Note: Differences between the NLCD-FDEN product and Google Earth images are due to different spatial resolutions, date of maps, geographic projections, and definitions of forest. Land cover and forest pattern changes since 2001 are not represented in the 2001 NLCD-FDEN product.

Instructions for viewing the Forest Area Density Analysis map (FDEN)

Google Earth 4+ is required. Download it here.

Click this link (and then click Open if a File Download box appears). Google Earth will open.

IMPORTANT: For proper display in Google Earth, ensure that in Tools --> Options --> 3D View --> Texture Colors, the Compress option is UNCHECKED, then restart Google Earth.

Open the folder FDEN-Forest Tiles. To select and visualize an entry:
1. Toggle the check box to show/hide the entry of interest
2. Double-click to zoom to the selected entry
3. Use the slider at the bottom of the 'Places' panel to adjust transparency of the selected entry.

Use the Tile Locator Map to identify a tile number for a region of interest.

Toggle FDEN Map Legend to show/hide the FDEN map legend; Click on FDEN Map Legend for an explanation of the legend.


FDEN Map Legend

Toggle the checkbox for FDEN Map Legend to show/hide the legend as an image overlay.

The basic idea is to color the forest on the map according to the amount of other forest in the surrounding 15 hectare neighborhood. A place that is not itself forest is colored gray, and a place that is outside the continental United States is colored white. The color of a forest place ranges from red (small amount of forest in the neighborhood) to green (large amount of forest in the neighborhood), with intermediate colors (yellow) indicating forest with intermediate amounts of forest in the neighborhood.


Tile Locator Map

Use this map to identify a tile number for a region of interest.

Move the cursor over a marker to see the extent of the corresponding tile.
Click on a marker to see the tile number, or zoom in until the tile number appears.

The map overlay(s) for one or more tiles can then be selected from the folder items in FDEN-Forest Tiles.


FDEN-Forest Tiles

Use the maps in this folder to show forest density overlays.

Open this folder to show the regions of interest (tiles).
Toggle one or more tiles 'on' by checking the box(es) next to the name. If necessary, zoom in until the map overlay appears. Center the map by double-clicking a tile name.

Adjust transparency: Click on the name of a tile to select that region, then use the slider bar at the bottom of the "Places" menu to adjust its transparency.

To locate a tile number, use the Tile Locator Map.


Sources and Credits