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Canada's National Forest Inventory (NFI) sampling program is designed to support reporting on forests at the national scale. On the other hand, continuous maps of forest attributes are required to support strategic analyses of regional policy and management issues. We have therefore produced maps covering 4.03 × 106 km2 of inventoried forest area for the 2001 base year using standardised observations from the NFI photo plots (PP) as reference data. We used the k nearest neighbours (kNN) method with 26 geospatial data layers including MODIS spectral data and climatic and topographic variables to produce maps of 127 forest attributes at a 250 × 250 m resolution. The stand-level attributes include land cover, structure, and tree species relative abundance. In this article, we report only on total live aboveground tree biomass, with all other attributes covered in the supplementary data (http://nrcresearchpress.com/doi/suppl/10.1139/cjfr-2013-0401). In general, deviations in predicted pixel-level values from those in a PP validation set are greater in mountainous regions and in areas with either low biomass or sparse PP sampling. Predicted pixel-level values are overestimated at small observed values and underestimated at large ones. Accuracy measures are improved through the spatial aggregation of pixels to 1 km2 and beyond. Overall, these new products provide unique baseline information for strategic-level analyses of forests (https://nfi.nfis.org) Collection: - **[Canada's National Forest Inventory (NFI) 2006](https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/e2fadaeb-3106-4111-9d1c-f9791d83fbf4)**
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This dataset provides a Canada-wide map of vegetation height and the delineation of the northern forest limit. It is developed within the framework of Canada’s National Terrestrial Ecosystem Monitoring System (NTEMS). Vegetation height estimates were derived from ICESat-2 LiDAR observations, integrated with Landsat time series and topographic variables to model spatial patterns. The northern forest limit represents the transition between boreal forest and tundra, an ecologically significant zone for monitoring climate change impacts and biodiversity. Vegetation height was modeled for six time-periods including 1985-1995, 1990-2000, 1995-2005, 2000-2010, 2005-2015 and 2010-2021. Predictions for each time period represent the median conditions for that period. Predictions of height and the probability of canopy presence were generated using Random Forests models trained on spaceborne-lidar data collected by ICESat-2 from 2019-2021 and overlapping Landsat satellite imagery from 2010-2021. These Random Forests models were then applied to the entire archive of Landsat imagery, representing a period of ~35 years. This dataset provides spatially explicit prediction of vegetation height (m) along the Canadian northern forest limit at 30 m spatial resolution. Pixels with a low (< 50 %) probability of containing a vegetation canopy have been assigned a height of 0 m. The science and methods for this dataset were the result of a collaboration between the Canadian Forest Service of Natural Resources Canada, partnered with the Integrated Remote Sensing Studio (IRSS) in the Faculty of Forestry at the University of British Columbia. When using this data, please cite: Travers-Smith, H., Coops, N. C., Mulverhill, C., Wulder, M. A., Ignace, D., Lantz, T. C. (2024). Mapping vegetation height and identifying the northern forest limit across Canada using ICESat-2, Landsat time series and topographic data. Remote Sensing of Environment, 305, 114097. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2024.114097 (Travers-Smith et al. 2024). Additional details outlining application of the model to the time-series of Landsat data can be found here: Travers-Smith, H., Coops, N., Mulverhill, C., Wulder, M. A., Lantz, T. C., Ignace, D. (2025). Satellite observations reveal stable forest limits and shrub expansion across the Canadian forest-tundra ecotone. Environmental Research Letters, 20(10). https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/adfc7f (Travers-Smith et al. 2025).
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In this dataset, we share maps of annual dominant tree species (also known as leading tree species) from 1984-2022 covering the entirety of Canada's 650 Mha forested ecosystems using Landsat time-series imagery at a 30-m spatial resolution. It is developed within the framework of Canada’s National Terrestrial Ecosystem Monitoring System (NTEMS). Classifications are based on regionally representative Random Forests model using local training samples from Canada's National Forest Inventory (Hermosilla et al., 2024). Descriptive metrics provide information on spectral, geographic, climatic, and topographic characteristics. Initial annual tree species classifications were subjected to a time series post-classification process using the forward-backward Hidden Markov Model to improve the temporal consistency of tree species transitions within the time series. Assessment of the annual species maps using independent validation data resulted in an overall accuracy of 86.1% ± 0.14% (95%-confidence interval). These data allow consistent comparison of trends and rates of change in tree species composition nationally and across regions using a common time frame, spatial resolution, and analytical approach. Hermosilla, T., Wulder, M.A., White, J.C., Coops, N.C., Bater, C.W., Hobart, G.W., 2024. Characterizing long-term tree species dynamics in Canada's forested ecosystems using annual time series remote sensing data. Forest Ecology and Management, 122313. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2024.122313 (Hermosilla et al. 2024)
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Fish Habitat Assessment Output: 11 of 16 Average Water Level (75.0m ASL) - Nursery Habitat - High Vegetation Association Species (All Temperature Windows) Habitat suitability was assessed for the Bay of Quinte Area of Concern, at a 3 m grid resolution, using the Habitat Ecosystem Assessment Tool (HEAT), temperature algorithms, vegetation models, and water level input. Habitat classifications were based on three variables: depth (elevation), vegetation, and substrate; and modified by temperature suitabilities. The final suitability maps were based on documented habitat and temperature associations for the fish in the area. Different life stages (spawning requirements, nursery habitat, adult habitat) were modeled for the years of 1972-2011. Suitability values were scaled from 0 (not suitable) to 1 (highly suitable) and converted to suitability classes of very low, low, medium, and high. The final maps for each guild – life stage combination are maximum suitability values from the 39-year period modelled.
