This data set portrays general forest cover types for the United States. Data were derived from Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) composite images recorded during the 1991 growing season, with the exception of Puerto Rico, for which Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data were used. A total of 25 classes of forest cover types were interpreted from the AVHRR and TM imagery, aided by field observations and refined with ancillary data from digital elevation models.
The forest cover types data set was developed to portray broad distribution patterns of forest cover in the United States. The data should be displayed at scales appropriate for 1:7,500,000-scale data. No responsibility is assumed by the U.S. Geological Survey in the use of these data.
This data set was combined with a shaded relief backdrop to produce a printed map of forest cover types. The original forest type classification was developed by the U.S. Forest Service to accompany a report on forest resources of the U.S. as mandated by the 1974 Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act (PL 93-378). Information on the report, "Forest Resources of the United States, 1997", may be obtained from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service (<http://fia.fs.fed.us/>). Details on development of the forest cover types data set are in Zhu, Z. and Evans, D.L., 1994, U.S. Forest Types and Predicted Percent Forest Cover from AVHRR Data: Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing, v. 60, No. 5, p. 525-531.
Publication date
None. Acknowledgment of the National Atlas of the United States, the USDA Forest Service, and (or) the U.S. Geological Survey would be appreciated in products derived from these data.
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This image incorporates field data collected by the USDA Forest Service.
No tests for logical consistency have been performed on this data set.
This data set includes forest cover types for all 50 of the United States and Puerto Rico. Forest cover data were not available for the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Forest cover types information.
A detailed description of how the forest cover classes were derived from the AVHRR and TM source data may be found in USForest. This image was concatenated from the four images used to create the printed map in USForest: one image each for the 48 conterminous United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, respectively.
Delawar River Basin window cut out and reprojected to Albers.
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Each grid cell value represents one of 25 forest cover type classes, or one of 4 additional classes for oceans, lakes, non-U.S. land, and U.S. non-forested land.
U.S. Geological Survey
ocean fill
U.S. Geological Survey
White-red-jack pine
U.S. Geological Survey
Spruce-fir
U.S. Geological Survey and USDA Forest Service
Longleaf-slash pine
U.S. Geological Survey and USDA Forest Service
Loblolly-shortleaf pine
U.S. Geological Survey and USDA Forest Service
Oak-pine
U.S. Geological Survey and USDA Forest Service
Oak-hickory
U.S. Geological Survey and USDA Forest Service
Oak-gum-cypress
U.S. Geological Survey and USDA Forest Service
Elm-ash-cottonwood
U.S. Geological Survey and USDA Forest Service
Maple-beech-birch
U.S. Geological Survey and USDA Forest Service
U.S. Non-forest
U.S. Geological Survey and USDA Forest Service
Lakes
U.S. Geological Survey and USDA Forest Service
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Although these data have been processed successfully on a computer system at the U.S. Geological Survey, no warranty expressed or implied is made by the U.S. Geological Survey or the USDA Forest Service regarding the utility of the data on any other system, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. Use of trademarks or formats does not constitute endorsement by the U.S. Geological Survey or the USDA Forest Service. There are no copyright restrictions on the use, redistribution, or further processing of this data set. No responsibility is assumed by the U.S. Geological Survey or the USDA Forest Service in the use of these data.
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