Cumulative Shrub Cover Loss

The cumulative loss of shrub cover over a 30-year period (1992-2020). Shrub cover loss reflects fires, harvest/management and dieoff. Only disturbances that are sufficient to trigger the Continuous Change Detection and Classification algorithm are included; low-level, diffuse dieoff is likely missed.

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Version Version 5.0
Last Updated March 28, 2025, 08:35 (UTC)
Created March 7, 2025, 07:51 (UTC)
category /Forest and Shrubland Resilience/Disturbance
collection_name California Landscape Metrics
creation_method Vegetation disturbances were identified over the Landsat TM/ETM+/OLI era using the Continuous Change Detection and Classification algorithm (CCDC). The corresponding annual change in shrub cover was determined with machine learning (Random Forest) using the National Land Cover Database for training and Landsat/CCDC observations as predictors; this produced a ~35-year stack of rasters that identified the locations and severity of shrub cover loss. This stack was then summed for 1992-2021 to calculate the cumulative tree cover loss over a 30-year period. See https://doi.org/10.1029/2021AV000654 for further information. CECS data that reflect landscape changes resulting from disturbances require 6 to 12 months of Landsat observations **after a given year that included major disturbances (such as a high severity wildfire)** to fully quantify that disturbance. CECS data that reflect disturbance, such as this data layer, are therefore available **through water year 2020 (i.e. through September 2020)**.
data_units Cumulative fractional nonoverlapping absolute shrub cover loss, where shrub cover is a continuous variable from 0 to 1. Cumulative loss can exceed 1 in cases with multiple disturbances.
data_vintage 12/2020
date_updated August 2024
element Disturbance
encoding utf8
file_name CumulShrubCoverLoss_19912020_202312_T1_v5
format GeoTiff
harvest_object_id a26804bf-9a15-4b57-8309-4a03cec1a862
harvest_source_id a2637971-af12-457f-ae4a-831d2202a539
harvest_source_title WIFIRE Commons
maximum_value 1.9
metric_definition_and_relevance The cumulative loss of shrub cover over a 30-year period (1992-2020). Shrub cover loss reflects fires, harvest/management and dieoff. Only disturbances that are sufficient to trigger the Continuous Change Detection and Classification algorithm are included; low-level, diffuse dieoff is likely missed.
minimum_value 0.0
pillar Forest and Shrubland Resilience
spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-124.5090833859125, 32.4242698701859], [-113.49380570277376, 32.4242698701859], [-113.49380570277376, 42.1119747450123], [-124.5090833859125, 42.1119747450123], [-124.5090833859125, 32.4242698701859]]]}
tier 1