Forest carbon stocks of the contiguous United States (2000-2009)

Metadata:
Identification_Information:
Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Wilson, Barry Tyler
Originator: Woodall, Christopher W.
Originator: Griffith, Douglas M.
Publication_Date: 2013
Title:
Forest carbon stocks of the contiguous United States (2000-2009)
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: raster digital data
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Newtown Square, PA
Publisher: USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0004
Description:
Abstract:
Through application of a nearest-neighbor imputation approach, mapped estimates of forest carbon density were developed for the contiguous United States using the annual forest inventory conducted by the USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program, MODIS satellite imagery, and ancillary geospatial datasets. This data publication contains the following 8 raster maps: total forest carbon in all stocks, live tree aboveground forest carbon, live tree belowground forest carbon, forest down dead carbon, forest litter carbon, forest standing dead carbon, forest soil organic carbon, and forest understory carbon.
Purpose:
The U.S. has been providing national-scale estimates of forest carbon stocks and stock change to meet United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change reporting requirements for years. Although these currently are provided as national estimates by pool and year to meet greenhouse gas monitoring requirements, there is growing need to disaggregate these estimates to finer scales to enable strategic forest management and monitoring activities focused on various ecosystem services such as carbon (C) storage enhancement.
Supplemental_Information:
Original metadata date was 02/28/2013. Minor metadata updates on 03/25/2014. Minor metadata updates on 12/12/2016, 08/09/2017, and 06/26/2019.

*These data are now also available as a map service: https://apps.fs.usda.gov/fsgisx01/rest/services/RDW_ForestEcology.
Time_Period_of_Content:
Time_Period_Information:
Range_of_Dates/Times:
Beginning_Date: 2000
Ending_Date: 2009
Currentness_Reference:
Ground condition
Status:
Progress: Complete
Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: Unknown
Spatial_Domain:
Description_of_Geographic_Extent:
Contiguous United States of America (CONUS)
Bounding_Coordinates:
West_Bounding_Coordinate: -125.00000
East_Bounding_Coordinate: -66.00000
North_Bounding_Coordinate: 50.00000
South_Bounding_Coordinate: 24.00000
Keywords:
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO 19115 Topic Category
Theme_Keyword: imageryBaseMapsEarthCover
Theme_Keyword: climatologyMeteorologyAtmosphere
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: National Research & Development Taxonomy
Theme_Keyword: Climate change
Theme_Keyword: Carbon
Theme_Keyword: Ecology, Ecosystems, & Environment
Theme_Keyword: Plant ecology
Theme_Keyword: Soil
Theme_Keyword: Inventory, Monitoring, & Analysis
Theme_Keyword: Monitoring
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Theme_Keyword: stocks
Theme_Keyword: forest
Place:
Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: Geographic Names Information System
Place_Keyword: United States
Place_Keyword: CONUS
Access_Constraints: None
Use_Constraints:
These data were collected using funding from the U.S. Government and can be used without additional permissions or fees. If you use these data in a publication, presentation, or other research product please use the following citation:

Wilson, Barry Tyler; Woodall, Christopher W.; Griffith, Douglas M. 2013. Forest carbon stocks of the contiguous United States (2000-2009). Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0004
Point_of_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Person_Primary:
Contact_Person: Barry Tyler Wilson
Contact_Organization: USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station
Contact_Position: Research Forester
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical
Address: Northern Research Station
Address: 1992 Folwell Avenue
City: Saint Paul
State_or_Province: MN
Postal_Code: 55108
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: 651-649-5189
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Wilson, Barry Tyler
Originator: Woodall, Christopher W.
Originator: Griffith, Douglas M.
Publication_Date: 2013
Title:
Imputing forest carbon stock estimates from inventory plots to a nationally continuous coverage
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Carbon Balance and Management
Issue_Identification: 8:1
Online_Linkage: https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/42806
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.1186/1750-0680-8-1
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Data_Quality_Information:
Attribute_Accuracy:
Attribute_Accuracy_Report:
A complete comparative assessment of these raster data, relative to FIA field plot data, can be found in:

Wilson, Barry Tyler; Woodall, Christopher W.; Griffith, Douglas M. 2013. Imputing forest carbon stock estimates from inventory plots to a nationally continuous coverage. Carbon Balance and Management. 8:1. https://doi.org/10.1186/1750-0680-8-1
Logical_Consistency_Report:
Validation results suggest strong agreement between the estimates produced from the forest inventory plots and those from the imputed maps, particularly when the carbon pool is closely associated with the imputation model, with weaker agreement for standing dead trees. The level of agreement depends upon scale, as well as thematic resolution, with better results when assessing larger aggregations of carbon pools.
Completeness_Report:
not applicable
Positional_Accuracy:
Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy:
Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy_Report:
Several other raster datasets were used in the development of these data, along with FIA field plot data. Uncertainty in the geographic registration in each of these data sources will contribute to the positional accuracy of the final product. Overall horizontal positional accuracy is expected to be within 1 pixel in either dimension (i.e. 250 meters).
Lineage:
Process_Step:
Process_Description:
The methodology utilized outputs from an ecological ordination model that related live tree measurements made on FIA field plots (response variables) with the associated environmental factors (predictor variables) at each plot location, such as seasonal temperatures and precipitation from the Daymet model, landscape position from the Elevation Derivatives for National Applications dataset, USEPA Level III ecological regions, and vegetation phenology derived from MODIS satellite imagery. These outputs, along with tree canopy cover information from the National Land Cover Dataset, were used to impute forest carbon stock estimates derived for individual field plots to each pixel in the raster map.

