Fact Sheet 2012–3091
Land-use and land-cover (LULC) change has altered a large part of the earth’s surface. Scenarios of potential future LULC change are required in order to better manage potential impacts on biodiversity, carbon fluxes, climate change, hydrology, and many other ecological processes. The U.S. Geological Survey is analyzing potential future LULC change in the United States, using an approach based on scenario construction and spatially explicit modeling. Similar modeling techniques are being used to produce historical LULC maps from 1940 to present. With the combination of backcast and forecast LULC data, the USGS is providing consistent LULC data for historical, current, and future time frames to support a variety of research applications.
First posted August 3, 2012
For additional information contact:
Part or all of this report is presented in Portable Document Format (PDF); the latest version of Adobe Reader or similar software is required to view it. Download the latest version of Adobe Reader, free of charge.
Sohl, T.L., and Sleeter, B.M., 2012, Land-use and land-cover scenarios and spatial modeling at the regional scale: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2012–3091, 4 p.
Challenges for Land-Cover Modeling
The Forecasting Scenarios of Land-Cover Change (FORE-SCE) Model
Forest Structure and Protected Lands
The Final Product
Back to the Future
USGS Land-Cover Databases