SANDAG GIS

COVERAGE NAME: VEG95

COVERAGE DESCRIPTION: Vegetation communities

FEATURE TYPE: Polygon

EXTENT: San Diego region, except for the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park; some BLM, Indian Reservation and private lands in the east county.

DATE OF DATA: 1995

NUMBER OF RECORDS: 52,359

SOURCE MAPPING SCALE: Varies depending upon area, see notes below. Scales range from 1:1,200 (1" = 100’) to 1:24,000 (1" = 2000’).

MAPPING SOURCE: Varies depending upon area, see notes below.

NOTES: The 1995 vegetation file contains both 1990 and 1995 vegetation attributes. The file has been refined (to include more detailed vegetation information, where available), expanded (to include vegetation data outside of the MSCP/MSCP study areas), and updated to reflect vegetation conditions in 1995. The update consisted of using multi-date panchromatic satellite image change detection techniques to alter habitat information in areas that have converted to agricultural, rural, or urban uses. The technology used in the update procedure did not support the identification of successional vegetation changes or other more subtle changes in vegetation. The intent of the update was to re-code habitat areas that have been converted to some other use.

The Holland vegetation classification system is used in the San Diego region. The Holland codes use a hierarchical classification system, providing flexibility in the level of vegetation detail which can be mapped. For example; 37000 is the code for chaparral, and 37120 and 37130 are subcategories of chaparral; southern and northern mixed chaparral, respectively. The northern and southern mixed chaparral types can be further broken down into granitic and mafic versions, 37121, 37122 and 37131, 37132, respectively. Usually finer levels of vegetation can be mapped at larger scales; i.e., project or site level; than can be mapped from small-scale air photo interpretation. More detailed vegetation mapping generally requires more detailed source data and more extensive fieldwork.

The vegetation file contains a mixed level of vegetation information. Some areas contain more detailed vegetation information (both categorical and positional) obtained from digital project-level vegetation surveys. Other areas contain more generalized vegetation information, as was collected as part of the MSCP and MHCP. In areas where more detailed vegetation information was incorporated into the vegetation file, care was taken to edge-match (where possible) the vegetation inside the project with areas outside the project, thus creating an apparently seamless database. This edge-matching effort provided both positional and categorical consistency across project boundaries.

The location of vernal pools and vernal pool complexes are not contained in the vegetation layer, even though there are Holland codes for them in the Holland Classification system. Because vernal pools tend to small and seasonal, their locations are contained in a separate layer.

There are a number of attributes on the file to assist users in determining the level of information within specific areas. The following attribute information should help to explain how to use this database.

The coverage is in double precision. This is necessary in order to preserve and maintain the data integrity, particularly in areas with a finer level of classification and more detailed scale of vegetation information.

Comments: Users should be aware of the level of vegetation information represented in specific areas of interest when mapping, tabulating, and analyzing this data. Vegetation information should generally be reported and/or portrayed for the least common denominator for the study area. If necessary, please contact Sue Carnevale of SANDAG staff (619) 595-5381 or sca@sandag.org for more information.

Polygon Attribute Items:

COLUMN	ITEM NAME	WIDTH	OUTPUT	TYPE	N.DEC	ALTERNATE
1	AREA	8	18	F	5	-
9	PERIMETER	8	18	F	5	-
17	VEG95#	4	5	B	-	-
21	VEG95-ID	4	5	B	-	-
25	HOLLAND90	5	5	C	-	-
30	DETAIL	2	2	I	-	-
32	SCALE	6	6	I	-	-
38	DIS90	2	2	I	-	-
40	SOURCE	5	5	I	-	-
45	HOLLAND95	5	5	C	-	-
50	DIS95	2	2	I	-	-
52	NATHAB95	2	2	I	-	LABEL

Code documentation:

HOLLAND90, HOLLAND95	Alphanumeric Holland vegetation code. See Attachment A below for Holland vegetation classification codes.
DIS90, DIS95	Classified vegetation disturbance flag:
	1 = disturbed (Not to be confused with the Holland code of 11300 - Disturbed Land - which represents unclassified vegetation types).
	0 = not disturbed.
DETAIL	Level of detail of vegetation information. Related to the scale item.
	1 = MSCP/MHCP level (i.e., 1:24,000 scale air photo interpretation with minimal field checking).
	2 = 1:24,000 scale with some field checking.
	3 = Detailed project level.
SCALE	Scale of source vegetation information.
SOURCE	A unique numeric code identifying each of the digital vegetation and hardcopy sources used to detail the vegetation information.
NATHAB95	Code to distinguish natural habitats from non-habitat codes.
	1 = All natural habitats
	6 = Marine/Bay
	7 = Disturbed Land
	8 = Agriculture
	9 = Developed or Disturbed Land

This page last revised: May 2, 2002.

