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LANDFIRE 2020 Existing Vegetation Type (EVT) CONUS
LANDFIRE's (LF) 2020 update (LF 2020) Existing Vegetation Type (EVT) represents the current distribution of the terrestrial ecological systems classification developed by NatureServe for the western hemisphere. In this context, a terrestrial ecological system is defined as a group of plant community types that tend to co-occur within landscapes with similar ecological processes, substrates, and/or environmental gradients. EVT also includes ruderal or semi-natural vegetation types within the U.S. National Vegetation Classification [(NVC) http://usnvc.org/]. See the EVT product page (https://www.landfire.gov/evt.php) for more information about ecological systems and NVC. EVT is mapped using decision tree models, field data, Landsat imagery, topography, and biophysical gradient data. Decision tree models are developed separately for tree, shrub, and herbaceous lifeforms which are then used to produce a lifeform specific EVT product. These models are generated for each Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Level III Ecoregion (https://www.epa.gov/eco-research/ecoregions). Riparian, alpine, sparse, and other site-specific EVTs are constrained by predetermined masks. Urban and developed areas are derived from the National Land Cover Database (NLCD), and the Microsoft Building Footprint dataset, whereas agricultural lands originate from the Cropland Data Layer (CDL) and the California Statewide Crop Mapping layer. Burnable developed classes are identified from building footprint dataset thresholds. LF 2020 retains circa 2016 EVT labels except where shifts in urban, recently disturbed, agriculture, and developed ruderal classes occurred for 2020. EVT is no longer synchronized in ST-SIM outputs for disturbed areas in LF 2020. LF uses EVT as an input for LF 2020 Fuel Vegetation Type (FVT).
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Complete Metadata
| accessLevel | public |
|---|---|
| bureauCode |
[ "010:12" ] |
| contactPoint |
{ "fn": "LANDFIRE, Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS), U.S. Geological Survey", "@type": "vcard:Contact", "hasEmail": "mailto:helpdesk@landfire.gov" } |
| description | LANDFIRE's (LF) 2020 update (LF 2020) Existing Vegetation Type (EVT) represents the current distribution of the terrestrial ecological systems classification developed by NatureServe for the western hemisphere. In this context, a terrestrial ecological system is defined as a group of plant community types that tend to co-occur within landscapes with similar ecological processes, substrates, and/or environmental gradients. EVT also includes ruderal or semi-natural vegetation types within the U.S. National Vegetation Classification [(NVC) http://usnvc.org/]. See the EVT product page (https://www.landfire.gov/evt.php) for more information about ecological systems and NVC. EVT is mapped using decision tree models, field data, Landsat imagery, topography, and biophysical gradient data. Decision tree models are developed separately for tree, shrub, and herbaceous lifeforms which are then used to produce a lifeform specific EVT product. These models are generated for each Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Level III Ecoregion (https://www.epa.gov/eco-research/ecoregions). Riparian, alpine, sparse, and other site-specific EVTs are constrained by predetermined masks. Urban and developed areas are derived from the National Land Cover Database (NLCD), and the Microsoft Building Footprint dataset, whereas agricultural lands originate from the Cropland Data Layer (CDL) and the California Statewide Crop Mapping layer. Burnable developed classes are identified from building footprint dataset thresholds. LF 2020 retains circa 2016 EVT labels except where shifts in urban, recently disturbed, agriculture, and developed ruderal classes occurred for 2020. EVT is no longer synchronized in ST-SIM outputs for disturbed areas in LF 2020. LF uses EVT as an input for LF 2020 Fuel Vegetation Type (FVT). |
| distribution |
[ { "@type": "dcat:Distribution", "title": "Digital Data", "format": "XML", "accessURL": "https://doi.org/10.5066/P1LJEZ3G", "mediaType": "application/http", "description": "Landing page for access to the data" }, { "@type": "dcat:Distribution", "title": "Original Metadata", "format": "XML", "mediaType": "text/xml", "description": "The metadata original format", "downloadURL": "https://data.usgs.gov/datacatalog/metadata/USGS.6a160259b66b013d45990b7e.xml" } ] |
| identifier | http://datainventory.doi.gov/id/dataset/USGS_6a160259b66b013d45990b7e |
| keyword |
[ "CONUS", "Conterminous United States", "Continental U.S.", "EVT", "Existing Vegetation Type", "LANDFIRE 2020", "LF 2020", "U.S. Forest Service (USFS)", "U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)", "US", "USGS:6a160259b66b013d45990b7e", "United States", "biota", "fires", "geographic information systems", "geospatial datasets", "hazard preparedness", "image collections", "imageryBaseMapsEarthCover", "raster digital data", "remote sensing" ] |
| modified | 2026-07-23T00:00:00Z |
| publisher |
{ "name": "U.S. Geological Survey", "@type": "org:Organization" } |
| spatial | -127.9878, 22.7654, -65.2544, 51.6497 |
| theme |
[ "geospatial" ] |
| title | LANDFIRE 2020 Existing Vegetation Type (EVT) CONUS |
