James D. Jacobi, USGS PIERC Emeritus 2025 vector digital data https://doi.org/10.5066/P1NGGUZZ Michael J Scott Stephen Mountainspring Fred L. Ramsey Cameron B. Kepler 1986 publication Scott, J.M., Mountainspring, S., Ramsey, F.L., and Kepler, C.B. 1986. Forest bird communities of the Hawaiian Islands: their dynamics, ecology, and conservation. Studies in Avian Biology 9:1–431. https://www.academia.edu/download/75421444/3e1a77f5d56988ebd39e9aacfb599d83a1c4.pdf In 1976-1983, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted systematic surveys of forest birds and plant communities on all of the main Hawaiian Islands as part of the Hawaiian Forest Bird Surveys (HFBS; Scott et al. 1986). Results of this monumental effort have guided conservation efforts and provided the basis for many plant and bird recovery plans and land acquisition decisions in Hawaii during the past several decades. This part of the data release (DR) contains vegetation survey maps of the upland plant communities on four of the main Hawaiian Islands (Hawaiʻi, Maui, Molokaʻi, and Lānaʻi). For each of these four islands, the maps contain polygons of generalized vegetation classes (known as Level 2 data). Additionally, the island of Hawaiʻi contains a detailed level of vegetation classification (known as Level 1 data). These maps, stored in shapefile format, complement the bird survey data found in the accompanying part of this DR. References: Scott, J.M., S. Mountainspring, F.L. Ramsey, and C.B. Kepler. 1986. Forest bird communities of the Hawaiian Islands: their dynamics, ecology, and conservation. Studies in Avian Biology 9:1-431) In 1976-1983, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted systematic surveys of forest birds and plant communities on all of the main Hawaiian Islands as part of the Hawaiian Forest Bird Surveys to determine the distribution, abundance, and status of native forest birds and their habitats for the major Hawaiian Islands. The maps and attribute tables included in this part of the DR provide a critical historical baseline of the upland plant communities throughout the Hawaiian Islands, and will continue to be of value to conservation and resource management efforts in the State. 1976 1983 ground condition Complete None planned -157.4561 -154.6436 21.3508 18.8023 ISO 19115 Topic Category biota None forest birds variable circular plot distribution density trends modeling vegetation surveys plant communities vegetation mapping USGS Metadata Identifier USGS:68dc5d5ad4be0204610b65fe Common geographic areas Hawaiian Islands Island of Hawaiʻi Maui Molokaʻi Lānaʻi None. Users are advised to read the dataset's metadata thoroughly to understand appropriate use and data limitations. Please see 'Distribution Information' for details. These data are marked with a Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal (CC0-1.0) public domain dedication and do not have any use constraints. Richard J. Camp USGS - NW-PACIFIC ISLAND REG Research Statistician mailing and physical

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Hawaii Natl Park HI 96718 808-210-5355 rcamp@usgs.gov Acknowledgement of the U.S. National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Hawai‘i GAP, The Nature Conservancy - Hawai‘i, Division of Forestry and Wildlife within the State Department of Land and Natural Resources, Kamehameha Schools, Hawai‘i Natural Heritage Program, Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit - University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Basin Information Node - U.S. Geological Survey Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center would be appreciated in products derived from these data. Environment as of Metadata Creation: Microsoft Windows 7 Version 6.1 (Build 7601) Service Pack 1; Esri ArcGIS 10.5 (Build 6491) Service Pack N/A (Build N/A) Trevor Bak, Lucas Berio Fortini, Noah Hunt, Paul Banko, Lena Schnell Richard J. Camp 20250929 publication Bak, T., Berio Fortini, L., Hunt, N., Banko, P., Schnell, L. and Camp, R.J. (2025), Quantifying landscape-level biodiversity change in an island ecosystem: a 50-year assessment of shifts in the Hawaiian avian community. Ecography, 2025: e07907. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecog.07907 https://doi.org/10.1002/ecog.07907 James D. Jacobi 198906 publication Jacobi, J.D. 1989. Technical Report 68: Vegetation Maps of the Upland Plant Communities on the Islands of Hawai‘i, Maui, Moloka‘i, and Lana‘i. