LANDFIRE 2024 Existing Vegetation Type (EVT) AK
LANDFIRE's 2024 update (LF 2024) Existing Vegetation Type (EVT) in Alaska (AK) and Hawaii (HI) is unchanged from LF 2023 EVT. 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. See the EVT product page (https://landfire.gov/vegetation/evt) for more information about ecological systems and NVC classifications.
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.
LF 2024 AK, HI, and PRVI retains circa 2016 EVT labels except where shifts in urban, agriculture, and developed classes occur. While Existing Vegetation Cover (EVC) and Height (EVH) are updated using transition rulesets with ST-Sim to account for disturbances, EVT remains unchanged, therefore EVT lifeform is not synchronized to the EVC/EVH lifeform as in some previous versions.
In Alaska, developed and agricultural lands were derived from the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2016 Land Cover. Roads were derived from the NLCD 2016 Developed Urban Descriptor for south-central Alaska and a state-wide dataset from HERE Technologies. In the Alaska 90km buffer area developed and agricultural lands were derived from the North American Land Change Monitoring System ((NALCMS) https://www.mrlc.gov/data/north-american-land-change-monitoring-system) 2015 Land Cover and new developed lands were added from the NALCMS 2020 Land Cover for LF 2024.
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Complete Metadata
| @type | dcat:Dataset |
|---|---|
| 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 2024 update (LF 2024) Existing Vegetation Type (EVT) in Alaska (AK) and Hawaii (HI) is unchanged from LF 2023 EVT. 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. See the EVT product page (https://landfire.gov/vegetation/evt) for more information about ecological systems and NVC classifications. 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. LF 2024 AK, HI, and PRVI retains circa 2016 EVT labels except where shifts in urban, agriculture, and developed classes occur. While Existing Vegetation Cover (EVC) and Height (EVH) are updated using transition rulesets with ST-Sim to account for disturbances, EVT remains unchanged, therefore EVT lifeform is not synchronized to the EVC/EVH lifeform as in some previous versions. In Alaska, developed and agricultural lands were derived from the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2016 Land Cover. Roads were derived from the NLCD 2016 Developed Urban Descriptor for south-central Alaska and a state-wide dataset from HERE Technologies. In the Alaska 90km buffer area developed and agricultural lands were derived from the North American Land Change Monitoring System ((NALCMS) https://www.mrlc.gov/data/north-american-land-change-monitoring-system) 2015 Land Cover and new developed lands were added from the NALCMS 2020 Land Cover for LF 2024. |
| distribution |
[ { "@type": "dcat:Distribution", "title": "Digital Data", "format": "XML", "accessURL": "https://doi.org/10.5066/P1XVKXRL", "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.68471116d4be023e73e740c2.xml" } ] |
| identifier | http://datainventory.doi.gov/id/dataset/USGS_68471116d4be023e73e740c2 |
| keyword |
[ "AK", "Alaska", "EVT", "Existing Vegetation Type", "LANDFIRE 2024", "LF 2024", "OCONUS", "U.S. Forest Service (USFS)", "U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)", "US", "USGS:68471116d4be023e73e740c2", "United States", "biota", "fires", "geographic information systems", "geospatial datasets", "hazard preparedness", "image collections", "imageryBaseMapsEarthCover", "raster digital data", "remote sensing" ] |
| modified | 2026-03-18T00:00:00Z |
| publisher |
{ "name": "U.S. Geological Survey", "@type": "org:Organization" } |
| spatial | -179.3173, 48.8767, -122.0000, 71.5478 |
| theme |
[ "geospatial" ] |
| title | LANDFIRE 2024 Existing Vegetation Type (EVT) AK |
