South Dakota's Land Cover Classification Descriptions
Eastern South Dakota
Agriculture includes row crops (i.e., corn, soybeans, potatoes), small grains (i.e., spring and winter wheat, sorghum, flax, millet, barley, oats), bare ground (fallow areas), and areas of sparse vegetation.
Hayland includes mowed grasslands and alfalfa.
Trees include mixed deciduous/coniferous shelterbelts, woodlands, shrublands, riparian areas, and forests, but exclude areas of known Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa), Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana), and Cottonwoods (Populus deltoides).
Idle Grass includes uncut, ungrazed grasslands (e.g., Conservation Reserve Program lands).
Wetland classification was derived from Stewart and Kantrud (1979) and were mapped using National Wetland Inventory delineated wetlands.
Pastureland includes grazed grasslands and few areas of mowed grasslands.
Eastern Red Cedar can be found along bluffs of the Missouri River.
Cottonwood can be found along the floodplain of the Missouri River.
Bur Oak can be found in draws along the eastern edge of the Prairie Coteau.
Western South Dakota
Ponderosa Pine contains trees found throughout the Black Hills, south of the Badlands along the Pine Ridge, and north of the Black Hills around the Slim Buttes area of Harding county. They are found with various forms of understory.
White Spruce is found in the Black Hills on north-facing slopes above 5,000 feet.
High Cover Grassland was interpreted from training data if M_NDVI (modified NDVI) was greater than 131.
Low Cover Grassland was interpreted from training data if M_NDVI was between 0 and 78.
Low/Medium Cover Grassland was interpreted from training data if M_NDVI values were greater than 78 but less than 103.
Medium/High Cover Grassland was interpreted from training data if M_NDVI values were greater than 103 but less than 131.
Sand Hills Sparse Vegetation is low cover grass and upland areas of the Sand Hills region.
Shale Barren Slope Sparse Vegetation is sparsely vegetated slopes primarily around the Belle Fourche area.
Water includes all rivers, lakes, ponds, or revervoirs in western South Dakota
Vegetated Badlands contains land within the Badlands or on Badlands that is vegetated.
Unvegetated Badlands is the barren open ground directly in the Badlands region.
Barren contains open ground found primarily around the Belle Fourche area, but not found in Badlands or Sand Hills areas.
Creeping Juniper contains areas of small shrubs that occur on north-facing slopes of buttes. These areas are north of the Black Hills around Belle Fourche and in parts of Harding County.
Mines and Quarries are open areas in the northern Black Hills around the Lead and Deadwood areas. This category was mapped from personal observation.
Towns are areas that were interpreted from high reflectance and were compared with maps or road information for verification.
Shrub Badlands are shrubs occurring in Plains areas of the Badlands region or along slopes of the Badlands.
Burned Pine is found in the southern region of the Black Hills on the north end of Custer State Park and in the central Black Hills west of Rapid City that was interpreted as bare ground. Personal observation verified the presence of burned ponderosa pine.
Deciduous Trees are found in valleys and hills along floodplains of western rivers.
Mesic Shrubs are shrubs occurring in wet environments in western South Dakota.
Sand Hills High Cover includes cover in lowland areas within the Sand Hills region.
Deciduous Shrubs include shrubs occurring primarily in upper portions of draws in western South Dakota.
Return to South Dakota Land Cover Map
Page updated on 4/17/2000
Send comments to vickie_smith@sdstate.edu