A new map of South Manchurian mixed forests

We are publishing the results of mapping the South Manchurian mixed forests (SMMFs) in 2021. SMMFs are among the most species-rich forest ecosystems in the world's temperate zone. These forests are located in northeastern China, southern Primorsky Krai in Russia, and the Korean Peninsula. SMMFs are experiencing significant degradation and have largely been replaced by secondary forests or agricultural lands and anthropogenic non-forest vegetation. A precise quantitative assessment of the remaining forest area is crucial due to their high conservation value. 

Our database includes the following files:

Training Data.csv – training data: vegetation relevés and observation points on the distribution of SMMFs,

forest2001mask.tif and forest2021mask.tif – forest masks for 2001 and 2021,

smmf_2001_20.02.24_binary.tif and smmf_2021_20.02.24_binary.tif – SMMFs mapping results for 2001 and 2021,

Sampling.csv – sampling points for accuracy assessment,

sampling_sum.tif – stratified mapping result for assessing mapping quality,

smmf_2021_final.tif – final mapping result: a raster map of the SMMFs in 2021,

Map_SMMFs_area.shp and Map_SMMFs_patches.shp – vector maps reflecting the SMMFs areas and fragment sizes in 10×10 km grid cells.

We also publish our interpretation of records from the first forestry expeditions in the Russian part of the SMMFs range during the 1860s and 1880s (First_forestry_expeditions_Russia.shp).