Sub-Index: Ecological Value

The ecological value sub-index estimates the potential for a location to contribute to important ecological processes such as supporting biodiversity, connectivity, and climate adaptation. This sub-index integrates data on climate accessibility, imperiled species richness, vertebrate species richness, ecological intactness, ecological connectivity, and vegetation diversity. Values in this layer represent 10 quantiles (1 being lowest ecological value, 10 being the highest), which were scaled relative to values within each U.S. Forest Service region.For full details, please see: Lacey LM, Suraci JP, Littlefield CE, Busse BS, Dickson BG. 2024. Informing proactive wildfire management that benefits vulnerable communities and ecological values. People and Nature.