The RAP’s primary datasets measure rangeland vegetation cover and the rangeland production “from the Great Plains all the way to the Pacific Coast” (The Art of Range Podcast, 2019). The Vegetation Cover dataset is an estimate of rangeland cover over five common vegetation classes and is available in annual timesteps. With data going back to 1986 and updating every 16 days, the RAP provides a map of perennial and annual forbs and grasses, shrubs, trees, and bare ground, making it possible to visualize and quantify nearly 40 years of change in the land cover types. Further, the Production dataset is an estimate of total rangeland production—estimating herbaceous forage in lbs/acre in both annual and 16-day timesteps.
Data Source: Sourced from LandSAT satellite imagery combined with data collected by Bureau of Land Management’s Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring Strategy; National Park Service Northern Colorado Plateau Inventory & Monitoring Network; and National Resources Conservation Service National Resources Inventory.
Time-Step: Updates annually and every 16 days, and hosts rangeland data dating back to 1986.
Potential Use-Cases for Tribes: