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service CalVeg data. These grasslands were separated into Cool, Moderate, Warm and Hot Grasslands based on July maximum temperatures established by PRISM (800-meter scale Parameter-elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model), a climate mapping system developed at Oregon State University. This dataset was developed/compiled for use in the San Francisco Bay Area Upland Habitat Goals Project, a Project used to identify a Conservation Lands Network (CLN) for biodiversity preservation to inform conservation investments and lasting cooperative conservation partnerships. The Conservation Lands Network GIS Database is the primary output of the Project. The data depicts the spatially explicit CLN that is recommended for the nine county San Francisco Bay Area Region, California. Bay Area Open Space Council, GreenInfo Network, Conservation Lands Network, and San Francisco Bay Area Upland Habitat Goals Project. (2011). Grassland Climatic Stratification: San Francisco Bay Area, California, 2005. Bay Area Open Space Council. Available at http://purl.stanford.edu/dd736jz4182. United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Vegetation Classification and Mapping (CalVeg Mapping Zones): http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r5/landmanagement/resourcemanagement/?cid=stelprdb5347192
PRISM Climate Group (July maximum temperatures): http://www.prism.oregonstate.edu/recent/ This layer is presented in the WGS84 coordinate system for web display purposes. Downloadable data are provided in native coordinate system or projection.