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ATTACHMENT A

Terrestrial Vegetation Communities in San Diego County

Based on Holland's Descriptions

Suggested by Thomas Oberbauer

(revised February 1996)^1,2

10000 NON-NATIVE VEGETATION, DEVELOPED AREAS, OR
UNVEGETATED HABITAT

11000 Non-Native Vegetation

11100 Eucalyptus Woodland

11200 Disturbed Wetland

11300 Disturbed Habitat

12000 Urban/Developed

13000 Unvegetated Habitat

13100 Open Water

13110 Marine

13111 Subtidal

13112 Intertidal

13120 Bay

13121 Deep Bay

13122 Intermediate Bay

13123 Shallow Bay

13130 Estuarine

13131 Subtidal

13132 Intertidal

13133 Brackishwater

13140 Freshwater

13200 Non-Vegetated Channel, Floodway, Lakeshore Fringe

13300 Saltpan/Mudflats

13400 Beach

18000 General Agriculture

18100 Orchards and Vineyards

18200 Intensive Agriculture - Dairies, Nurseries, Chicken Ranches

18300 Extensive Agriculture - Field/Pasture, Row Crops

18310 Field/Pasture

18320 Row Crops

20000 DUNE COMMUNITY

21000 Coastal Dunes

21100 Active Coastal Dunes (occurred at one time but now nearly extirpated)

21200 Foredunes

21230 Southern Foredunes (tiny fragments remaining in Imperial Beach and Los Peñasquitos Lagoon)

22000 Desert Dunes

22100 Active Desert Dunes (very little in Borrego Valley)

22300 Stabilized and Partially-Stabilized Desert Sand Field (mostly in the eastern part of Borrego Valley; may be large enough to map from aerials)

24000 Stabilized Alkaline Dunes*

29000 ACACIA SCRUB*

30000 SCRUB AND CHAPARRAL

31000 Coastal Bluff Scrub

31200 Southern Coastal Bluff Scrub (mappable on Point Loma and Torrey Pines State Park)

32000 Coastal Scrub

32400 Maritime Succulent Scrub (Point Loma, etc.)

32500 Diegan Coastal Sage Scrub

32510 Coastal form*

32520 Inland form (>1,000 ft. elevation)*

32700 Riversidian Sage Scrub

32710 Riversidian Upland Sage Scrub (scrub on Banner Grade may fit this category)

32720 Alluvial Fan Scrub

33000 Sonoran Desert Scrub

33100 Sonoran Creosote Bush Scrub

33200 Sonoran Desert Mixed Scrub

33210 Sonoran Mixed Woody Scrub

33220 Sonoran Mixed Woody and Succulent Scrub

33230 Sonoran Wash Scrub*

33300 Colorado Desert Wash Scrub*

33500 Calcicolous Scrub*

33600 Encelia Scrub*

34000 Mojavean Desert Scrub

34300 Blackbush Scrub (micro locations on eastern edge of mountains)

35000 Great Basin Scrub

35200 Sagebrush Scrub

35210 Big Sagebrush Scrub

36000 Chenopod Scrub

36110 Desert Saltbush Scrub

36120 Desert Sink Scrub (in Borrego sink)

37000 Chaparral

37100 Upper Sonoran Mixed Chaparral

37120 Southern Mixed Chaparral

37121 Granitic Southern Mixed Chaparral

37122 Mafic Southern Mixed Chaparral (occurs on Las Posas and Boomer soils)

37130 Northern Mixed Chaparral*

37131 Granitic Northern Mixed Chaparral*

37132 Mafic Northern Mixed Chaparral*

37200 Chamise Chaparral

37210 Granitic Chamise Chaparral*

37220 Mafic Chamise Chaparral*

37300 Red Shank Chaparral (near Campo and Chihuahua Valley)

37400 Semi-Desert Chaparral (same as Desert Transition Chaparral; occurs in areas like Jacumba)

37500 Montane Chaparral

37510 Mixed Montane Chaparral

37520 Montane Manzanita Chaparral

37530 Montane Ceanothus Chaparral

37540 Montane Scrub Oak Chaparral

37800 Upper Sonoran Ceanothus Chaparral

37810 Buck Brush Chaparral

37830 Ceanothus crassifolius Chaparral

37900 Scrub Oak Chaparral

37A00 Interior Live Oak Chaparral

37B00 Upper Sonoran Manzanita Chaparral

37C00 Maritime Chaparral

37C30 Southern Maritime Chaparral (occurs in coastal San Diego County and has been described as Coastal Mixed Chaparral)

