Data collected and managed by Forest Service programs is available in a map service and two downloadable file formats – in a shape file and an ESRI file geodatabase.
Metadata is available that describes the content, source, and currency of the data.
You can filter the list by the topic categories in the menu at the left to help you find information you are interested in.
You can view the feature classes in a single dataset by clicking on the name of the parent dataset at the bottom of the abstract.
More Forest Service map services are available in ArcGIS Online
Shapefiles do not exist for all National Datasets.
This format has technical limitations which make them unsuitable for multiple datasets within this clearinghouse. These constraints include file size, attribute name length, field length, number of fields, limited data types, lack of topological representations and floating-point rounding errors leading to inevitable data loss.
The EDW Team is unable to support Shapefile exports for datasets that approach those limits. Esri File Geodatabases (FGDB) will remain available. Alternative formats including GeoPackage, GeoJSON, Character Separated Values (CSV), Map Services and Geospatial Discovery Tool offerings will be used to provide open format access to these National Datasets. Once these formats are available for all National Datasets, EDW will retire the shapefile format as a supported file exchange format.
Requests for KML/KMZ output
The Enterprise Data Warehouse Team tested exporting out to KML/KMZ files as a deliverable and due to the complexity and size of the datasets this has been unsuccessful.
To obtain a KML file for any EDW dataset, go to the Geospatial Data Discovery Tool and search for the dataset. An option to download to KML is available from that website.
If you have questions, contact: SM.FS.data@usda.gov.
Feature Classes
Abstract
Forest Service Land and Water Conservation Fund Parcels
Themes: lwcf, owner parcel, land and water conservation fund, surface ownership, planningcadastre, boundary, usda forest service, land status, nfs lands, boundaries, apl land dataset
This data is intended for read-only use. Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) data from surface ownership fund table is attached to surface ownership to create a base layer that is used in Forest Service business functions, as well as by other entities such as states, counties, other agencies, and partners. This layer depicts only the Forest Service lands that are acquired through purchase, exchange, donation, and transfer that used LWCF-designated funds. It is not a complete representation of all Forest Service land acquisitions; only those that used LWCF-designated funds.
Purpose:
This data is intended for read-only use. This layer is Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) funded lands from the Forest Service to the Trust for Public Lands (TPL). This layer combines data from surface ownership and the surface ownership fund table into the TPL data schema. This data will be available through a web map developed by TPL that will also include other LWCF funded projects (tplgis.org).
In 2021, the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB) initiated a tracking mechanism that requires all federal agencies that own or manage land to categorize the acres of those lands into three broad categories of predominant land use and produce an annual report. In this context the USDA Forest Service has considered the definitions of each category and classified all acres of National Forest System (NFS) lands into 1. Conservation/Preservation, 2. Commercial, 3. Operational designations. Those designations are additionally separated by whether the lands have been identified as Stewardship lands, or if the lands were acquired by the federal government for General Plant, Property & Equipment purposes. In response, the Washington Office Lands and Realty Management staff determined the appropriate data sources for this annual report and developed classification rules and a geoprocessing methodology to overlay and extract a seamless and complete NFS acreage total by the required categorizations. The acres of land in each category are dynamic, as the status of surface ownership may change from year to year based on administrative and congressional designations, purchases, dispositions, or exchanges. The data used to generate the report are updated weekly, and this translates into continuously refreshed reporting and mapping products. Presented here is the spatial representation of the rule-based land category designations of NFS lands.
The FASAB land categories are defined as follows:
Conservation/ Preservation: land or land rights that are predominantly used for conservation or preservation purposes.
Conservation: protection and proper use of natural resources.
Preservation: the protection of buildings, objects, and landscapes.
Commercial: land and permanent land rights that are predominately used to generate inflows of resources derived from the land itself or activities that nonfederal third parties perform on the land, usually through special use permits, right-of-way grants, and leases.
Operational: land that is used for general or administrative purposes.
The Land_FASAB dataset covers National Forest System Lands including federally owned units of forest, range, and related land consisting of national forests, purchase units, national grasslands, land utilization project areas, experimental forest areas, experimental range areas, designated experimental areas, other land areas, water areas, and interests in lands that are administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service or designated for administration through the Forest Service.
Additional information on this FASAB and the geoprocessing used to produce this dataset can be found here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/Land-FASAB-dataset-FAQ.pdf
This dataset is intended for read-only use. The purpose of these data is to provide display, identification, and analysis tools for determining current boundary information for Forest Service managers, GIS specialists, and others.
Purpose:
This dataset represents ownership parcels of the subsurface estate, representing mineral rights; it is collected only if the subsurface estate ownership is different than the overlying surface estate ownership (i.e. where a split estate exists).
