CCP Forests Model

<p><b>Open the Data Resource:</b> <a href='https://www.chesapeakeconservation.org/our-work/goal-mapping/forests' rel='nofollow ugc'>https://www.chesapeakeconservation.org/our-work/goal-mapping/forests</a></p>
<p><b>Open the Map Viewer:</b> <a href='https://chesbay.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/basic/index.html?appid=72f6aa5d9821405d9adf8b59a6c79004' rel='nofollow ugc'>https://chesbay.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/basic/index.html?appid=72f6aa5d9821405d9adf8b59a6c79004</a></p>
<p><b>Open the Composite Data:</b><a href='https://gis-data.chesapeakebay.net/CCP/Forest_Composite.zip' rel='nofollow ugc'>https://gis-data.chesapeakebay.net/CCP/Forest_Composite.zip</a></p><p><b>The <a href='https://cicgis.org/arcgis/rest/services/CCP/Forests/MapServer' rel='nofollow ugc'>map service</a> and <a href='https://tiles.arcgis.com/tiles/dqnSpuoMiocEiFNg/arcgis/rest/services/forests2019/MapServer' rel='nofollow ugc'>tile service</a> are both available.</b></p>
<p>The Chesapeake Conservation Partnership Forests Model depicts the results of a suitability analysis based on four mappable aspects. In each, forests are defined as areas with 50% or greater tree canopy coverage. Where "contiguous" is used, it means areas of forest connected by corridors at least 40 meters in width. The map was prepared in consultation with the Chesapeake Bay Program's Forestry Workgroup. The components of this analysis are:</p>
<ul>
<li><b>Headwater and Riparian Forests:</b> Headwater forests are defined as areas within National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHD Plus) catchments that contain a NHD 100K scale first-order stream, are in the top half of elevation values within the Chesapeake Bay watershed and are in contiguous blocks at least 50 acres in size. Riparian forests are areas within a 10 m buffer of NHD 100K streams.</li>
<li><b>Large Forest Blocks:</b> These are blocks of contiguous forest 500 acres or larger.</li>
<li><b>Multiple Value Woodlots:</b> These are blocks of contiguous forest ranging in size from 50 to 500 acres.</li>
<li><b>Forests Conducive to Timber Harvests:</b> These are defined as areas of harvestable contiguous forest blocks 500 acres or larger with less than 30% slopes.</li>
</ul>
<p>This map depicts the concentration or overlapping of these forest values. Due to forest patch size criteria, Large Forest Blocks and Woodlots are mutually exclusive, as are Productive Timber Growing Areas and Woodlots. Therefore, although there are four input layers, the maximum value in the composite layer is three. For instance, values of three could indicate overlap between Large Forest Blocks, Riparian/Headwater Forests and Productive Timber Growing Areas. Woodlots can have a value of two only when they overlap with Riparian/Headwater Forests. </p>
<p>The Forests Model is part of the <a href='https://www.chesapeakeconservation.org/our-work/chesapeake-conservation-atlas/' rel='nofollow ugc'>Chesapeake Conservation Atlas</a>, which groups a suite of conservation mapping analyses together to inform conservation planning.</p>