CMS: Pinyon-Juniper Forest Live Biomass, Great Basin USA, 2000-2016

NASA's Carbon Monitoring System provides annual maps of live aboveground tree biomass for pinyon-juniper forests across the Great Basin of the Western USA from 2000 to 2016. The data is derived from Landsat imagery processed with the LandTrendr algorithm and a Random Forest model, calibrated with Forest Inventory and Analysis program estimates. Maps include biomass estimates at a 30-meter resolution and associated uncertainty layers.

Use Cases

• Tracking carbon stock changes over time based on annual biomass maps from 2000-2016.
• Modeling ecosystem carbon budgets for pinyon-juniper forests using calibrated biomass estimates.
• Assessing uncertainty in biomass predictions using the provided standard deviation maps.
• Validating regional-scale biomass models with field-data-calibrated estimates from Nevada and Idaho.

Strengths

• Provides a 17-year annual time series (2000-2016) for tracking biomass change.
• Uses a high-resolution (30-meter) spatial grid for detailed landscape analysis.
• Includes uncertainty quantification via standard deviation maps from the Random Forest model.
• Calibrated annually with Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program estimates.

Limitations

• Biomass estimates are limited to areas classified as pinyon-juniper by the 2016 Landfire map, excluding other ecosystem types.
• Metadata completeness is medium; specific column names and exact dataset size are not provided.
• Platforms show conflicting 'last updated' dates (2026 vs. 2016), creating ambiguity about data currency.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Biomass estimated via Random Forest regression on Landsat-derived canopy cover, using crown-based allometrics from field data.

Time Range

2000 to 2016

Freshness

Last updated dates conflict: one source reports 2026-04-10, another reports 2016-12-31.

Geography

Great Basin of the Western USA, specifically pinyon-juniper ecosystem areas.