EI PLATFORM RESOURCES

Landcover types

In the EI Platform Screening Module, users can break their sites into various landcover types to understand baseline performance. Then, by exchanging those with different landcover types and new interventions, users can explore the impact on site performance. For easy reference, the available landcover types are presented below with supporting definitions. Download Definitions

Agriculture

  • Cultivated Crops: Areas used for the production of annual crops, such as corn, soybeans, vegetables, tobacco, and cotton, and may include perennial crops.

    Crop vegetation accounts for greater than 20% of total vegetation. This class also includes all land being actively tilled. Soils relative to biome assumptions.

  • Land specifically used for the production of fruits, nuts, flowers, etc. They do not include associated buildings, storage areas, access roads, drainage features etc. Production of bush and vine fruits, including berries, grapes within a winery, and melons or production of fruit on trees, such as apples cherries, peaches, pears, plums, etc.

  • Herbaceous Rangeland: An open upland area dominated by grasses and forbs. These areas are subject to intensive management and are often utilized for grazing. Herbaceous rangelands may consist of naturally occurring grasses and forbs as well as non-native grasses and forbs.

    Shrubland Rangeland: An area dominated by shrubs and low woody plants; may include a variety of species, both evergreen and deciduous species of true shrubs. These areas are subject to intensive management and are often utilized for grazing. Shrubland rangelands may consist of naturally occurring shrubs as well as non-native shrubs.

    Mixed Rangeland: An area supporting plant communities characterized by a mixture of grasses and shrubs. These areas are subject to intensive management and are often utilized for grazing. Mixed rangelands may consist of naturally occurring herbaceous and shrub cover as well as non-native vegetation.

  • Similar to Cultivated Crops and used for the production of annual crops, such as corn, soybeans, vegetables, tobacco, and cotton, and also perennial woody crops such as orchards and vineyards.

    Crop vegetation accounts for greater than 20% of total vegetation. Emphasis attributes that may result from management activities targeting ecosystem benefits, e.g. increased organics in soils as a result of incorporating manure for on-site production, etc.

  • Agricultural crops planted in rows wide enough to allow it to be tilled or cultivated by agricultural machinery.

  • Gardening opportunities outside the secure perimeter for the physical and social benefit of people and their neighborhoods.

    Among the types of foods grown are vegetables, mushrooms, medicinal and ornamental plants, and fruit trees.

Constructed Nature-Based Solutions or Materials

  • Roof structure on a building that is designed to provide initial temporary water storage and gradual release and evaporation of stormwater water (rain collection from roof area).

    Impermeable collection trays with gravel/cobble substrates with some outflow to stormwater where necessary for overflow.

  • Roof top structure that is 50% Green Roof and 50% Blue Roof-Extensive structures.

    The Green Roof-Extensive is dominated by low growing, occasionally inundated, herbaceous plantings, and small shrubs and trees on permeable mats.

    Blue Roof consists of a series of gravel filled trays to capture and hold water for evaporation or slow release.

  • Roof top structure that is 50% Green Roof and 50% Blue Roof-Semi-Intensive structures.

    The Green Roof- Semi-Intensive is dominated by low growing, occasionally inundated, herbaceous plantings, and small shrubs permeable mats.

    Blue Roof consists of a series of gravel filled trays to capture and hold water for evaporation or slow release.

  • Roof top structure that is 50% Green Roof and 50% Blue Roof-Intensive structures.

    The Green Roof-Intensive is dominated by low growing, occasionally inundated, herbaceous plantings, and small shrubs and trees on permeable mats.

    Blue Roof consists of a series of gravel filled trays to capture and hold water for evaporation or slow release.

  • Roof structure is dominated by low growing, occasionally inundated, herbaceous plantings on permeable mats.

    Growth medium presumes an organic component with some sand and silt/clay. Design arrangement mimics microtopography.

  • Roof structure is dominated by low growing, occasionally inundated, herbaceous plantings, and small shrubs and trees on permeable mats.

    Growth medium presumes an organic component with some sand and silt/clay. Design arrangement mimics microtopography.

