Map of Riparian Vegetation along the San Carlos River and Lower Reaches of the Gila River of the Upper Gila River Watershed for 2023

Riparian systems across the southwestern United States are immensely important ecosystems and serve as biodiversity hotspots for a number of plant and animal species. However, recent challenges including non-native vegetation expansion, increased wildfire activity, and widespread vegetation die-offs, have substantially impacted the conditions of these ecosystems. This study was structured to develop a riparian vegetation classification for the riparian ecosystems within the Upper Gila River level-4 Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC-4) watershed, and assess the vegetation response to a series of hydro-climatological variables, including discharge, precipitation, and temperature. The file represents one of two complementary data products that support this project; the other data release consists of hydro-climatological data (2019-2023) for the study area (https://doi.org/10.5066/P1GHXNYC).

The list of files for this release includes: 
(1) Riparian Vegetation Classification Raster Image - "Riparian_Classification.tif"