Annual Woody Vegetation Cover Classification for Western Australia

Landgate produces state-wide vegetation cover datasets based on 30-meter Landsat imagery. The data classifies perennial woody vegetation into forest and sparse woody categories, with annual coverage from 1988 to present.

Use Cases

• Analyze trends in forest category cover density to monitor deforestation or regrowth over the 1988-present time series.
• Map the distribution of sparse woody vegetation category to identify areas with 5-20% vegetation cover.
• Integrate annual classification layers into land management models to assess changes in vegetation structural requirements.

Strengths

• Annual time series provides consistent data from 1988 to present for longitudinal analysis.
• Classification uses a defined structural requirement of 20% cover density and 2m height for the forest category.
• State-wide coverage offers a complete spatial picture for Western Australia.

Limitations

• Data is limited to two vegetation classes (forest and sparse woody), lacking finer species or health detail.
• The 30-meter pixel resolution may not capture fine-scale vegetation patterns or small clearings.

Provenance

Source

Landgate

Collection Method

Derived from Landsat satellite imagery (30m ground pixel).

Time Range

1988 to present

Freshness

Updated annually; last metadata update was 2026-03-09.

Geography

State of Western Australia