This dataset provides a Canada-wide map of vegetation height and the delineation of the northern forest limit. It is developed within the framework of Canada’s National Terrestrial Ecosystem Monitoring System (NTEMS). Vegetation height estimates were derived from ICESat-2 LiDAR observations, integrated with Landsat time series and topographic variables to model spatial patterns. The northern forest limit represents the transition between boreal forest and tundra, an ecologically significant zone for monitoring climate change impacts and biodiversity. Vegetation height was modeled for six time-periods including 1985-1995, 1990-2000, 1995-2005, 2000-2010, 2005-2015 and 2010-2021. Predictions for each time period represent the median conditions for that period. Predictions of height and the probability of canopy presence were generated using Random Forests models trained on spaceborne-lidar data collected by ICESat-2 from 2019-2021 and overlapping Landsat satellite imagery from 2010-2021. These Random Forests models were then applied to the entire archive of Landsat imagery, representing a period of ~35 years. This dataset provides spatially explicit prediction of vegetation height (m) along the Canadian northern forest limit at 30 m spatial resolution. Pixels with a low (< 50 %) probability of containing a vegetation canopy have been assigned a height of 0 m. The science and methods for this dataset were the result of a collaboration between the Canadian Forest Service of Natural Resources Canada, partnered with the Integrated Remote Sensing Studio (IRSS) in the Faculty of Forestry at the University of British Columbia. When using this data, please cite: Travers-Smith, H., Coops, N. C., Mulverhill, C., Wulder, M. A., Ignace, D., Lantz, T. C. (2024). Mapping vegetation height and identifying the northern forest limit across Canada using ICESat-2, Landsat time series and topographic data. Remote Sensing of Environment, 305, 114097. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2024.114097 (Travers-Smith et al. 2024). Additional details outlining application of the model to the time-series of Landsat data can be found here: Travers-Smith, H., Coops, N., Mulverhill, C., Wulder, M. A., Lantz, T. C., Ignace, D. (2025). Satellite observations reveal stable forest limits and shrub expansion across the Canadian forest-tundra ecotone. Environmental Research Letters, 20(10). https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/adfc7f (Travers-Smith et al. 2025).

Dominant Species Map 2015The data represent dominant tree species for British Columbia forests in 2015, are based upon Landsat data and modeling, with results mapped at 30 m spatial resolution. It is developed within the framework of Canada’s National Terrestrial Ecosystem Monitoring System (NTEMS). The map was generated with the Random Forests classifier that used predictor variables derived from Landsat time series including surface reflectance, land cover, forest disturbance, and forest structure, and ancillary variables describing the topography and position. Training and validation samples were derived from the Vegetation Resources Inventory (VRI), from a pool of polygons with homogeneous internal conditions and with low discrepancies with the remotely sensed predictions. Local models were applied over 100x100 km tiles that considered training samples from the 5x5 neighbouring tiles to avoid edge effects. An overall accuracy of 72% was found for the species which occupy 80% of the forested areas. Satellite data and modeling have demonstrated the capacity for up-to-date, wall-to-wall, forest attribute maps at sub-stand level for British Columbia, Canada.BC Species Likelihood 2015The tree species class membership likelihood distribution data included in this product focused on the province of British Columbia, based upon Landsat data and modeling, with results mapped at 30 m spatial resolution. The data represent tree species class membership likelihood in 2015. The map was generated with the Random Forests classifier that used predictor variables derived from Landsat time series including surface reflectance, land cover, forest disturbance, and forest structure, and ancillary variables describing the topography and position. Training and validation samples were derived from the Vegetation Resources Inventory (VRI) selecting from a stratified pool of polygons with homogeneous internal conditions and with low discrepancies when related to remotely sensed information. Local models were applied over 100x100 km tiles that, to avoid edge effects, considered training samples from the 5x5 neighbouring tiles. An overall accuracy of 72% was found for the species which occupy 80% of the forested areas. As an element of the mapping process, we also obtain the votes received for each class by the Random Forest models. The votes can be understood as analogous to class membership likelihoods, providing enriched information on land cover class uncertainty for use in modeling. Tree species class membership likelihoods lower than 5% have been masked and converted to zero.When using this data, please cite as: Shang, C., Coops, N.C., Wulder, M.A., White, J.C., Hermosilla, T., 2020. Update and spatial extension of strategic forest inventories using time series remote sensing and modeling. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation 84, 101956. DOI: 10.1016/j.jag.2019.101956 ( Shang et al. 2020).

