Landcover dataset created for the northern part of Saskatchewan based on a combination of Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) and Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM+) data representing circa 2000 conditions.

Download: here It is a priority of the Saskatchewan and Canadian government to assess and monitor the health and sustainability of Canada's Forest. The North Digital Land Cover Classification (NDLC) will provide Saskatchewan's contribution to Canada's Earth Observation for Sustainable Development of Forests (EOSD) initiative, helping Canada fulfill it's obligation to the Kyoto Protocol. The NDLC supports the mission and directives of the Saskatchewan provincial government by providing an essential dataset which will enable researchers, natural resource managers and government to assess the health and sustainability of our forests, perform research in the area of climate change, manage natural resources and create policy. The NDLC will be based on a combination of Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) and Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM+) data representing circa 2000 conditions. The NDLC is being produced through a collaboration of federal, provincial, and territorial governments, agencies and industry. Classification Value Background 0 Agriculture 1 Not Assigned 2 Pasture Upland Herbaceous Graminoid 3 Not Assigned 4 Not Assigned 5 Hardwood Open Canopy 6 Hardwood Closed Canopy 7 Jack Pine Closed Canopy 8 Jack Pine Open Canopy 9 Spruce Closed Canopy 10 Spruce Open Canopy 11 Mixed Hardwoods/Softwoods, Softwood/Hardwood Open and Closed Canopy 12 Treed Rock 13 Recent Burn 14 Revegetating/Regenerating Burn 15 Cutovers 16 Water 17 Marsh 18 Herbaceous Fen 19 Mud Sand Saline 20 Shrub Fen 21 Treed Bog 22 Open Bog 23 Not Assigned 24 Settlements/Roads 25 Barren Land 26 Mixed Softwoods Open and Closed 27 Cloud/Shadow/Haze 28 Unclassified 29 0. Background: Where pixels values are equal to 0 in all channels of satellite image data.  1. Agriculture: Cropland and agricultural clearing areas  2. Not Assigned: Empty Class  3. Pasture Upland Herbaceous Graminoid: Lands containing known pastures, tame or native grasses and herbaceous vegetation. May contain low-lying shrubs with less then 10% tree cover. 4. Not Assigned: Empty Class  5. Not Assigned: Empty Class  6. Hardwood Open Canopy: Trembling Aspen, White Birch, Balsam Poplar composes greater than 75% of species by area, Crown Closure: greater than 10% and less than or equal to 55% (SE crown closure classes A and B).  7. Hardwood Closed Canopy: Trembling Aspen, White Birch, Balsam Poplar composes greater than 75% of species by area, Crown Closure: greater than 55% (SE crown closure classes C and D).  8. Jack Pine Closed Canopy: Jack Pine composes greater than 75% of species by area, Crown Closure: greater than 55% (SE crown closure classes C and D).  9. Jack Pine Open Canopy: Jack Pine composes greater than 75% of species by area, Crown Closure: greater than 10 and less than or equal to 55% (SE crown closure classes C and D).  10. Spruce Closed Canopy: White Spruce, Black Spruce composes greater than 75% of species by area, Crown Closure: greater than 55% (SE crown closure classes C and D).  11. Spruce Open Canopy: White Spruce, Black Spruce composes greater than 75% of species by area, Crown Closure: greater than 10 and less than or equal to 55% (SE crown closure classes C and D).  12. Mixed Hardwoods/Softwoods, Softwood/Hardwood Open and Closed Canopy: An area of hardwood and softwood combinations in which neither hardwood nor softwood account for greater than 75% of species by area and where the crown closure is greater than 10%.  13. Treed Rock: Forest vegetation less than 10%.  14. Recent Burn: An area showing evidence of recent burning natural or prescribed and there is little to no regeneration or revegetation visible.  15. Revegetating/Regenerating Burn: An area showing evidence of natural or prescribed burning and where regeneration or revegetation is visible.  16. Cutovers: An area of deforestation, vegetated and non-vegetated. Ancillary data required to correctly classify due to the anthropogenic land cover/land use class.  17. Water: These areas include lakes, rivers, streams, and reservoirs.  18. Marsh: A periodically wet or continually flooded but non peat-forming area supporting grasses, sedges and reeds.  19. Herbaceous Fen: A wetland area consisting of nutrient rich water and decomposing peat supporting vascular and nonvascular plants grasses, sedges, and reeds.  20. Mud Sand Saline: Water saturated soil, salt water and sand containing no vegetation.  21. Shrub Fen: A wetland area consisting of nutrient rich water and decomposing peat supporting low shrubs, forbs, grass, moss, and a sparse tree cover.  22. Treed Bog: A wetland area consisting of decomposing peat moss, lichen and shrubs with 10% to 25% tree cover of stunted black spruce and tamarack.  23. Open Bog: A wetland area consisting of low nutrient water and decomposing peat moss, lichen, and sparse tree cover.  24. Not Assigned: Empty Class  25. Settlements/Roads: Anthropogenic land cover consisting of urban, commercial, industrial, major roads, highways, surface mines, gravel pits and spoil piles.  26. Barren Land: With the exception of the settlements and Roads class, any area of exposed rock, soil or non-vegetated land.  27. Mixed Softwoods Open and Closed: Jack Pine/Spruce, Spruce/Jack Pine Open and Closed, an area of softwood combinations in which neither Jack Pine or Spruce account for greater than 75% of species by area and where crown closure is greater than 10%.  28. Cloud/Shadow/Haze: An area of cloud, shadow, haze.  29. Unclassified: An area of unidentifiable land cover, indicates no work done/not classified, wrong information, missing data and possible new class greater than 3 pixels.