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Rangeland Condition Monitoring Assessment and Projection (RCMAP) Tree Cover Fractional Component Time-Series Across the Western U.S. 1985-2021

Metadata Updated: September 17, 2025

The RCMAP (Rangeland Condition Monitoring Assessment and Projection) dataset quantifies the percent cover of rangeland components across the western U.S. using Landsat imagery from 1985-2021. The RCMAP product suite consists of nine fractional components: annual herbaceous, bare ground, herbaceous, litter, non-sagebrush shrub, perennial herbaceous, sagebrush, shrub, and tree, in addition to the temporal trends of each component. Several enhancements were made to the RCMAP process relative to prior generations. First, we have trained time-series predictions directly from 331 high-resolution sites collected from 2013-2018 from Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM) instead of using the 2016 “base” map as an intermediary. This removes one level of model error and allows the direct association of high-resolution derived training data to the corresponding year of Landsat imagery. We have incorporated all available (as of 10/1/22) Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM), and Landscape Monitoring Framework (LMF) observations. LANDFIRE public reference database training observations spanning 1985-2015 have been added. Neural network models with Keras tuner optimization have replaced Cubist models as our classifier. We have added a tree canopy cover component. Our study area has expanded to include all of California, Oregon, and Washington; in prior generations landscapes to the west of the Cascades were excluded. Additional spectral indices have been added as predictor variables, tasseled cap wetness, brightness, and greenness. Location information (i.e., latitude and longitude/ x and y coordinates) and elevation above sea level have been added as predictor variables. CCDC-Synthetic Landsat images were obtained for 6 monthly periods for each region and were added as predictors. These data augment the phenologic detail of the 2 seasonal Landsat composites. Post-processing has been improved with updated fire recovery equations stratified by ecosystem resistance and resilience (R and R) classes (Maestas and Campbell 2016) to stratify recovery rates. Ecosystem R and R maps are only available for the sagebrush biome. We intersected classes with 1985-2020 average water year precipitation to identify precipitation thresholds corresponding to R and R classes. Outside of the sagebrush biome, precipitation was used to produce R and R equivalent (low, medium, high). Due to the fast recovery following fire in California chapparal (e.g., Keeley and Keeley 1981, Storey et al. 2016), we used EPA level 3 ecoregions to define a 4th R and R zone. Recovery rates are based on (Arkle et al (in press)) who evaluated the recovery of plant functional groups in 1278 post-fire rehab plots by time since disturbance stratified by ecosystem resistance and resilience. We have expanded this analysis by evaluated postfire-recovery in all AIM and LMF data across the West to establish maximum sage, shrub, and tree cover by time-since fire. Recovery limits in California follow (Keeley and Keeley 1981 and Storey et al. 2016). Second, post-processing has been enhanced through a revised noise detection model. For each pixel, we fit a third order polynomial model for each component cover time-series. Observations with a z-score more than 2 standard deviations from the mean are removed, and a new third order polynomial model (i.e., cleaned fit) is fit to observations within this threshold. Finally, looking again at all observations, those observations with a z-score more than 2 standard deviations from the mean of the cleaned fit are replaced with the mean of the prior and subsequent year component cover values. Processing efficiency has been increased using open-source software and USGS High-Performance Computing (HPC) resources. The mapping area included eight regions which were subsequently mosaicked for all nine components. These data can be used to answer critical questions regarding the influence of climate change and the suitability of management practices. Component products can be downloaded https://www.mrlc.gov/data.

Access & Use Information

Public: This dataset is intended for public access and use. License: No license information was provided. If this work was prepared by an officer or employee of the United States government as part of that person's official duties it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

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Dates

Metadata Created Date September 12, 2025
Metadata Updated Date September 17, 2025

Metadata Source

Harvested from DOI USGS DCAT-US

Additional Metadata

Resource Type Dataset
Metadata Created Date September 12, 2025
Metadata Updated Date September 17, 2025
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Maintainer
Identifier http://datainventory.doi.gov/id/dataset/usgs-63851919d34ed907bf77982a
Data Last Modified 2022-12-08T00:00:00Z
Category geospatial
Public Access Level public
Bureau Code 010:12
Metadata Context https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.jsonld
Metadata Catalog ID https://ddi.doi.gov/usgs-data.json
Schema Version https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema
Catalog Describedby https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.json
Harvest Object Id 170eb782-5ae0-4d6e-b735-861f5b8e4fdb
Harvest Source Id 2b80d118-ab3a-48ba-bd93-996bbacefac2
Harvest Source Title DOI USGS DCAT-US
Metadata Type geospatial
Old Spatial -128.0026, 26.4827, -99.6407, 51.5777
Source Datajson Identifier True
Source Hash 35b24c7b7aff507a76e7e1313f92b77e665d779f819e72ecbccaaa055d72cd66
Source Schema Version 1.1
Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": -128.0026, 26.4827, -128.0026, 51.5777, -99.6407, 51.5777, -99.6407, 26.4827, -128.0026, 26.4827}

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