Classification of Forest Fragmentation in North America, 1992

Description:

This raster layer is a grid map of North America including the Caribbean and most of Mexico in GeoTIFF format. The map layer is an excerpt from a global assessment of forest fragmentation (Riitters et al., 2000). Each pixel value represents an index of forest fragmentation for the surrounding 81 sq. km. The map layer was created by applying spatial algorithms to a 1 sq. km. resolution map of global land cover (Loveland and Belward 1997) known as NAIGBP1_2L, obtained from the USGS Center for EROS Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) as part of the Global Land Cover Characteristics database (GLCC)(Loveland et al. 1991, 1999). One of six categories of fragmentation was identified for each forested pixel in North America from the amount of forest and its occurrence as adjacent forest pixels within a 9x9 pixel (81 sq. km.) window surrounding the pixel on the original land-cover map. The map layer describes one aspect of forest fragmentation at one scale. The forest fragmentation index is designed to distinguish among types of fragmentation (e.g., edges on the interior versus the exterior of a forest patch) and it also reflects differences in the absolute amount of forest present. However, no distinction was drawn between "natural" and "human-caused" fragmentation. This is a revised version of the May 2002 map layer, with a corrected shoreline for Greenland. This map layer was previously distributed as the Forest Fragmentation Index Map of North America. This layer is part of the 1997-2014 edition of the National Atlas of the United States. These data were originally created as part of a global analysis of forest fragmentation and other land-cover patterns based on digital land-cover maps derived from remote sensing and produced by the Global Land Cover Characteristics project. The map portrays continental patterns at relatively coarse scale and is considered a first step towards quantifying forest fragmentation and its potential impacts on biodiversity at landscape-scale levels of biological organization. No responsibility is assumed by the National Atlas of the United States in the use of these data. None. Acknowledgment of the National Atlas of the United States of America and (or) the U.S. Geological Survey would be appreciated in products derived from these data. This layer is presented in the WGS84 coordinate system for web display purposes. Downloadable data are provided in native coordinate system or projection.

Resource Link:

https://purl.stanford.edu/gf689bt9239

Identifier:

https://purl.stanford.edu/gf689bt9239

Language:

eng

Creator:

Ritters, Kurt

Publisher:

National Atlas of the United States

Provider:

Stanford

Resource Class:

Datasets

Resource Type:

Raster data

Subject:

Fragmented landscapes, Landscape ecology, Biodiversity, Forests and forestry, Land cover, Environment, and Biology and Ecology

Theme:

Land cover, Land Cover, and Environment

Temporal Coverage:

1992-1993

Date Issued:

2002

Spatial Coverage:

United States

Rights:

This item is in the public domain. There are no restrictions on use.

Rights Holder:

This work is in the Public Domain, meaning that it is not subject to copyright.

Access Rights:

Public

Format:

GeoTIFF

Georeferenced:

false