Forest Lorey's Height 2015Lorey's mean height. It is developed within the framework of Canada’s National Terrestrial Ecosystem Monitoring System (NTEMS). Average height of trees weighted by their basal area (m). Products relating the structure of Canada's forested ecosystems have been generated and made openly accessible. The shared products are based upon peer-reviewed science and relate aspects of forest structure including: (i) metrics calculated directly from the lidar point cloud with heights normalized to heights above the ground surface (e.g., canopy cover, height), and (ii) modelled inventory attributes, derived using an area-based approach generated by using co-located ground plot and ALS data (e.g., volume, biomass). Forest structure estimates were generated by combining information from lidar plots (Wulder et al. 2012) with Landsat pixel-based composites (White et al. 2014; Hermosilla et al. 2016) using a nearest neighbour imputation approach with a Random Forests-based distance metric. These products were generated for strategic-level forest monitoring information needs and are not intended to support operational-level forest management. All products have a spatial resolution of 30 m. For a detailed description of the data, methods applied, and accuracy assessment results see Matasci et al. (2018). When using this data, please cite as follows: Matasci, G., Hermosilla, T., Wulder, M.A., White, J.C., Coops, N.C., Hobart, G.W., Bolton, D.K., Tompalski, P., Bater, C.W., 2018b. Three decades of forest structural dynamics over Canada's forested ecosystems using Landsat time-series and lidar plots. Remote Sensing of Environment 216, 697-714. Matasci et al. 2018)Geographic extent: Canada's forested ecosystems (~ 650 Mha)Time period: 1985–2011

Forest Elevation(Ht) Stddev 2015Standard deviation of height of lidar first returns (m). Represents the variability in canopy heights. It is developed within the framework of Canada’s National Terrestrial Ecosystem Monitoring System (NTEMS). Products relating the structure of Canada's forested ecosystems have been generated and made openly accessible. The shared products are based upon peer-reviewed science and relate aspects of forest structure including: (i) metrics calculated directly from the lidar point cloud with heights normalized to heights above the ground surface (e.g., canopy cover, height), and (ii) modelled inventory attributes, derived using an area-based approach generated by using co-located ground plot and ALS data (e.g., volume, biomass). Forest structure estimates were generated by combining information from lidar plots (Wulder et al. 2012) with Landsat pixel-based composites (White et al. 2014; Hermosilla et al. 2016) using a nearest neighbour imputation approach with a Random Forests-based distance metric. These products were generated for strategic-level forest monitoring information needs and are not intended to support operational-level forest management. All products have a spatial resolution of 30 m. For a detailed description of the data, methods applied, and accuracy assessment results see Matasci et al. (2018). When using this data, please cite as follows: Matasci, G., Hermosilla, T., Wulder, M.A., White, J.C., Coops, N.C., Hobart, G.W., Bolton, D.K., Tompalski, P., Bater, C.W., 2018b. Three decades of forest structural dynamics over Canada's forested ecosystems using Landsat time-series and lidar plots. Remote Sensing of Environment 216, 697-714. Matasci et al. 2018)Geographic extent: Canada's forested ecosystems (~ 650 Mha)Time period: 1985–2011

Forest Gross Stem Volume 2015Gross stem volume. It is developed within the framework of Canada’s National Terrestrial Ecosystem Monitoring System (NTEMS). Individual tree gross volumes are calculated using species-specific allometric equations. In the measured ground plots, gross total volume per hectare is calculated by summing the gross total volume of all trees and dividing by the area of the plot (units = m3/ha). Products relating the structure of Canada's forested ecosystems have been generated and made openly accessible. The shared products are based upon peer-reviewed science and relate aspects of forest structure including: (i) metrics calculated directly from the lidar point cloud with heights normalized to heights above the ground surface (e.g., canopy cover, height), and (ii) modelled inventory attributes, derived using an area-based approach generated by using co-located ground plot and ALS data (e.g., volume, biomass). Forest structure estimates were generated by combining information from lidar plots (Wulder et al. 2012) with Landsat pixel-based composites (White et al. 2014; Hermosilla et al. 2016) using a nearest neighbour imputation approach with a Random Forests-based distance metric. These products were generated for strategic-level forest monitoring information needs and are not intended to support operational-level forest management. All products have a spatial resolution of 30 m. For a detailed description of the data, methods applied, and accuracy assessment results see Matasci et al. (2018). When using this data, please cite as follows: Matasci, G., Hermosilla, T., Wulder, M.A., White, J.C., Coops, N.C., Hobart, G.W., Bolton, D.K., Tompalski, P., Bater, C.W., 2018b. Three decades of forest structural dynamics over Canada's forested ecosystems using Landsat time-series and lidar plots. Remote Sensing of Environment 216, 697-714. Matasci et al. 2018)Geographic extent: Canada's forested ecosystems (~ 650 Mha)Time period: 1985–2011

