Percent tree and impervious cover for 2020 and projected in 2070 for three RPA scenarios (average, maximum and minimum) for the 2020 RPA Assessment

Tree and impervious cover change alongside changes in land use. Tree cover is one of the simplest proxies for assessing the amount of forest and its associated benefits. Impervious surfaces (such as roads and buildings) change alongside land and tree cover change. Impervious surfaces provide essential services to society, but they can also negatively impact the environment through increased air temperatures and heat islands.

This data publication includes estimates of tree cover and impervious cover for every county in the conterminous United States in 2020 as well as projections for tree cover and impervious cover for 2070. To simplify and provide clarity in the assessment, these land use changes were estimated using three out of twenty of the 2020 Resources Planning Act (RPA) Assessment scenario-climate futures which included: 1) average scenario (HM-wet: national average tree cover increase was closest to the average change among all RPA scenario-climate futures); 2) maximum scenario (HL-hot: scenario had the highest average increase in tree cover); and 3) minimum scenario (HH-middle: scenario had the lowest average increase in tree cover.)These data were collected and analyzed to support the 2020 Resources Planning Act (RPA) Assessment (https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/inventory/rpaa).These data were published on 02/24/2023. Metadata updated on 10/17/2023 to include reference to published RPA Assessment.

该数据集收录了美国大陆各郡在2020年的树木覆盖率和不透水地表覆盖率估算，并预测了至2070年的树木覆盖率和不透水地表覆盖率变化。树木覆盖率作为评估森林面积及其相关益处的一种简单代理指标，其变化与土地利用变化同步发生。不透水地表（如道路和建筑）的变化亦伴随树木覆盖率的改变。不透水地表为社会提供必要的服务，但同时也可能通过提升空气温度和形成热岛效应而对环境产生负面影响。本数据出版物包含了对2020年美国大陆各郡树木覆盖率和不透水地表覆盖率的估算，以及对2070年的预测。为了简化和明晰评估过程，这些土地利用变化是基于2020年资源规划法案（RPA）评估中的二十种情景气候未来预测中的三种进行估算的：1）平均情景（HM-wet：国家平均树木覆盖率增加最接近所有RPA情景气候未来变化中的平均变化）；2）最大情景（HL-hot：该情景树木覆盖率平均增加最高）；以及3）最小情景（HH-middle：该情景树木覆盖率平均增加最低）。这些数据收集和分析的目的是为了支持2020年资源规划法案（RPA）评估（https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/inventory/rpaa）。数据于2023年2月24日发布。元数据于2023年10月17日更新，以包含对已发布RPA评估的引用。