Current project version: 2.0
The AKVEG Map is a geospatial data suite that provides representations of specific vegetation characteristics and a categorical map of vegetation types. Available and planned data products are listed below:
- Project information (e.g., map domain boundaries)
- Biomes and vegetation regions of Alaska and adjacent Canada
- Continuous foliar cover maps of diagnostic species sets
- Time-series foliar cover maps of plant functional types (1985-2020)
- Surficial features
- Existing vegetation types (categorical vegetation map)
Project information
The project information datasets define geographies related to the project extent. The Project Domain defines the focal area for the AKVEG Project. The Map Domain defines the current extent of geospatial data produced for version 2.0. We anticipate expanding the map domain to cover the full project domain in the future.
- Shapefiles (.shp) containing polygon features
- Projection: Alaska Albers Equal Area Conic (EPSG:3338)
Download the project domain (v2.0; 32 kb)
Download the map domain (v2.0; 58 kb)
Biomes and vegetation regions of Alaska and adjacent Canada
This dataset provides geographic delineations of four biomes that occur in Alaska and adjacent Canada: Arctic, boreal, northern subpolar oceanic, and temperate. Biomes are further subdivided into vegetation regions (see map below). In combination, the biomes and vegetation regions used in USNVC to define vegetation types based on broad spatial patterns in climate and biogeography.
- Shapefile (.shp) containing polygon features
- Projection: Alaska Albers Equal Area Conic (EPSG:3338)
- For more information, see the biome and region documentation (coming soon)
Download biomes and vegetation regions (1.1 mb)
Continuous foliar cover of diagnostic species sets
The continuous foliar cover maps include one raster for each mapped diagnostic species set (e.g., wetland sedges). Raster values represent absolute foliar cover, meaning the proportional ground area covered by the included taxa across all canopy strata.
- Raster (.tif) where raster values represent foliar cover (0-100)
- Resolution: 10 m
- Time Period: circa 2020-2023 (captures disturbances prior to 2021)
- Projection: Alaska Albers Equal Area Conic (EPSG:3338)
- For more information, see the foliar cover documentation (coming soon)
We provide a download link for each diagnostic species set in the table below. If you are interested in downloading the full suite of continuous foliar cover maps, we strongly recommend that you do so using the Google Cloud SDK. To do so, first download and install the Google Cloud SDK. Then run the Google Cloud SDK and enter the following command, where you replace [your_download_location] with a file path on your local machine, such as “C:/Users/timmn/Downloads” (without including the quotes).
gcloud storage rsync gs://akveg-public/akveg_foliar_v2.0 [your_download_location] --recursiveClick the links in the table below to download foliar cover maps individually.
Time-series foliar cover maps of plant functional types
The time-series foliar cover maps include one raster per plant functional type (e.g., deciduous shrubs) per time period (e.g., 2005). Raster values represent top foliar cover, meaning the proportional ground area covered by the included taxa in the uppermost canopy strata. Time periods are single years at five-year intervals from the first available year in 1985 through the last available year in 2020. These data are managed through the NASA EarthData Portal. A free account is required to access the data.
- Raster (.tif) where raster values represent top foliar cover (0-100)
- Resolution: 30 m
- Time Span: 1985-2020 at five-year intervals
- Projection: Canada Albers Equal Area Conic (EPSG:102001)
- For more information, see the associated publication: Macander et al. 2022
Access the data record on NASA EarthData
Surficial features
Surficial features represent the spatial distribution of abiotic land cover types (e.g., persistent water), disturbance states (e.g., burn by year), or depositional and disturbance regimes (e.g., floodplains). In turn, such data can be interpreted to represent characteristics of vegetation, such as successional state or unique plant communities.
We currently do not have available data for surficial features. We expect to release v2.0 data by June 30, 2026.
Existing vegetation types
The existing vegetation types (EVT) map is a categorical vegetation map that shows the distribution of types in the USNVC. The represented types are a mixture of alliances, subgroups (i.e., aggregates of ecologically similar alliances), and groups.
- Raster (.tif) where raster values represent unique vegetation types
- Resolution: 10 m (future version planned at 2 m resolution)
- Minimum Map Unit: 1,600 sq m
- Time span: circa 2020-2023 (captures disturbances prior to 2024)
- Projection: Alaska Albers Equal Area Conic (EPSG:3338)
- For more information, see the foliar cover documentation (coming soon)
We currently do not have available data for existing vegetation types. We expect to release v2.0 data by June 30, 2026. In the meantime, you can download a draft prototype covering a portion of the Yukon Flats Refuge as an example of the data.