The Heinz Center's State of the Nation's Ecosystems
ecosystem: Core National Indicators
indicator Name: National Extent: recent trends
page # in printed report: 41
location on page: upper graph
data source: USDA Forest Service (forests, current area, recent trends), USDA Economic Research Service (croplands trends, urban area trends), Multi-Resolution Land Characterization Consortium (MRLC; all satellite data, including current estimate of grass/shrub and urban/suburban area in top graph). Presettlement estimates are from Klopatek et al. (1979). Coverage: lower 48 states.
notes: please see technical notes for further details on accessing these data from their original source;
this data table comes from a specific graphic in The State of the Nation's Ecosystems report (www.heinzctr.org/ecosystems)

units: % of US land area
  Other Urban & Suburban Croplands Forests Grasslands and Shrublands
presettlement 0.0 0.0 0.0 48.5 51.5
1990s 6.3 1.7 24.1 31.7 36.1