This dataset is intended for read-only use. The purpose of these data is to provide display, identification, and analysis tools for determining current boundary information for Forest Service managers, GIS specialists, and others.
Purpose:
This dataset represents ownership parcels of the subsurface estate, excluding mineral rights; it is collected only if the subsurface estate is different than the overlying surface estate (i.e., where a split estate exists).
This dataset is intended for read-only use. The purpose of these data is to provide display, identification, and analysis tools for determining current boundary information for Forest Service managers, GIS specialists, and others.
Purpose:
This dataset represents rights to a surface resource, excluding Rights of Way.
This is a staging dataset created for integration into the official PAD-US dataset and is not intended for regular use. This dataset only contains Forest Service information. It was developed by the Forest Service for submission to the Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US) which is the official inventory of public parks and other protected open space. PAD-US is published by the U.S. Geological Survey Gap Analysis Program (USGS GAP). This dataset is updated weekly and is more current than the combined annual update of PAD-US from USGS GAP.
Purpose:
This is a staging dataset created for integration into the official PAD-US dataset and is not intended for regular use. This dataset only contains Forest Service information. It contains National Forest System (NFS) ownership parcels of the surface estate.
This is a staging dataset created for integration into the official PAD-US dataset and is not intended for regular use. This dataset only contains Forest Service information. It was developed by the Forest Service for submission to the Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US) which is the official inventory of public parks and other protected open space. Protected Areas Database of the United States is published by the U.S. Geological Survey Gap Analysis Program (USGS GAP). This dataset is updated weekly and is more current than the combined annual update of PAD-US from USGS GAP.
Payments in Lieu of Taxes and All Service Receipts Forest Lands
This data is intended for read-only use. Payments In Lieu of Taxes (PILT) and All Service Receipts (ASR) are combined into a base layer that is used in Forest Service business functions, as well as by other entities such as states and counties. This layer depicts Forest Service lands that qualify for PILT and/or ASR. Payments in Lieu of Taxes are Federal payments to local governments that help offset losses in property taxes due to the existence of nontaxbable Federal lands within their boundaries. All Service Receipts data provides acreage inputs to the FS All Service Receipts program that tracks receipt data by unit and computes revenue sharing payments to states and counties. Please note, the publication of this dataset in EDW replaces the file geodatabase on the Public Lands and Realty Management website.
These data have been depreciated and an updated dataset is available titled Forests to Faucets 2.0 (2022). More information about Forests to Faucets 2.0 can be found at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/ecosystemservices/FS_Efforts/forests2faucets.shtml
The Forests on the Edge feature class is based on the digital hydrologic unit boundary layer to the Subwatershed (12-digit) 6th level for the continental United States. This 2015 data set is an updated version of the 2011 Forests to Faucets data set. America’s private forests provide a vast array of public goods and services, including abundant, clean surface water. Forest loss and development can affect water quality and quantity when forests are removed and impervious surfaces, such as paved roads, spread across the landscape. In this study rank watersheds across the conterminous United States were ranked according to the contributions of private forest land to surface drinking water and by threats to surface water from increased housing density. Private forest land contributions to drinking water are greatest in the East but are also important in Western watersheds. Development pressures on these contributions are concentrated in the Eastern United States but are also found in the North-Central region, parts of the West and Southwest, and the Pacific Northwest; nationwide, more than 55 million acres of rural private forest land are projected to experience a substantial increase in housing density from 2000 to 2030. Planners, communities, and private landowners can use a range of strategies to maintain freshwater ecosystems, including designing housing and roads to minimize impacts on water quality, managing home sites to protect water resources, and using payment schemes and management partnerships to invest in forest stewardship on public and private lands.
This dataset is intended for read-only use. This simplified dataset is appropriate for general mapping and analysis. In comparison to BasicOwnership, the SurfaceOwnership dataset provides more detail for advanced mapping and analysis. The purpose of these data is to provide display, identification, and analysis tools for determining current boundary information for Forest Service managers, GIS specialists, and others.
Purpose:
This dataset represents surface ownership parcels merged by ownership classifications.
This dataset is intended for read-only use. This dataset provides detailed information suitable for advanced mapping, analysis, and reporting of landownership status. In comparison to SurfaceOwnership, the BasicOwnership dataset provides a simplified view of ownership where ownership parcels are merged by owner classification. The BasicOwnership dataset is appropriate for general mapping and analysis. The purpose of these data is to provide display, identification, and analysis tools for determining current boundary information for Forest Service managers, GIS specialists, and others.
Purpose:
This dataset represents ownership parcels of the surface estate. Each ownership parcel is associated with a land adjustment case, such as a purchase, exchange, disposal, etc. This dataset provides detailed information about the parcels, such as the conveyance date, instrument type and date, county recording information, legal authority, and more.