A complete description of the mapping methodology, including data sources used, can be found in:

Wilson, Barry Tyler; Woodall, Christopher W.; Griffith, Douglas M. 2013. Imputing forest carbon stock estimates from inventory plots to a nationally continuous coverage. Carbon Balance and Management. 8:1. https://doi.org/10.1186/1750-0680-8-1
Process_Date: Unknown
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Spatial_Data_Organization_Information:
Direct_Spatial_Reference_Method: Raster
Raster_Object_Information:
Raster_Object_Type: Pixel
Row_Count: 11917
Column_Count: 18744
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Spatial_Reference_Information:
Horizontal_Coordinate_System_Definition:
Planar:
Map_Projection:
Map_Projection_Name: Albers Conical Equal Area
Albers_Conical_Equal_Area:
Standard_Parallel: 29.5
Standard_Parallel: 45.5
Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: -96
Latitude_of_Projection_Origin: 23
False_Easting: 0
False_Northing: 0
Geodetic_Model:
Horizontal_Datum_Name: North American Datum of 1983
Ellipsoid_Name: Geodetic Reference System 80
Semi-major_Axis: 6378137
Denominator_of_Flattening_Ratio: 298.25722210088
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Entity_and_Attribute_Information:
Detailed_Description:
Entity_Type:
Entity_Type_Label: carbon_tot_mg_ha.img
Entity_Type_Definition:
Raster map of total forest carbon in all stocks (i.e. sum of all individual stocks)
Entity_Type_Definition_Source:
Wilson et al. 2013
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: Value
Attribute_Definition:
Per hectare estimate of total forest carbon for a pixel.
Attribute_Definition_Source:
Woudenberg et al. 2010
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Range_Domain:
Range_Domain_Minimum: 0
Range_Domain_Maximum: 1450.606201171875
Attribute_Units_of_Measure: Megagrams
Detailed_Description:
Entity_Type:
Entity_Type_Label: carbon_ag_mg_ha.img
Entity_Type_Definition:
Raster map of live tree aboveground forest carbon
Entity_Type_Definition_Source:
Wilson et al. 2013
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: Value
Attribute_Definition:
Per hectare estimate of live aboveground tree carbon for a pixel (i.e. the CARBON_AG field in the TREE table of FIADB, for live trees).
Attribute_Definition_Source:
Woudenberg et al. 2010
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Range_Domain:
Range_Domain_Minimum: 0
Range_Domain_Maximum: 1020.98779296875
Attribute_Units_of_Measure: Megagrams
Detailed_Description:
Entity_Type:
Entity_Type_Label: carbon_bg_mg_ha.img
Entity_Type_Definition:
Raster map of live tree belowground forest carbon
Entity_Type_Definition_Source:
Wilson et al. 2013
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: Value
Attribute_Definition:
Per hectare estimate of live tree belowground carbon for a pixel (i.e. the CARBON_BG field in the TREE table of FIADB, for live trees).
Attribute_Definition_Source:
Woudenberg et al. 2010
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Range_Domain:
Range_Domain_Minimum: 0
Range_Domain_Maximum: 226.6371154785156
Attribute_Units_of_Measure: Megagrams
Detailed_Description:
Entity_Type:
Entity_Type_Label: carbon_dd_mg_ha.img
Entity_Type_Definition:
Raster map of forest down dead carbon
Entity_Type_Definition_Source:
Wilson et al. 2013
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: Value
Attribute_Definition:
Per hectare estimate of forest down dead carbon for a pixel (i.e. the CARBON_DOWN_DEAD field in the COND table of FIADB).
Attribute_Definition_Source:
Woudenberg et al. 2010
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Range_Domain:
Range_Domain_Minimum: 0
Range_Domain_Maximum: 91.61745452880859
Attribute_Units_of_Measure: Megagrams
Detailed_Description:
Entity_Type:
Entity_Type_Label: carbon_lt_mg_ha.img
Entity_Type_Definition:
Raster map of forest litter carbon
Entity_Type_Definition_Source:
Wilson et al. 2013
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: Value
Attribute_Definition:
Per hectare estimate of forest litter carbon for a pixel (i.e. the CARBON_LITTER field in the COND table of FIADB).
Attribute_Definition_Source:
Woudenberg et al. 2010
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Range_Domain:
Range_Domain_Minimum: 0
Range_Domain_Maximum: 67.17532348632813
Attribute_Units_of_Measure: Megagrams
Detailed_Description:
Entity_Type:
Entity_Type_Label: carbon_sd_mg_ha.img
Entity_Type_Definition:
Raster map of forest standing dead carbon
Entity_Type_Definition_Source:
Wilson et al. 2013
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: Value
Attribute_Definition:
Per hectare estimate of forest standing dead carbon for a pixel.
Attribute_Definition_Source:
Woudenberg et al. 2010
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Range_Domain:
Range_Domain_Minimum: 0
Range_Domain_Maximum: 127.6697463989258
Attribute_Units_of_Measure: Megagrams
Detailed_Description:
Entity_Type:
Entity_Type_Label: carbon_so_mg_ha.img
Entity_Type_Definition:
Raster map of forest soil organic carbon
Entity_Type_Definition_Source:
Wilson et al. 2013
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: Value
Attribute_Definition:
Per hectare estimate of forest soil organic carbon for a pixel.
Attribute_Definition_Source:
Woudenberg et al. 2010
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Range_Domain:
Range_Domain_Minimum: 0
Range_Domain_Maximum: 261.7994384765625
Attribute_Units_of_Measure: Megagrams
Detailed_Description:
Entity_Type:
Entity_Type_Label: carbon_us_mg_ha.img
Entity_Type_Definition:
Raster map of forest understory carbon
Entity_Type_Definition_Source:
Wilson et al. 2013
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: Value
Attribute_Definition:
Per hectare estimate of forest understory carbon for a pixel.
Attribute_Definition_Source:
Woudenberg et al. 2010
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Range_Domain:
Range_Domain_Minimum: 0
Range_Domain_Maximum: 13.5263729095459
Attribute_Units_of_Measure: Megagrams
Overview_Description:
Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
This data publication contains 8 raster maps all available in the \Data folder of this data publication download.

