Vegetation Map of the Former Soviet Union, 1990

Former Soviet Union land area is mapped at a 1:4 million scale, distinguishing 373 vegetation cover classes. Nearly 145 of these classes are specifically related to forest cover. The map was digitized from a 1990 source publication by Stone and Schlesinger in 1993.

Use Cases

• Historical land cover analysis based on the 373 detailed vegetation classes.
• Forest ecosystem research leveraging the nearly 145 forest-specific cover classes.
• Geospatial reference for environmental change studies across the Former Soviet Union.
• Calibration of remote sensing models using a detailed, ground-based vegetation classification.

Strengths

• Provides a detailed classification system with 373 distinct vegetation cover classes.
• Offers specific focus on forest ecosystems, with nearly 145 forest-related classes.
• Cross-platform presence on Data.gov and NASA EarthData suggests recognized importance.

Limitations

• Column names and data structure are not provided by any source platform.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates (1973 vs. 2026) create uncertainty about metadata freshness.
• License is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' without further detail.

Provenance

Source

Institute of Geography, 1990; digitized by Stone and Schlesinger (1993).

Collection Method

Digitization of the published map 'Vegetation of the Soviet Union, 1990'.

Time Range

1990

Freshness

2026-04-09 23:01:24.953141

Geography

Land area of the Former Soviet Union.