Productivity of U.S. Rangelands, Annual Data Z-scores Albers Projection (Image Service)

Time enabled image service showing estimates of annual production of rangeland vegetation.

Production data were generated using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from the Thematic Mapper Suite from 1984 to 2023 at 250 m resolution. The NDVI is converted to production estimates using two regression formulas depending on the level of the NDVI; there is one equation for lower values (and thus lower production values) and one for higher values. This raster dataset yields estimates of annual production of rangeland vegetation and should be useful for understanding trends and variability in forage resources. These results were then converted to Z-scores for easier comparison of annual relative productivity in coterminous U.S. rangelands, and for rapid display in online time-enabled applications. This Z-scores dataset as well as the raw lbs/acre data that the Z-scores were derived from can be downloaded from: https://data.fs.usda.gov/geodata/rastergateway/rangelands/index.php

More information about rangeland productivity and the effects of drought are available in this story map.