More information on the forest carbon stock attributes depicted in these raster data sets can be found in Wilson et al. 2013 which describes the mapping methodology and assessment results.
Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:
Wilson, Barry Tyler; Woodall, Christopher W.; Griffith, Douglas M. 2013. Imputing forest carbon stock estimates from inventory plots to a nationally continuous coverage. Carbon Balance and Management. 8:1. https://doi.org/10.1186/1750-0680-8-1

Woudenberg, Sharon W.; Conkling, Barbara L.; O'Connell, Barbara M.; LaPoint, Elizabeth B.; Turner, Jeffery A.; Waddell, Karen L. 2010. The Forest Inventory and Analysis Database: Database description and users manual version 4.0 for Phase 2. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-245. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 336 p. https://doi.org/10.2737/RMRS-GTR-245
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Distribution_Information:
Distributor:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Person_Primary:
Contact_Person: Research Data Archivist
Contact_Organization: USDA Forest Service, Research and Development
Contact_Position: Research Data Archivist
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical
Address: 240 West Prospect Road
City: Fort Collins
State_or_Province: CO
Postal_Code: 80526
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: see Contact Instructions
Contact Instructions: This contact information was current as of June 2019. For current information see Contact Us page on: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS.
Resource_Description: RDS-2013-0004
Distribution_Liability:
Metadata documents have been reviewed for accuracy and completeness. Unless otherwise stated, all data and related materials are considered to satisfy the quality standards relative to the purpose for which the data were collected. However, neither the author, the Archive, nor any part of the federal government can assure the reliability or suitability of these data for a particular purpose. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed for a user's application of these data or related materials.

The metadata, data, or related materials may be updated without notification. If a user believes errors are present in the metadata, data or related materials, please use the information in (1) Identification Information: Point of Contact, (2) Metadata Reference: Metadata Contact, or (3) Distribution Information: Distributor to notify the author or the Archive of the issues.
Standard_Order_Process:
Digital_Form:
Digital_Transfer_Information:
Format_Name: IMG
Format_Version_Number: see Format Specification
Format_Specification:
ERDAS image file
File_Decompression_Technique: Files zipped with 7-Zip 18.05
Digital_Transfer_Option:
Online_Option:
Computer_Contact_Information:
Network_Address:
Network_Resource_Name: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0004
Digital_Form:
Digital_Transfer_Information:
Format_Name: ArcMap
Format_Version_Number: see Format Specification
Format_Specification:
Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW) map service
File_Decompression_Technique: No compression applied
Digital_Transfer_Option:
Online_Option:
Computer_Contact_Information:
Network_Address:
Network_Resource_Name: https://apps.fs.usda.gov/fsgisx01/rest/services/RDW_ForestEcology
Fees: none
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Metadata_Reference_Information:
Metadata_Date: 20190626
Metadata_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Person_Primary:
Contact_Person: Barry Tyler Wilson
Contact_Organization: USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station
Contact_Position: Research Forester
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical
Address: 1992 Fowell Avenue
City: Saint Paul
State_or_Province: MN
Postal_Code: 55104
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: 651-649-5189
Metadata_Standard_Name: FGDC Biological Data Profile of the Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata
Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001.1-1999
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