The USDA Forest Service (USFS) builds multiple versions of percent tree canopy cover data, in order to serve needs of multiple user communities. These datasets encompass CONUS, Coastal Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. There are three versions of data within the 2016 TCC Product Suite, which include:
The initial model outputs referred to as the Analytical data;
A masked version of the initial output referred to as Cartographic data;
And a modified version built for the National Land Cover Database and referred to as NLCD data, which includes a canopy cover change dataset derived from subtraction of datasets for the nominal years of 2011 and 2016.
The Analytical data are the initial model outputs generated in the production workflow. These data are best suited for users who will carry out their own detailed statistical and uncertainty analyses on the dataset and place lower priority on the visual appearance of the dataset for cartographic purposes. Datasets for the nominal years of 2011 and 2016 are available.
The Cartographic products mask the initial model outputs to improve the visual appearance of the datasets. These data are best suited for users who prioritize visual appearance of the data for cartographic and illustrative purposes. Datasets for the nominal years of 2011 and 2016 are available.
The NLCD data are the result of further processing of the masked data. The goal was to generate three coordinated components. The components are (1) a dataset for the nominal year of 2011, (2) a dataset for the nominal year of 2016, and (3) a dataset that captures the change in canopy cover between the two nominal years of 2011 and 2016. For the NLCD data, the three components meet the criterion of 2011 TCC + change in TCC = 2016 TCC. These NLCD data are best suited for users who require a coordinated three-component data stack where each pixels values meet the criterion of 2011 TCC + change in TCC = 2016 TCC. Datasets for the nominal years of 2011 and 2016 are available, as well as a dataset that captures the change (loss or gain) in canopy cover between those two nominal years of 2011 and 2016, in areas where change was identified.
These tree canopy cover data are accessible for multiple user communities, through multiple channels and platforms, as listed below:
Analytical
USFS Tree Canopy Cover Datasets (Download)
USFS Enterprise Data Warehouse (Image Service)
Cartographic
USFS Tree Canopy Cover Datasets (Download)
USFS Enterprise Data Warehouse (Map Service)
NLCD
Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics (MRLC) Consortium (Download)
USFS Enterprise Data Warehouse (Image Service)
The Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands TCC NLCD change dataset is comprised of a single layer. The pixel values range from -97 to 98 percent where negative values represent canopy loss and positive values represent canopy gain. The background is represented by the value 127 and data gaps are represented by the value 110 since this is a signed 8-bit image.