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Forest Gross Stem Volume 2015 Gross stem volume. It is developed within the framework of Canada’s National Terrestrial Ecosystem Monitoring System (NTEMS). Individual tree gross volumes are calculated using species-specific allometric equations. In the measured ground plots, gross total volume per hectare is calculated by summing the gross total volume of all trees and dividing by the area of the plot (units = m3/ha). Products relating the structure of Canada's forested ecosystems have been generated and made openly accessible. The shared products are based upon peer-reviewed science and relate aspects of forest structure including: (i) metrics calculated directly from the lidar point cloud with heights normalized to heights above the ground surface (e.g., canopy cover, height), and (ii) modelled inventory attributes, derived using an area-based approach generated by using co-located ground plot and ALS data (e.g., volume, biomass). Forest structure estimates were generated by combining information from lidar plots (Wulder et al. 2012) with Landsat pixel-based composites (White et al. 2014; Hermosilla et al. 2016) using a nearest neighbour imputation approach with a Random Forests-based distance metric. These products were generated for strategic-level forest monitoring information needs and are not intended to support operational-level forest management. All products have a spatial resolution of 30 m. For a detailed description of the data, methods applied, and accuracy assessment results see Matasci et al. (2018). When using this data, please cite as follows: Matasci, G., Hermosilla, T., Wulder, M.A., White, J.C., Coops, N.C., Hobart, G.W., Bolton, D.K., Tompalski, P., Bater, C.W., 2018b. Three decades of forest structural dynamics over Canada's forested ecosystems using Landsat time-series and lidar plots. Remote Sensing of Environment 216, 697-714. Matasci et al. 2018) Geographic extent: Canada's forested ecosystems (~ 650 Mha) Time period: 1985–2011
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High resolution forest change for Canada (Change Type) 1985-2011 The forest change data included in this product is national in scope (entire forested ecosystem) and represents the first wall-to-wall characterization of wildfire and harvest in Canada at a spatial resolution commensurate with human impacts. The information outcomes represent 27 years of stand replacing change in Canada’s forests, derived from a single, consistent spatially-explicit data source, derived in a fully automated manner. This demonstrated capacity to characterize forests at a resolution that captures human impacts is key to establishing a baseline for detailed monitoring of forested ecosystems from management and science perspectives. Time series of Landsat data were used to characterize national trends in stand replacing forest disturbances caused by wildfire and harvest for the period 1985–2011 for Canada's 650 million hectare forested ecosystems (https://authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S0034425717301360 ). Landsat data has a 30m spatial resolution, so the change information is highly detailed and is commensurate with that of human impacts. These data represent annual stand replacing forest changes. The stand replacing disturbances types labeled are wildfire and harvest, with lower confidence wildfire and harvest, also shared. The distinction and sharing of lower class membership likelihoods is to indicate to users that some change events were more difficult to allocate to a change type, but are generally found to be in the correct category. For an overview on the data, image processing, and time series change detection methods applied, as well as information on independent accuracy assessment of the data, see Hermosilla et al. (2016; http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17538947.2016.1187673). The data available is, 1. a binary change/no-change; 2. Change year; and, 3. Change type. When using this data, please cite as: White, J.C., M.A. Wulder, T. Hermosilla, N.C. Coops, and G. Hobart. (2017). A nationwide annual characterization of 25 years of forest disturbance and recovery for Canada using Landsat time series. Remote Sensing of Environment. 192: 303-321. DOI: 10.1016/j.rse.2017.03.035. https://authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S0034425717301360 Geographic extent: Canada's forested ecosystems (~ 650 Mha) Time period: 1985–2011
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Forest Total Aboveground Biomass 2015 Total aboveground biomass. It is developed within the framework of Canada’s National Terrestrial Ecosystem Monitoring System (NTEMS). Individual tree total aboveground biomass is calculated using species-specific equations. In the measured ground plots, aboveground biomass per hectare is calculated by summing the values of all trees within a plot and dividing by the area of the plot. Aboveground biomass may be separated into various biomass components (e.g. stem, bark, branches, foliage) (units = t/ha). Products relating the structure of Canada's forested ecosystems have been generated and made openly accessible. The shared products are based upon peer-reviewed science and relate aspects of forest structure including: (i) metrics calculated directly from the lidar point cloud with heights normalized to heights above the ground surface (e.g., canopy cover, height), and (ii) modelled inventory attributes, derived using an area-based approach generated by using co-located ground plot and ALS data (e.g., volume, biomass). Forest structure estimates were generated by combining information from lidar plots (Wulder et al. 2012) with Landsat pixel-based composites (White et al. 2014; Hermosilla