37G00 Coastal Sage-Chaparral Scrub

37K00 Flat-topped Buckwheat*

39000 Upper Sonoran Subshrub Scrub

40000 GRASSLANDS, VERNAL POOLS, MEADOWS, AND OTHER HERB COMMUNITIES

42000 Valley and Foothill Grassland

42100 Native Grassland

42110 Valley Needlegrass Grassland

42120 Valley Sacaton Grassland

42200 Non-Native Grassland

42300 Wildflower Field (this is actually a subset of the above, but would be pertinent in the Cuyamaca Lake and Mataguay Valley areas)

42400 Foothill/Mountain Perennial Grassland*

42470 Transmontane Dropseed Grassland*

44000 Vernal Pool

44300 Southern Vernal Pool

44320 San Diego Mesa Vernal Pool

44321 San Diego Mesa Hardpan Vernal Pool (northern mesas)

44322 San Diego Mesa Claypan Vernal Pool (southern mesas)

45000 Meadow and Seep

45100 Montane Meadow

45110 Wet Montane Meadow

45120 Dry Montane Meadows

45300 Alkali Meadows and Seeps

45320 Alkali Seep

45400 Freshwater Seep

46000 Alkali Playa Community

46100 Badlands/Mudhill Forbs*

50000 BOG AND MARSH

52000 Marsh and Swamp

52100 Coastal Salt Marsh

52120 Southern Coastal Salt Marsh

52300 Alkali Marsh

52310 Cismontane Alkali Marsh

52400 Freshwater Marsh

52410 Coastal and Valley Freshwater Marsh

52420 Transmontane Freshwater Marsh (San Felipe Creek)

52430 Montane Freshwater Marsh

52440 Emergent Wetland

60000 RIPARIAN AND BOTTOMLAND HABITAT

61000 Riparian Forests

61300 Southern Riparian Forest

61310 Southern Coast Live Oak Riparian Forest

61320 Southern Arroyo Willow Riparian Forest

61330 Southern Cottonwood-willow Riparian Forest

61500 Montane Riparian Forest

61510 White Alder Riparian Forest (Cold Spring in the Cuyamaca Mountains)

61800 Colorado Riparian Forest

61810 Sonoran Cottonwood-willow Riparian Forest (Coyote Canyon)

61820 Mesquite Bosque (Borrego Sink)

62000 Riparian Woodlands

62200 Desert Dry Wash Woodland

62300 Desert Fan Palm Oasis Woodland

62400 Southern Sycamore-alder Riparian Woodland (Pauma and Pala areas)

63000 Riparian Scrubs

63300 Southern Riparian Scrub

63310 Mule Fat Scrub

63320 Southern Willow Scrub

63500 Montane Riparian Scrub

63800 Colorado Riparian Scrub

63810 Tamarisk Scrub

63820 Arrowweed Scrub

70000 WOODLAND

71000 Cismontane Woodland

71100 Oak Woodland

71120 Black Oak Woodland (Cuyamaca and Mesa Grande)

71160 Coast Live Oak Woodland

71161 Open Coast Live Oak Woodland

71162 Dense Coast Live Oak Woodland

71180 Engelmann Oak Woodland

71181 Open Engelmann Oak Woodland

71182 Dense Engelmann Oak Woodland

71200 Walnut Woodland

71210 California Walnut Woodland (micro locations occur, such as in De Luz)

72000 Pinon and Juniper Woodlands

72300 Peninsular Pinon and Juniper Woodlands

72310 Peninsular Pinon Woodland

72320 Peninsular Juniper Woodland and Scrub

75000 Sonoran Thorn Woodland

75100 Elephant Tree Woodland (micro locations such as Indian Wash)

77000 Mixed Oak Woodland*

78000 Undifferentiated Open Woodland*

79000 Undifferentiated Dense Woodland*

80000 FOREST

81000 Broadleaved Upland Forest

81100 Mixed Evergreen Forest (Palomar Mountain)

81300 Oak Forest

81310 Coast Live Oak Forest

81320 Canyon Live Oak Forest (may be represented in San Diego County in some form but apparently is intended for more northern areas)

81340 Black Oak Forest (as described in Holland represents apparent patches of oak in the midst of coniferous forests)

83000 Closed-cone Coniferous Forest

83100 Coastal Closed-cone Coniferous Forest

83140 Torrey Pine Forest (not actually a closed cone pine)

83200 Interior Closed-cone Coniferous Forest

83230 Southern Interior Cypress Forest (83330, typo in original Holland document)

84000 Lower Montane Coniferous Forest

84100 Coast Range, Klamath and Peninsular Coniferous Forest*

84140 Coulter Pine Forest

84150 Bigcone Spruce (Bigcone Douglas Fir)-Canyon Oak Forest

84200 Sierran Coniferous Forest

84230 Sierran Mixed Coniferous Forest

84500 Mixed Oak/Coniferous/Bigcone/Coulter*

85000 Upper Montane Coniferous Forest

85100 Jeffrey Pine Forest