HEADWATERS ECONOMICS GEOGRAPHIC DATA LIBRARY DOCUMENTATION TITLE: Geodataset Name: na_cmp_wld Geodataset Type: GRID Geodataset Feature: NA GENERAL DESCRIPTION: This dataset describes areas of overlap in three layers that represent wildness (lack of human impact): (1) Frontier Forests (large, unimpacted forest) (2) Last of the Wild (large, unimpacted wilderness), and (3) Human Footprint (minimal human disturbance) DATA SOURCE(S): World Resources Institute Wildlife Conservation Society Center for International Earth Science Information Network Carlos Carroll Scale of Original Source Maps: 1:20,000 - 1:100,000 Date of Original Source Maps: 1995 - 2000 GEODATASET EXTENT: Western North America FEATURE ATTRIBUTE TABLES CODES AND VALUES: NA DATA LINEAGE SUMMARY: Frontier Forests are defined in "The Last Frontier Forests: Ecosystems and Economies on the Edge." as being primarily forested; of sufficient size to support viable populations of the full range of indigenous species associated with that particular forest ecosystem given periodic natural disturbance episodes; and exhibiting a structure and composition shaped largely by natural events, as well as by limited human disturbance from traditional activities. Frontier forests are relatively unmanaged, are home to most if not all of the species associated with that ecosystem type, are dominated by indigenous tree species associated with that ecosystem type, and are characterized by mosaics of forest patches representing a range of seral stages, in areas where such landscape heterogeneity would be expected to occur under natural conditions. The human footprint layer shows Carlos Carroll's habitat effectiveness layer with the exception of eastern Montana where the values come from the Wildlife Conservation Societies (WCS) human footprint layer. Carroll's layer combines road density on private and public lands and local human population density. The WCS layer describes degrees of human impact according to the Last of the Wild Project. The dataset was created from nine global data layers covering human population pressure (population density population settlements), human land use and infrastructure (built up areas, nighttime lights, land use/land cover), and human access (coastlines, roads, railroads, navigable rivers). The Last of the Wild dataset describes the last wild places according to the Last of the Wild Project. Areas were selected where the human footprint scores 10 or less (a score of 100 represents the maximum human footprint). The ten largest polygons of more than 5 square kilometers within each biome by realm were then selected. In order to create the final dataset showing the areas of overlap in these three layers, three binary grids were created and added together: (1) All Frontier Forest areas (2) All Last of the Wild areas, and (3) Areas where the Human Footprint score equalled the lowest value MAP PROJECTION PARAMETERS PROJECTION ALBERS CONICAL EQUAL AREA DATUM NAD83 UNITS METERS SPHEROID GRS1980 PARAMETERS 1st standard parallel 29 30 0.000 2nd standard parallel 45 30 0.000 central meridian -96 00 0.000 latitude of projection's origin 37 30 0.000 false easting (meters) 0.00000 false northing (meters) 0.00000 DATA SOURCES CONTACT(S): Name: Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) User Services Address: CIESIN, Columbia University, P.O. Box 1000, 61 Route 9W PO Box 173460 Palisades, NY 10964 Web site: http://www.ciesin.columbia.edu/wild_areas/ Phone: 845-365-8920 Fax: 845-365-8922 Email: ciesin.info@ciesin.columbia.edu Name: World Resources Institute Abbr. Name: WRI Address: 10 G Street, NE Suite 800 Washington D.C. 20002 Web site: www.globalforestwatch.org Phone: 202-729-7600 Fax: 202-729-7686 Contact: Tyson Walker Email: tysonw@wri.org; gfw@wri.org Name: Carlos Carroll Address: Klamath Center for Conservation Research Orleans, CA 95556 Phone: 530-627-3512 Email: carlos@klamathconservation.org Web site: http://www.klamathconservation.org/ HEADWATERS ECONOMICS CONTACT: Name: Headwaters Economics Geographic Data Library Abbr. Name: HEGDL Address: Headwaters Economics 566 Highland St. Helena, Montana 59601 Web site: http://www.headwaterseconomics.org Contact Person: Patty Gude Phone: (406)599-7425 Email: patty@headwaterseconomics.org