  • Roof structure is dominated by low growing, occasionally inundated, herbaceous plantings and small shrubs on permeable mats.

    Growth medium presumes an organic component with some sand and silt/clay. Design arrangement mimics microtopography.

  • Exterior walls partially or completely covered in vegetation planted in manmade soil media.

  • Areas covered with pervious asphalt, which may include local roads, areas for equipment or vehicle storage, recreational trails, etc.

  • Areas covered with pervious gravel, which may include local roads, areas for equipment or vehicle storage, recreational trails, etc.

  • Areas covered with gravel, which may include local roads, areas for equipment or vehicle storage, recreational trails, etc.

  • Reinforced earthen wall designed to hold in place a mass of earth or the like, such as the edge of a terrace or excavation. The structure is designed to allow for planting vegetation on the face of the wall.

  • Areas covered with gravel or other pervious, man-made materials, which may include local roads, areas for equipment or vehicle storage, recreational trails, etc.

  • Wildlife corridors alleviate the negative consequences of human activities and structures provide some continuity with similar habitats by providing safe connections. Generally include man-made structures (e.g., bridges, culverts, etc.) with enough natural vegetative structure(s) to allow/encourage travel through/over human activity areas.

Built Environment

  • A roofed and walled structure built for permanent use.

  • Areas with a mixture of constructed materials and vegetation. Impervious surfaces account for <50% of the total cover.

  • Areas with a mixture of constructed materials and vegetation. Impervious surfaces account for 50% to 79% of the total cover.

  • Highly developed urban areas with many apartment buildings or residential structures, where impervious surfaces account for 80% to 100% of the total cover. Land covered by buildings, roads and other man-made structures such as railroads. Buildings include both residential and industrial building. Urban green (parks, sport facilities) is not included in this class. Waste dump deposits and extraction sites are considered as bare.

    • A nearly horizontal plateau (usually a mound or wall of earth or sand), engineered to serve a specific purpose, such as protection of agricultural land from flood waters.

    • An embankment constructed to provide flood protection from seasonal high water.

    • A wall or embankment to protect land from inundation.

    • A ridge or embankment of sand and silt, built up by a stream on its floodplain along both banks of its channel.

    • A large artificial embankment, often having an access road along the top, which is designed as part of a system to protect land from floods.

  • Areas covered with impervious pervious asphalt, which may include local roads, areas for equipment or vehicle storage, recreational trails, etc.

  • Areas of bedrock, desert pavement, scarps, talus, slides, volcanic material, glacial debris, sand dunes, strip mines, gravel pits and other accumulations of earthen material.

    Exposed due to man-made activity. Generally, vegetation accounts for less than 15% of total cover.

  • Planted grass of uniform height. Usually planted in mats and maintained to uniform height (≤3") and density that is managed mainly for aesthetics or recreation activity (e.g. golf course, sports field, park, etc.).

  • Landscaped area planted primarily with nonnative species arranged for aesthetic purposes not necessarily to mimic natural functioning systems. Species composition and soils are relative to site areas or biome.

Wet or Aquatic - Natural

  • A non-flowing and naturally enclosed body of water (including regulated natural lakes but excluding reservoirs) that ranges up to 1 to >10 acres in size. Natural lakes are the results of ground water seepage and surface run-off from precipitation.

  • Survey units within streams (including creeks) or rivers are identified as having an active average channel width of less than 50 feet wide.

  • Areas of open water, generally with less than 25% cover of vegetation or soil.

  • Places where the soil or substrate is periodically saturated or covered with water. Vegetation in wet areas can be woody or non-woody (non-woody vegetation has soft and green stems, and is also known as herbaceous vegetation).

  • Herbaceous vegetation accounts for greater than 80% of vegetative cover and the soil or substrate is periodically saturated with or covered with water.

  • Forest vegetation accounts for greater than 20% of vegetative cover and the soil or substrate is periodically saturated with or covered with water.

  • Shrubland vegetation accounts for greater than 20% of vegetative cover and the soil or substrate is periodically saturated with or covered with water.

