Upland Hardwood Forest Watershed Ranks

The purpose of this data set is support resource allocation decisions (i.e. where to invest conservation effort) within the Gulf Coastal Plains and Ozarks Landscape Conservation Cooperative. It represents a relative ranking of HUC12 watersheds according to the quantity and quality of habitat as described in the GCPO LCC’s draft Integrated Science Agenda (v4). Watersheds (HUC12) were ranked by the presence, quantity and quality of the Upland Hardwood (Forest) habitat system (includes upland hardwood, oak-hickory, mixed mesophytic, southern mixed mesic, and maritime forest types) within the 5 sub-geographies of the GCPO LCC region. Once ranked, watersheds were classified (e.g., “Top 10%”) based on the proportion of the total Upland Hardwood (Forest) area (current + potential) contained within the watershed.  The information input into the ranking rubric was derived from the GCPO LCC’s Upland Hardwood (Forest) Condition Index and the resulting Action Opportunity maps.