NLCD data is one of the most frequently cited land classifications and provides our base description of the landscape. The data represents a breakdown of all land cover across Minnesota. As a general land cover classification it presents broad classes consistently represented throughout the United States. It is produced by the Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics Consortium (MRLC), a cooperation of Federal Agencies, and is considered the “definitive Landsat-based, 30-meter resolution, land cover database for the Nation” (Homer et al., 2012).
Homer, C.H., Fry, J.A., and Barnes C.A. (2012). The National Land Cover Database (U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2012-3020). Retrieved from https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2012/3020/fs2012-3020.pdf.
Land Cover Class | Percent of Total Area | Cover Class Area, square miles |
---|---|---|
Water | 6.8% | 99.64 |
Developed | 7.8% | 115.05 |
Barren | 0.2% | 2.85 |
Forest | 6.8% | 100.25 |
Shrub and Herbaceous | 0.6% | 8.89 |
Pasture and Hay | 11.7% | 173.12 |
Cultivated | 55.1% | 814.04 |
Wetland | 11.0% | 162.51 |