Direct Download (Raster Data Gateway)Objective: Characterize current moisture deficit and surplus relative to the long-term average.Data: The indicator represents areas of moisture deficit as a z-score. A z-score is a statistical method for assessing how different a value (i.e., most recent 3 years) is from the mean (historical average). The source climate data is from PRISM. Mean moisture values were derived from historical data on precipitation and Thornthwaite potential evapotranspiration, from 1900 to t-minus 4 (t = current TCA Assessment year). The greater the negative z-value, the larger the departure from average conditions, indicating larger moisture deficits.These data highlight regions of moisture deficit as a z-score calculated from the reference time period and current conditions. There is a lag between the assessment year and the most recent drought data, for example, the 2024 TCA Assessment used 2021-2023 to represent current conditions and 1900-2020 for the reference time period. Data were summarized at the Subsection scale of the USFS National Hierarchy of Ecological Units and applied to the corresponding landscape (LTA).Data Format: Raster data are continuousUnits: Mean difference in z-scoreSpatial Resolution: 4000m (4km)Source data: PRISM; z-score calculations provided by the USFS Office of Sustainability and Climate based on the methods found here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/43361Additional Resources:Details on Method Changes and Source Data VersionsOverview of the Terrestrial Condition Assessment: TCA Hubsite or Landfire Office Hour PresentationExplore the results of the most recent assessment: TCA Interactive Data ViewerLearn more about the TCA KPI: TCA Dashboard*if you have trouble viewing the Dashboard, please submit a Tableau Viewer Access Request