Dominant sagebrush associations of the Snake River Plain, Northwestern Basin and Range, and Central Basin and Range level III ecoregions in the western United States

This data publication contains raster spatial data (GeoTIFF) of the dominant sagebrush association in the Great Basin region of the western United States, which includes portions of Nevada, Idaho, Oregon, and Utah. These data were created by 1) overlaying LANDFIRE Existing Vegetation Type, Biophysical Setting, and Mapping Zone data layers; 2) extracting vegetation plot data from the LANDFIRE 2016 LF Reference Database for each combination; and 3) identifying the associated sagebrush, grass, shrub, and tree species. These data represent conditions from 2016-2022.
In sagebrush ecosystems the responses to fuel treatments are highly dependent on the predominant vegetation types as well as their resilience to wildfire and fuel treatments (resilience) and resistance to invasive annual grasses (resistance). New ecologically relevant and climate sensitive indicators of resilience and resistance based on climate and water availability have been developed recently. However, information is also needed on the locations and extents of the dominant sagebrush associations, persistent woodlands (PJ; pinyon and/or juniper), and the different phases (successional stages) of PJ expansion into the shrublands. This data layer provides the locations and extents of the dominant sagebrush associations.
For more information about these data and this study, see Chambers et al. (2023; https://doi.org/10.1186/s42408-023-00230-2).