In this dataset, we share maps of annual dominant tree species (also known as leading tree species) from 1984-2022 covering the entirety of Canada's 650 Mha forested ecosystems using Landsat time-series imagery at a 30-m spatial resolution. It is developed within the framework of Canada’s National Terrestrial Ecosystem Monitoring System (NTEMS). Classifications are based on regionally representative Random Forests model using local training samples from Canada's National Forest Inventory (Hermosilla et al., 2024). Descriptive metrics provide information on spectral, geographic, climatic, and topographic characteristics. Initial annual tree species classifications were subjected to a time series post-classification process using the forward-backward Hidden Markov Model to improve the temporal consistency of tree species transitions within the time series. Assessment of the annual species maps using independent validation data resulted in an overall accuracy of 86.1% ± 0.14% (95%-confidence interval). These data allow consistent comparison of trends and rates of change in tree species composition nationally and across regions using a common time frame, spatial resolution, and analytical approach.Hermosilla, T., Wulder, M.A., White, J.C., Coops, N.C., Bater, C.W., Hobart, G.W., 2024. Characterizing long-term tree species dynamics in Canada's forested ecosystems using annual time series remote sensing data. Forest Ecology and Management, 122313. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2024.122313 (Hermosilla et al. 2024)

The Common Attribute Schema for Forest Resource Inventories (CASFRI) is a Canadian forest resource inventory data repository. Forest resource inventory datasets in CASFRI are harmonized to a common data model so that data collected by different agencies following different standards can be used together. Participating provincial, territorial and federal government departments and agencies share current and historical map-based forest resource inventory datasets through CASFRI so that their data are available to users who’s areas of interest span multiple jurisdictions. CASFRI was originally developed by academic researchers (Cumming et al., https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfr-2014-0102). This flavour of CASFRI (CASFRIv5) was developed anew in collaboration with academic researchers at the University of Laval to provide a government version of CASFRI that is findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable. It uses the most up-to-date forest inventory data provided by participating provincial, territorial, and federal government departments and agencies. CASFRIv5 is hosted on the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers’ data portal, the National Forest Information System (http://nfis.org).

The Common Attribute Schema for Forest Resource Inventories (CASFRI) is a Canadian forest resource inventory data repository. Forest resource inventory datasets in CASFRI are harmonized to a common data model so that data collected by different agencies following different standards can be used together. Participating provincial, territorial and federal government departments and agencies share current and historical map-based forest resource inventory datasets through CASFRI so that their data are available to users who’s areas of interest span multiple jurisdictions. CASFRI was originally developed by academic researchers (Cumming et al., https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfr-2014-0102). This flavour of CASFRI (CASFRIv5) was developed anew in collaboration with academic researchers at the University of Laval to provide a government version of CASFRI that is findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable. It uses the most up-to-date forest inventory data provided by participating provincial, territorial, and federal government departments and agencies. CASFRIv5 is hosted on the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers’ data portal, the National Forest Information System (http://nfis.org).

High-resolution map of leading tree species distribution for Canada’s forested ecosystems (2019). Leading tree species map produced from a 2019 Landsat image composite, geographic and climate data, elevation derivatives, and remote sensing derived phenology following the framework described in Hermosilla et al. (2022). Regional classification models were generated based on Canada’s National Forest Inventory using a 150x150 km tiling system. The leading tree species are defined by representing the most voted tree species from the Random Forests classification models (i.e. the class with the highest class membership probability).The data represents leading tree species of Canada's forested ecosystems in 2019. An image compositing window of August 1 ± 30 days was used to generate the best-available-pixel (BAP) image composites utilized as source data for the classification.The science and methods developed to generate the information outcomes shown here, that track and characterize the history of Canada’s forests, were led by Canadian Forest Service of Natural Resources Canada, developed within the framework of Canada’s National Terrestrial Ecosystem Monitoring System (NTEMS), partnered with the University of British Columbia, augmented by processing capacity from Digital Research Alliance of Canada.For an overview on the data, image processing, and methods applied, as well as information on independent accuracy assessment of the data, see Hermosilla et al. (2022) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2022.113276When using this data, please cite as: Hermosilla, T., Bastyr, A., Coops, N.C., White, J.C., Wulder, M.A., 2022. Mapping the presence and distribution of tree species in Canada’s forested ecosystems. Remote Sensing of Environment 282, 113276.

Geospatial forest inventory dataset updated for depletions, such as harvesting, and projected annually for growth. Sample attributes in this dataset include: age, species, volume, height. The Vegetation Resources Inventory (VRI) spatial datasets describe both where a vegetation resource (ie timber volume, tree species) is located and how much of a given resource is within an inventory unit. Suggested citation: Forest Analysis and Inventory Branch (2024). VRI - 2024 - Forest Vegetation Composite Rank 1 Layer (R1). British Columbia Data Catalogue. https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/2ebb35d8-c82f-4a17-9c96-612ac3532d55