Biome-wide Sagebrush Core Habitat and Growth Areas, 2020

These data were compiled as a part of a landscape conservation design effort for the sagebrush biome, and are the result of applying a spatially explicit model that assessed geographic patterns in sagebrush ecological integrity and used these results to identify Core Sagebrush Areas (CSAs), Growth Opportunity Areas (GOAs), and Other Rangeland Areas (ORAs). Our overall objective in this study was to characterize geographic patterns in ecological integrity of sagebrush ecosystems. These data represent the estimated integrity of sagebrush ecosystems, estimated from a spatial model that assigns high integrity is areas with abundant big sagebrush and perennial grass/forb cover and with minimal annual grass/forb cover, minimal conifers, and minimal human modification. This spatial model was applied over the entire sagebrush biome for several time periods and were estimated for 5 historical time periods between 1998 and 2020, and for one future time period (2030-2060). For each time period, input data were derived from satellite imagery, and the spatial model used those input values to estimate sagebrush ecological integrity. This approach to estimating ecological integrity was developed by consultation with experts from across the biome, allowing for the relationship between integrity and plant cover to vary among regions, as described in Doherty et al (2022). These data can be used to inform and prioritize conservation and restoration efforts across the sagebrush biome.