Hudson Valley Forest Index Patches

This layer presents a forest condition index for the Hudson River Estuary watershed and surrounding counties. Forest patches were identified using the 2016 National Land Cover Database and condition was estimated based on a series of metrics relating to fragmentation, ecological value, stressors, and ecosystem services. The layer is intended as a tool for municipal land-use decision-makers, government agencies, land trusts, and other regional conservation partners to prioritize forest areas for conservation and management efforts and provide a baseline for future assessment. Forest patch condition and value throughout the Hudson River Estuary Watershed and surrounding counties based on remotely sensed data. Not all forests and forest landscapes are equal in their ability to support native species and be resistant and resilient to external stressors. The best way to assess the condition of a forest is to conduct a field survey and quantify the native species, invasive species, structural and habitat heterogeneity, forest health indicators, forest stress indicators, and other measures of forest condition. Lacking the ability to visit every forest patch, however, there are many remote measures that estimate different aspects of forest health that might be used, in concert, to estimate forest condition. These data are intended to be used to provide additional information and context to municipalities and land use managers about the character of their forests to aid in management and prioritization. They are not meant to substitute for on the ground condition assessments.