Study Area Description: The Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics continental United States study area without Alaska

Change

Loss (Annual Product)

Product Description

This product is part of the Landscape Change Monitoring System (LCMS) data suite. It shows areas LCMS detected loss for each year.

Vegetative indices indicate a negative trend over time. Loss is not categorized explicitly in the training data, however, specific change process classifications are collected. The following describes the change processes, any of which could be present and are collectively considered loss.
Class Description:
1 indicates loss for each year (The only unmasked value).

Product Class Definitions

1 : HARVEST : Where tree stems were mechanically severed from their trunks, and where land use was and remains forest. This includes road clearing/building for harvest operations or general maintenance. Harvest can occur over a two-year (or more) period, but is only assigned a single, multi-year segment. For example, some systems are managed such that a few trees are removed each of several successive years, and it is best to declare a single, multi-year harvest segment in this case. Similarly, where a road removes part of a plot in one year, and then harvest of other trees in the plot occurs a subsequent year, that could be a single, multi-year harvest. If there is a break of one or more years between/among harvest events, then these events become separate segments; however, for simplification, if only one year of non-harvest occurs between years of harvest, it is permissible to ignore the one year of non-harvest and declare a multi-year, single harvest segment that includes the single year of non-harvest. This depends on how the visual fitting of the trajectory is affected. If there is a significant spectral trend shift from thinning followed by clear-cut, for example, then two separate harvest segments may be warranted. Salvage logging after fire or insects, etc. is labeled as harvest, not delay.
1 : FIRE : where evidence of fire exists regardless of cause (natural or anthropogenic), severity, or land use (except Site-prep fire- SPF).
1 : STRESS : Where a stress-related spectral trend is evident in natural (primarily woody) vegetation environments, most likely from insects, diseases, drought, acid rain, etc. However, you must be convinced that woody vegetation actually died or lost leaf area; otherwise use Other-Disturbance and provide a comment.
1 : WIND : Where evidence of wind damage from hurricanes, tornados, and storms (including those proceeded by an ice storm) exists regardless of land use.
1 : FLOOD : Where flooding has significantly and semi- permanently altered the land cover element mixture regardless of land use; e.g., new mixtures of gravel and vegetation in and around streambeds after a flood. Flood disturbances with a clear effect on forest health and a prolonged recovery period should also be included, whereas floods that only affect the understory and recover within a year or two would be considered ephemeral. Also relevant to swampy areas or lake edges, where water level has risen and remains; if water level is variable year to year the ephemeral checkbox should be used.
1 : MECHANICAL : Where evidence of anthropogenic change associated with land use or vegetation alteration or construction is evident, such as chaining in juniper forests, mastication of chaparral, mining, building of non-forest roads, dams, and structures in various environments and land uses. Can happen in stages (i.e., over several years), such as vegetation removal, followed by construction of structures, which would be declared as two separate segments. A several year segment associated with construction/structure densification, can be declared a single segment.
1 : DEBRIS : Where evidence exists of natural material movement associated landslides, avalanches, etc. in any land use class.
1 : VOLCANO : Where volcanic activity has impacted any land use.
1 : OTHER : Any disturbance segment whose description is not similar to all other segment labels; these must be further described in the comment field. Relevant to any land use type.

Year of Highest Probability of Loss (Summary Product)

Product Description

This product is part of the Landscape Change Monitoring System (LCMS) data suite. It is a summary of all annual loss into a single layer showing the year LCMS detected loss with the highest model confidence.

Vegetative indices indicate a negative trend over time. Loss is not categorized explicitly in the training data, however, specific change process classifications are collected. The following describes the change processes, any of which could be present and are collectively considered loss.
Class Description:
Year of highest probability of loss minus 1970. This layer only shows the year corresponding to the highest modeled probability of loss across all years of loss modeled by LCMS. The class value of the original individual years of loss is 1, while the class values in this layer are the year of the highest probability of loss minus 1970.

Product Class Definitions

1 : HARVEST : Where tree stems were mechanically severed from their trunks, and where land use was and remains forest. This includes road clearing/building for harvest operations or general maintenance. Harvest can occur over a two-year (or more) period, but is only assigned a single, multi-year segment. For example, some systems are managed such that a few trees are removed each of several successive years, and it is best to declare a single, multi-year harvest segment in this case. Similarly, where a road removes part of a plot in one year, and then harvest of other trees in the plot occurs a subsequent year, that could be a single, multi-year harvest. If there is a break of one or more years between/among harvest events, then these events become separate segments; however, for simplification, if only one year of non-harvest occurs between years of harvest, it is permissible to ignore the one year of non-harvest and declare a multi-year, single harvest segment that includes the single year of non-harvest. This depends on how the visual fitting of the trajectory is affected. If there is a significant spectral trend shift from thinning followed by clear-cut, for example, then two separate harvest segments may be warranted. Salvage logging after fire or insects, etc. is labeled as harvest, not delay.
1 : FIRE : where evidence of fire exists regardless of cause (natural or anthropogenic), severity, or land use (except Site-prep fire- SPF).
1 : STRESS : Where a stress-related spectral trend is evident in natural (primarily woody) vegetation environments, most likely from insects, diseases, drought, acid rain, etc. However, you must be convinced that woody vegetation actually died or lost leaf area; otherwise use Other-Disturbance and provide a comment.
1 : WIND : Where evidence of wind damage from hurricanes, tornados, and storms (including those proceeded by an ice storm) exists regardless of land use.
1 : FLOOD : Where flooding has significantly and semi- permanently altered the land cover element mixture regardless of land use; e.g., new mixtures of gravel and vegetation in and around streambeds after a flood. Flood disturbances with a clear effect on forest health and a prolonged recovery period should also be included, whereas floods that only affect the understory and recover within a year or two would be considered ephemeral. Also relevant to swampy areas or lake edges, where water level has risen and remains; if water level is variable year to year the ephemeral checkbox should be used.
1 : MECHANICAL : Where evidence of anthropogenic change associated with land use or vegetation alteration or construction is evident, such as chaining in juniper forests, mastication of chaparral, mining, building of non-forest roads, dams, and structures in various environments and land uses. Can happen in stages (i.e., over several years), such as vegetation removal, followed by construction of structures, which would be declared as two separate segments. A several year segment associated with construction/structure densification, can be declared a single segment.
1 : DEBRIS : Where evidence exists of natural material movement associated landslides, avalanches, etc. in any land use class.
1 : VOLCANO : Where volcanic activity has impacted any land use.
1 : OTHER : Any disturbance segment whose description is not similar to all other segment labels; these must be further described in the comment field. Relevant to any land use type.

Most Recent Year of Loss (Summary Product)

Product Description

This product is part of the Landscape Change Monitoring System (LCMS) data suite. It is a summary of all annual loss into a single layer showing the most recent year LCMS detected loss.

Vegetative indices indicate a negative trend over time. Loss is not categorized explicitly in the training data, however, specific change process classifications are collected. The following describes the change processes, any of which could be present and are collectively considered loss.
Class Description:
Year of most recent loss minus 1970. This layer only shows the most recent year of loss across all years of loss modeled by LCMS. The class value of the original individual years of loss is 1, while the class values in this layer are the most recent year of loss minus 1970.

Product Class Definitions

1 : HARVEST : Where tree stems were mechanically severed from their trunks, and where land use was and remains forest. This includes road clearing/building for harvest operations or general maintenance. Harvest can occur over a two-year (or more) period, but is only assigned a single, multi-year segment. For example, some systems are managed such that a few trees are removed each of several successive years, and it is best to declare a single, multi-year harvest segment in this case. Similarly, where a road removes part of a plot in one year, and then harvest of other trees in the plot occurs a subsequent year, that could be a single, multi-year harvest. If there is a break of one or more years between/among harvest events, then these events become separate segments; however, for simplification, if only one year of non-harvest occurs between years of harvest, it is permissible to ignore the one year of non-harvest and declare a multi-year, single harvest segment that includes the single year of non-harvest. This depends on how the visual fitting of the trajectory is affected. If there is a significant spectral trend shift from thinning followed by clear-cut, for example, then two separate harvest segments may be warranted. Salvage logging after fire or insects, etc. is labeled as harvest, not delay.
1 : FIRE : where evidence of fire exists regardless of cause (natural or anthropogenic), severity, or land use (except Site-prep fire- SPF).
1 : STRESS : Where a stress-related spectral trend is evident in natural (primarily woody) vegetation environments, most likely from insects, diseases, drought, acid rain, etc. However, you must be convinced that woody vegetation actually died or lost leaf area; otherwise use Other-Disturbance and provide a comment.
1 : WIND : Where evidence of wind damage from hurricanes, tornados, and storms (including those proceeded by an ice storm) exists regardless of land use.
1 : FLOOD : Where flooding has significantly and semi- permanently altered the land cover element mixture regardless of land use; e.g., new mixtures of gravel and vegetation in and around streambeds after a flood. Flood disturbances with a clear effect on forest health and a prolonged recovery period should also be included, whereas floods that only affect the understory and recover within a year or two would be considered ephemeral. Also relevant to swampy areas or lake edges, where water level has risen and remains; if water level is variable year to year the ephemeral checkbox should be used.
1 : MECHANICAL : Where evidence of anthropogenic change associated with land use or vegetation alteration or construction is evident, such as chaining in juniper forests, mastication of chaparral, mining, building of non-forest roads, dams, and structures in various environments and land uses. Can happen in stages (i.e., over several years), such as vegetation removal, followed by construction of structures, which would be declared as two separate segments. A several year segment associated with construction/structure densification, can be declared a single segment.
1 : DEBRIS : Where evidence exists of natural material movement associated landslides, avalanches, etc. in any land use class.
1 : VOLCANO : Where volcanic activity has impacted any land use.
1 : OTHER : Any disturbance segment whose description is not similar to all other segment labels; these must be further described in the comment field. Relevant to any land use type.