Land cover categories

Natural Vegetation

Evergreen needleleaf trees and shrubs: Lands dominated by woody vegetation with a percent cover 50% and height exceeding 2 meters. Almost all trees and shrubs remain green all year. Canopy is never without green foliage.

Evergreen broadleaf trees and shrubs: Lands dominated by woody vegetation with a percent cover 50% and height exceeding 2 meters. Trees and shrubs generally remain green year around. Canopy is never without green foliage.

Deciduous needleleaf trees and shrubs: Lands dominated by woody vegetation with a percent cover 50% and height exceeding 2 meters. Trees and shrubs shed their leaves during the dry season; e.g. Siberian Larix.

Deciduous broadleaf trees and shrubs: Lands dominated by woody vegetation with a percent cover 50% and height exceeding 2 meters. Consists of broadleaf trees and shrubs with an annual cycle of leaf-on and leaf-off periods.

Mixed trees and shrubs: Lands dominated by woody vegetation with a percent cover 50% and height exceeding 2 meters. Consists of mixtures of either broadleaf or needleleaf trees and shrubs in which neither components exceeds 60% of landscape.

Closed shrublands: Lands with woody vegetation with a height less than 2 meters. The total percent shrub cover exceeds 30%. The shrub foliage can be either evergreen or deciduous.

Open shrublands: Lands with woody vegetation with a height less than 2 meters. The total percent shrub cover is between 10-30%. The shrub foliage can be either evergreen or deciduous.

Woody savannas: Lands with herbaceous understory, typically graminoids, and with tree/shrub cover between 30-50%. The tree/shrub cover height exceeds 2 meters.

Savannas: Lands with herbaceous understory, typically graminoids, and with /shrub cover between 10-30%. The tree/shrub cover height exceeds 2 meters.

Grasslands: Lands with herbaceous types of cover, typically graminoids. Tree and shrub cover is less than 10%.

Permanent wetlands: Lands with a permanent mosaic of water and herbaceous or woody vegetation that cover extensive areas (i.e., more than 500 km2). The vegetation can be present in either salt, brackish, or fresh water. Note that small wetlands (less than 500 km2) cannot be consistently detected with 1-km AVHRR data.

Developed Lands

Annual broadleaf crops: Lands covered with temporary broadleaf crops (e.g., cotton, soybeans, sugar beets) that are harvested at the completion of the growing season, then remain idle until replanted.

Annual grass crops: Lands covered with temporary grass-type crops (e.g., rice, wheat, maize) that are harvested at the completion of the growing season, then remain idle until replanted. At least 60% of landscape must be covered with cropland.

Mixed annual crops: Lands covered with temporary broadleaf or grass-type crops that are harvested at the completion of the growing season, then remain idle until replanted. Neither the broadleaf or grass-type crops represent more than 60% of the cropland. At least 60% of the landscape must be covered with cropland.

Urban and built-up: Land covered by buildings and other man-made structures and activites. Note that this class will not be mapped from the AVHRR imagery but will be developed from ancillary sources.

Mosaic Lands

Agriculture/Tree and shrub mosaics: Lands with a mosaic of annual crops and trees and shrub vegetation in which neither component comprises more than 60% of the landscape. Tree and shrub cover can be either needleleaf or deciduous types.

Agriculture/Grassland mosaics: Lands with a mosaic of annual crops and grassland or savanna cover in which neither component comprises more than 60% of the landscape.

Non-Vegetated Lands

Snow and ice: Lands under snow/ice cover for most of the year.

Bare soil and rocks: Lands exposed soil, sand, or rocks and has less than 10% vegetated cover during any time of the year.

Water bodies: Oceans, seas, lakes, reservoirs, and rivers. Can be either fresh or salt water bodies.