Forests measures the percent change of forested land. Because of the numerous social, economic, and environmental benefits forests provide, protecting current forests and reforestation are key to improving watershed sustainability. For this indicator, we assessed the amount of forest change that occurred from 2016 to 2019, which was the most recent data available.
How is it scored?
The percent difference in forest area between 2016 and 2019 was calculated. Percent change was converted to the report card scale using the equation, y = 20x + 50, with a loss 2.5% scored a 0 and a gain of 2.5% scored a 100 (Table 1). Scores were capped at 0 or 100. Watershed scores were area-weighted to calculate an overall region score.
Table 1. Scoring thresholds used for the forest loss indicator. The equation to convert % change to a report card score was, y = 20x + 50.
% Forest Change | Score | Letter Grade |
-2.5 to -1.5 | 0–20 | F |
-1.5 to -0.5 | 20–40 | D |
-0..5 to 0.5 | 40–60 | C |
0.5 to 1.5 | 60–80 | B |
1.5 to 2.5 | 80–100 | A |
Data source: MRLC NLCD EVA Tool (https://www.mrlc.gov/eva/).