et al. 2016) using a nearest neighbour imputation approach with a Random Forests-based distance metric. These products were generated for strategic-level forest monitoring information needs and are not intended to support operational-level forest management. All products have a spatial resolution of 30 m. For a detailed description of the data, methods applied, and accuracy assessment results see Matasci et al. (2018). When using this data, please cite as follows: Matasci, G., Hermosilla, T., Wulder, M.A., White, J.C., Coops, N.C., Hobart, G.W., Bolton, D.K., Tompalski, P., Bater, C.W., 2018b. Three decades of forest structural dynamics over Canada's forested ecosystems using Landsat time-series and lidar plots. Remote Sensing of Environment 216, 697-714. Matasci et al. 2018) Geographic extent: Canada's forested ecosystems (~ 650 Mha) Time period: 1985–2011
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The raster maps depict a suite of forest attributes in 2001* and 2011 at 250 m by 250 m spatial resolution. The maps were produced using the k nearest neighbours method applied to MODIS imagery and trained from National Forest Inventory photo plot data. For detailed information about map production methods please refer to Beaudoin et al. (2018) "Tracking forest attributes across Canada between 2001 and 2011 using the k nearest neighbours mapping approach applied to MODIS imagery." Canadian Journal of Forest Research 48, 85-93. https://cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/publications?id=38979 The map datasets may be downloaded from https://nfi.nfis.org/downloads/nfi_knn2011.zip or https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/ec9e2659-1c29-4ddb-87a2-6aced147a990 * Note: the forest composition (leading tree genus) map depicts forest attributes in 2001. How can this data be used? The resolution and accuracy of these map products are best suited for strategic-level forest reporting and informing policy and decision making at regional to national scales. As these maps also offer a coherent set of quantitative values for a large suite of forest attributes, they can be used as baseline information for modelling and in calculations such as merchantable forest volume or percentage of tree species. It is also possible to overlay these maps with other maps produced on the same pixel grid to make assessments of disturbance impacts, such as fire and harvests.
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14 Class - Canadian Ecological Domain Classification from Satellite Data. Satellite derived data including 1) topography, 2) landscape productivity based on photosynthetic activity, and 3) land cover were used as inputs to create an environmental regionalization of the over 10 million km2 of Canada’s terrestrial land base. The outcomes of this clustering consists of three main outputs. An initial clustering of 100 classes was generated using a two-stage multivariate classification process. Next, an agglomerative hierarchy using a log-likelihood distance measure was applied to create a 40 and then a 14 class regionalization, aimed to meaningfully group ecologically similar components of Canada's terrestrial landscape. For more information (including a graphical illustration of the cluster hierarchy) and to cite this data please use: Coops, N.C., Wulder, M.A., Iwanicka, D. 2009. An environmental domain classification of Canada using earth observation data for biodiversity assessment. Ecological Informatics, Vol. 4, No. 1, Pp. 8-22, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2008.09.005. ( Coops et al. 2009).
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The data shared are spatially explicit projections of wildfire burn probability across Canada’s forested ecozones under multiple future climate scenarios at a 30-m spatial resolution. It is developed within the framework of Canada’s National Terrestrial Ecosystem Monitoring System (NTEMS). Four future climate scenarios were used to examine the spatiotemporal distribution of burn probability in the 21st century based on climate, vegetation, and topographic conditions ( Mulverhill et al. 2024). Projected burn probability is provided for four Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0, and SSP5-8.5) and four future time periods, including 2021-2040, 2041-2060, 2061-2080, and 2081-2100, along with a baseline period representing average climate conditions and burn probability between 1991 and 2020. Outputs represent the probability that the conditions (climate, vegetation, topography) of a given pixel resemble those of historically burned areas. All non-climate variables were held static; therefore, projections represent burn probability under future climate scenarios given contemporary (2020) forest conditions. When using this dataset, please cite Mulverhill et al. (2025), as below. Mulverhill, C., Coops, N. C., Wulder, M. A., Hermosilla, T., White, J. C., & Bater, C. W. (2025). Projected Future Changes in Burn Probability in Canada’s Forests and Communities Under Different Climate Change Scenarios. Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing, 51(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/07038992.2025.2560347(Mulverhill et al. 2025). For a detailed description of the source data and methods applied to the baseline period to enable the Mulverhill et al. (2025) projections, see: Mulverhill, C., Coops, N.C., Wulder, M.A., White, J.C., Hermosilla, T., and Bater, C.W. 2024. “Multidecadal mapping of status and trends in annual burn probability over Canada’s forested ecosystems.” ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Vol. 209 pp. 279–295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isprsjprs.2024.02.006(Mulverhill et al. 2024).
Arctic SDI catalogue