Years since implementation of U.S. Forest Service Activity Tracking System (FACTS) vegetation management activities for bat habitat

This data release contains the spatial raster outputs, R code, and lookup table from a synthesis of U.S. Forest Service Activity Tracking System (FACTS) vegetation management activities hypothesized to influence bat habitat. The included raster data cover the continental United States and represent the number of years that have passed since a given management action was implemented, assessed with a pixel resolution of 250 m. Each raster represents a unique time slice and vegetation management type. The FACTS database includes information on planned and completed management activities related to fire, fuels, silviculture, and invasive species, among others. We consulted with U.S. Forest Service silviculturists to identify 78 different management actions that we hypothesized could influence summer bat occupancy. We grouped these management actions into four vegetation management types: clear-cutting, fire, thinning, and ground vegetation management. We assumed that each of the different management actions in a type likely resulted in similar landscape modifications. For example, the “ground vegetation management” type was composed of 18 different management actions, including “Compacting/Crushing of Fuels” and “Site Preparation for Planting - Mechanical” (FACTS_CODES.csv), which we assumed resulted in similar outcomes for bats across the landscape.