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Existing Vegetation Cover


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This page includes a general description of the product, please consult the schedule and version pages for information specific to each release.

LANDFIRE's (LF) Existing Vegetation Cover (EVC) represents the vertically projected percent cover of the live canopy layer for a 30-m cell.

EVC is generated separately for tree, shrub, and herbaceous cover lifeforms using training data and other geospatial layers. Percentage tree, shrub, and herbaceous canopy cover training data are generated using plot-level ground-based visual assessments and lidar observations.

  • Once the training data are developed, relationships are then established separately for each lifeform between the training data and combination of Landsat and ancillary data. Each of the derived data layers (tree, shrub, herbaceous) has a potential range from 0-100 percent which are merged into a single composite EVC layer.
  • Disturbance data is used to develop LF products for LFRDB plot filtering and to ensure that disturbances from recent years are included that were not visible in the source imagery.

LF 2016 Remap and beyond includes a 90-kilometer buffer along the 1,500 miles of the eastern and southern borders AK shares with Canada. Then with the LF 2020 update, and future updates, for the Conterminous United States (CONUS) a 90-kilometer buffer into Mexico is also included.

LF uses EVC in several subsequent layers, including the development of the fuel layers.

Product availability

Attribute Data DictionaryPDF

Comma separated value (CSV) files can be found in the LF Library.

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Metadata:

EVC example
Northwest region - LF 2016 Remap EVC


Key EVC Attributes
VALUE Existing vegetation cover (EVC) depicts percent canopy cover by life form
Developed-Upland Forest Shrub 5 classes of Developed-Upland
Developed 3 classes of Developed vegetation
Developed-Roads 1 class of Developed Roads
NASS Crops 6 classes of NASS crops
Tree Cover % of Tree Cover
Shrub Cover % of Shrub Cover
Herb Cover % of Herb Cover
Count number of pixels for the corresponding value
Classnames Display attribute. EVC has a potential range of 0 - 100 percent canopy cover
Red Red color value range 0 - 1
Green Green color value range 0 - 1
Blue Blue color value range 0 - 1
 

 
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