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Harmonization of forest disturbance datasets of the conterminous USA from 1986 to 2011

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Abstract

Several spatial forest disturbance datasets exist for the conterminous USA. The major problem with forest disturbance mapping is that variability between map products leads to uncertainty regarding the actual rate of disturbance. In this article, harmonized maps were produced from multiple data sources (i.e., Global Forest Change, LANDFIRE Vegetation Disturbance, National Land Cover Database, Vegetation Change Tracker, and Web-Enabled Landsat Data). The harmonization process involved fitting common class ontologies and determining spatial congruency to produce forest disturbance maps for four time intervals (1986–1992, 1992–2001, 2001–2006, and 2006–2011). Pixels mapped as disturbed for two or more datasets were labeled as disturbed in the harmonized maps. The primary advantage gained by harmonization was improvement in commission error rates relative to the individual disturbance products. Disturbance omission errors were high for both harmonized and individual forest disturbance maps due to underlying limitations in mapping subtle disturbances with Landsat classification algorithms. To enhance the value of the harmonized disturbance products, we used fire perimeter maps to add information on the cause of disturbance.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the USGS Land Change Science and USGS Climate Research and Development programs and Cooperative Agreement G12AC20221 provided by the USGS to SUNY ESF. We would also like to thank external peer reviewers for their suggestions. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the US Government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Western Geographic Science Center, US Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, MS-531, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA

    Christopher E. Soulard

  2. EROS Data Center, US Geological Survey, Sioux Falls, SD, USA

    William Acevedo & Janis L. Taylor

  3. PNW Research Station, US Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Corvallis, OR, USA

    Warren B. Cohen

  4. Department of Forest Ecosyste and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA

    Zhiqiang Yang

  5. Department of Forest and Natural Resources Management, State University of New York, Syracuse, NY, USA

    Stephen V. Stehman

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  1. Christopher E. Soulard
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  2. William Acevedo
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  3. Warren B. Cohen
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  4. Zhiqiang Yang
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  5. Stephen V. Stehman
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  6. Janis L. Taylor
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Correspondence to Christopher E. Soulard.

Electronic supplementary material

ESM 1

Digital forest disturbance map data for 1986–1992, 1992–2001, 2001–2006, and 2006–2011 are provided online through the journal. Compressed Erdas Imagine (IMG) files have a 30 m pixel resolution and the projection is set to Albers Equal-Area Conic, North American Datum of 1983. For each time interval, pixels are either coded 0 (not disturbed), 1 (forest harvest/other), or 2 (forest fire). (ZIP 355473 kb)

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Soulard, C.E., Acevedo, W., Cohen, W.B. et al. Harmonization of forest disturbance datasets of the conterminous USA from 1986 to 2011. Environ Monit Assess 189, 170 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-017-5879-5

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