San Mateo Fine Scale Vegetation Map Complete

April 2022 - Fine scale vegetation maps are precise snapshots of plant communities (and other land cover types) across a landscape at a given time. They're also invaluable tools for land stewards of all stripes. For example, they can help guide fuels reduction efforts and identify priority conservation areas. Or, they may be combined with subsequent surveys to assess things like climate change, fire, invasive species, and/or disease-driven changes in plant communities over time. Last year, a coalition of agencies and partners co-led by the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy completed a countywide fine scale vegetation map of Marin County. Now, an overlapping coalition* has completed a similar map of San Mateo County, plus National Park Service and Presidio Trust lands in San Francisco County.

The new map is the capstone product of the larger San Mateo Countywide Fine Scale Vegetation Map and Landscape Database Project. Earlier stages of the project yielded lifeform, fuels, and impervious surfaces maps, among other deliverables. While the lifeform map showed 26 land cover types, or classes, the fine scale map vegetation map shows 106 classes with 97,582(!) polygons. Among the classes are 32 native forest, 29 native shrub, and 21 native herbaceous (non-woody) plant community types. They depict the landscape as it was in 2018, when the project team acquired aerial imagery to form the map’s foundation.

With the fine scale map finished, the project team is working on an accuracy assessment and final report detailing their work. From there, they’ll be able to pause and consider possibilities for the future, like updating the map. They also have ideas for possible complimentary mapping projects. For example, might a vegetation drought stress or hydrography (water feature details) map be next? We’ll have to wait and see!

*Project partners include: Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, County of San Mateo, National Park Service, Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Peninsula Open Space Trust, San Mateo County Parks, California State Parks - Santa Cruz District, San Mateo FireSafe Council, Santa Cruz Mountains Stewardship Network, CAL FIRE, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, United States Geological Survey, San Mateo City/County Association of Governments, California Native Plant Society, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, San Mateo County District-3 Supervisor Don Horsley, and more!

For more information

Check out the San Mateo Fine Scale Vegetation Map Datasheet to learn more, and for links to access or download the map data

Contact Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy Project Manager Danny Franco

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• Golden Gate National Recreation Area
• Presidio of San Francisco

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