Wet or Aquatic - Constructed

  • Man-made feature for capturing and controlling (storage and slow release) of stormwater or other non-potables waters using layered soils and vegetation in basins with perennial (permanent inundation) water >4'.

    The majority of vegetation is likely aquatic and with the possibly of some terrestrial attributes at it's edges.

    Additional benefits include detention or removal of pollutants and sediments from runoff.

  • Man-made structure for capturing and controlling (storage and slow release) of stormwater or other non-potables waters using layered soils and vegetation in shallow basins or landscaped areas.

    Water is generally intermittent and occasional vegetation may be either aquatic (e.g., emergent veg.) or nonaquatic (e.g., grasses, shrubs, etc.). Additional benefits include detention or removal of pollutants and sediments from runoff.

  • An open channel which conveys excess water purposely from one area to another.

    Perennial: An open channel which conveys water purposely from one area to another throughout the year.

    Intermittent/Ephemeral: An open channel which conveys water purposely from one area to another. An intermittent/ephemeral ditch does not flow throughout the year.

    Intermittent: A course of water flowing for only part of the time, generally in response to periods of heavy runoff either from snowmelt or storms. Flow generally occurs for several weeks or months in response to seasonal precipitation, or due to ground water discharge.

    Ephemeral: A course of water which flows only in direct response to precipitation and whose channel is at all times above the water table.

  • An artificial underground reservoir for storing water (usually rainwater) above or below ground.

  • Man-made water body created by dam, levee, or dike that contains standing water throughout the year or for relatively brief periods (e.g. holding pond containing process waters).

  • A man-made wetland to treat sewage, greywater, stormwater runoff or industrial wastewater, generally built on uplands and outside floodplains or floodways in order to avoid damage to natural wetlands and other aquatic resources.

    Substrate used to inhibit infiltration (retain water) is either manmade synthetic liner material or compress clay fill.

  • Container gardens that float on the surface of ponds or lakes.

    Plants (aquatic in early phases, may have grasses, small shrubs, etc. where additional structure allows) are vegetated on a floating mat while roots are extended down to the contaminated water acting as biological filter.

Terrestrial - Natural

  • Areas of bedrock, desert pavement, scarps, talus, slides, volcanic material, glacial debris, sand dunes, strip mines, gravel pits and other accumulations of earthen material. Generally, vegetation accounts for less than 15% of total cover.

  • Shrub/Scrub: Areas dominated by shrubs; less than 5 meters tall with shrub canopy typically greater than 20% of total vegetation.

    This class includes true shrubs, young trees in an early successional stage or trees stunted from environmental conditions.

  • Grassland/Herbaceous: Areas dominated by graminoid or herbaceous vegetation, generally greater than 80% of total vegetation.

    These areas are not subject to intensive management such as tilling, but can be utilized for grazing.

  • Forested areas having a predominance of trees that lose their leaves at the end of the frost-free season or at the beginning of a dry season.

  • Forested areas in which the trees are predominantly those which remain green throughout the year. Both coniferous and broadleaved evergreens are included.

  • Areas dominated by trees generally greater than 5 meters tall, and greater than 20% of total vegetation cover.

    Composition of deciduous or evergreen species is relative to site data or biome.

    Forested areas where both evergreen and deciduous trees are growing and neither predominates.

  • Areas that support a mixture of plant communities such as grasses, shrubs, and trees. These areas are not usually subject to intensive management.

Terrestrial - Nature Based Restoration

  • Landscaped area integrating native species and arranged to mimic native natural systems. Species composition and soils are relative to site areas or biome.

  • Landscaped area integrating native species and arranged to mimic native natural systems. Species composition and soils are relative to site areas or biome.

  • Landscaped area integrating native species and arranged to mimic native natural systems. Species composition and soils are relative to site areas or biome.

  • Plantings (landscaped or shrub/scrub) that target local habitats supporting/ promoting pollinator species.

  • Restoration targeting natural structure and vegetation stabilizing streambanks and interacting with the floodplain. Assists in natural erosion control, providing structure for water way (e.g. large wood debris, down wood, etc.).