Rangeland Condition Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection (RCMAP)
Rangelands cover more than half of the western United States and are important for biodiversity, livestock grazing, recreation, and ecosystem services. Monitoring the condition and trends of rangelands over time is essential for sustainable land management. The Rangeland Condition Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection (RCMAP) project provides annual, 30 m resolution fractional component data to track rangeland vegetation dynamics across the western U.S.
RCMAP Science
RCMAP uses Landsat-based remote sensing to generate annual fractional component maps from 1985 to the present, depicting vegetation cover trends for key components:
- Shrubs
- Herbaceous plants (grasses and forbs)
- Bare ground
- Litter
- Tree cover
- Sagebrush
- Annual herbaceous (including invasive annual grasses)
This information enables land managers, scientists, and policymakers to analyze vegetation change and assess ecosystem health at multiple scales, from local to regional levels. The data support wildfire risk assessment, drought impact studies, habitat conservation, and land restoration planning.
Data and Applications
RCMAP’s annual time series provides critical insights into how rangeland vegetation responds to climate variability, land use, and disturbances such as wildfire and invasive species. Explore how rangeland change can be mapped and analyzed in Visualizing Rangeland Change with RCMAP Data.
Users can:
- Detect long-term trends in vegetation cover.
- Assess post-wildfire recovery and drought impacts.
- Support rangeland conservation and restoration efforts.
- Improve ecological forecasting models.
Accessing RCMAP Data
RCMAP data are freely available through the Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics (MRLC) Consortium and can be accessed via the USGS ScienceBase. Additionally, data can be accessed on Google Earth Engine, and with WMS/WCS services in GIS software. Users can explore time-series trends on MRLC rangelands viewer and download datasets for scientific analysis and management applications. Learn more about RCMAP data and access in this short video: RCMAP Overview and Data Access.
Partners and Collaboration
RCMAP is a key component of USGS efforts to support landscape-scale decision-making in the western United States. It complements other USGS land cover monitoring initiatives, including the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) and LANDFIRE. The project is conducted in collaboration with federal, state, and local land management agencies, ensuring data products align with user needs. The key federal partner is the Bureau of Land Management, who is responsible for managing much of the western rangelands.
Visualizing Rangeland Change with RCMAP Data
Rangeland managers need information on the current vegetation condition and how the landscape has changed through time. To address this need, scientists from the USGS and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) developed the Rangeland Condition Monitoring Assessment and Projection (RCMAP) project. These data classify western U.S. rangelands as fractional (0-100%) cover of ten ground cover components...
Rangelands cover more than half of the western United States and are important for biodiversity, livestock grazing, recreation, and ecosystem services. Monitoring the condition and trends of rangelands over time is essential for sustainable land management. The Rangeland Condition Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection (RCMAP) project provides annual, 30 m resolution fractional component data to track rangeland vegetation dynamics across the western U.S.
RCMAP Science
RCMAP uses Landsat-based remote sensing to generate annual fractional component maps from 1985 to the present, depicting vegetation cover trends for key components:
- Shrubs
- Herbaceous plants (grasses and forbs)
- Bare ground
- Litter
- Tree cover
- Sagebrush
- Annual herbaceous (including invasive annual grasses)
This information enables land managers, scientists, and policymakers to analyze vegetation change and assess ecosystem health at multiple scales, from local to regional levels. The data support wildfire risk assessment, drought impact studies, habitat conservation, and land restoration planning.
Data and Applications
RCMAP’s annual time series provides critical insights into how rangeland vegetation responds to climate variability, land use, and disturbances such as wildfire and invasive species. Explore how rangeland change can be mapped and analyzed in Visualizing Rangeland Change with RCMAP Data.
Users can:
- Detect long-term trends in vegetation cover.
- Assess post-wildfire recovery and drought impacts.
- Support rangeland conservation and restoration efforts.
- Improve ecological forecasting models.
Accessing RCMAP Data
RCMAP data are freely available through the Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics (MRLC) Consortium and can be accessed via the USGS ScienceBase. Additionally, data can be accessed on Google Earth Engine, and with WMS/WCS services in GIS software. Users can explore time-series trends on MRLC rangelands viewer and download datasets for scientific analysis and management applications. Learn more about RCMAP data and access in this short video: RCMAP Overview and Data Access.
Partners and Collaboration
RCMAP is a key component of USGS efforts to support landscape-scale decision-making in the western United States. It complements other USGS land cover monitoring initiatives, including the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) and LANDFIRE. The project is conducted in collaboration with federal, state, and local land management agencies, ensuring data products align with user needs. The key federal partner is the Bureau of Land Management, who is responsible for managing much of the western rangelands.
Visualizing Rangeland Change with RCMAP Data
Rangeland managers need information on the current vegetation condition and how the landscape has changed through time. To address this need, scientists from the USGS and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) developed the Rangeland Condition Monitoring Assessment and Projection (RCMAP) project. These data classify western U.S. rangelands as fractional (0-100%) cover of ten ground cover components...