Monday, April 25, 2011

US Forest Map Released

A newly released GIS map, created by Woods Hole Research Center (WHRC) scientists, is the most precise representation yet of the height and coverage of US forests and woodlands. The data will provide a baseline for understanding both forest resources and carbon flux, study leader Josef Kellndorfer of WHRC said in a statement.

The combined dataset represents the first hectare-scale maps of canopy height, above-ground biomass, and associated carbon stock for the forests and woodlands of the conterminous United States. The multi-year project, referred to as the National Biomass and Carbon Dataset (NBCD), produced maps of these key forest attributes at an unprecedented spatial resolution of 30 m.

According to Kellndorfer, "This dataset will advance our understanding of the United States natural resources, provide an invaluable circa year 2000 baseline against which to assess changes in the future, and help to improve our understanding of the drivers for change, and thus supporting good decision making."

Read more at Science Daily or the project website.  The digital raster dataset is freely accessible for download.

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