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and University of Hawai‘i. https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/5d94e253-9d4b-4083-859d-2801837a7fdd/content No formal attribute accuracy tests were conducted; however, map verification processes through field work and air reconnaissance are described in the 1989 Technical Report by Jacobi. See full reference in the Process Step. No formal logical accuracy tests were conducted. Dataset is considered complete as presented, and described in the Abstract and Process Step. Users are advised to read the rest of the metadata record carefully for additional details. Since the maps represent snapshots from a time period long ago, no additional data is expected to be added to this dataset. A formal accuracy assessment of the horizontal positional information in the dataset has not been conducted. A formal accuracy assessment of the vertical positional information of the dataset is not applicable since the dataset contains only horizontal coordinates. A set of vegetation maps describing the upland plant communities on four of the major Hawaiian Islands was prepared as part of a survey conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1976-1983. During this project, 68 map sheets were produced at the scale of 1:24,000, overlaying U.S. Geological Survey topographic quad maps for selected portions of the islands of Hawai'i, Lānaʻi, Maui, and Moloka'i. Map units were differentiated on the basis of tree canopy cover, tree height, and dominant species composition of the tree and understory vegetation layers. A hierarchical classification system was developed that allowed for presentation and discussion of the vegetation units at three levels of detail. The maps included in this data release (DR) represent Level 2 (general map units) for all four islands, and Level 1 (detailed map units) for the Island of Hawai'i only. The basic patterns of the vegetation were initially mapped on black and white aerial photographs taken by the USGS in 1976-1977 at the approximate scale of 1:40,000. This primary mapping step was accomplished using a Leitz MS-27 mirror stereoscope with 3X and 6X magnification. The boundaries delineated on the aerial photographs were then compiled into preliminary composite overlays on 1:24,000-scale orthophoto quad sheets using a Kern PG-2 stereoplotter. All mapped areas were field-checked along a series of transects established through each study area. Further checking of questionable vegetation patterns was performed through aerial reconnaissance. The vegetation types identified during the HFBS represent an expanded version of the Mueller-Dombois and Fosberg's (1974) classification system for Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. At level 1 classification, six different types of information were coded into map symbols: tree canopy cover, tree canopy height, dominant tree species composition, species association type, dominant understory species composition, and other information pertinent to the map unit. At level 2, symbols were based on tree and understory composition and tree crown cover. The species names in the map unit keys reflect the taxonomic nomenclature accepted at the time of the survey (St. John 1973). As technology advanced, these maps were converted in digital GIS formats such as the widely used ESRI shapefile format preferred by ScienceBase. This DR contains one shapefile per island, with the Island of Hawai'i map being projected in UTM Zone 5N, while the other islands use UTM Zone 4N. Since this XML only can record a single projected grid system, Zone 4N is listed arbitrarily even though the four maps span two grid zones (4N and 5N). A complete description of the mapping methodology can be found in Jacobi (1989). References: Jacobi, James D. Technical Report 68: Vegetation Maps of the Upland Plant Communities on the Islands of Hawai'i, Maui, Moloka'i, and Lana'i. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and University of Hawai, 1989. Mueller-Dombois, D. and F.R. Fosberg (1974). Vegetation map of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park (at 152,000). Cooperative National Park Resources Study Unit, University of Hawai'i, Honolulu, Technical Report Number 4. St. John, H. 1973. List and Summary of the Flowering Plants in the Hawaiian Islands. Memoir 1. Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden, Lāwaʻi, Kauai. 519 pages. Unknown Universal Transverse Mercator 4 0.9996 -159.0 0.0 500000.0 0.0 coordinate pair 0.6096 0.6096 meters D_North_American_1983 GRS_1980 6378137.0 298.257222101 HFBS_Hawaii_Veg_Level1and2.shp Attribute Table Table containing attribute information associated with the data set. Producer Defined FID Internally defined feature ID number, automatically generated by ArcGIS Pro Defined by ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc.) ArcGIS Pro software. Sequential unique whole numbers that are used to reference each geographic polygon feature. Each shapefile has its own list of FID values that start from zero. See ranges below for each island: Lānaʻi: 0 to 80 Molokaʻi: 0 to 213 Maui: 0 to 406 Island of Hawaiʻi: 0 to 8,979 Shape Feature geometry type. All features in all four vegetation maps are polygons. Defined by ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc.) ArcGIS Pro software. Every feature on all maps is a polygon. L1_code Level 1 vegetation code. Sequential whole numbers used to differentiate vegetation classes at the most detailed level (known as Level 1). NOTE: this attribute is only available for the Island of Hawaiʻi map. Producer Defined 0 379 L1_symbol Level 1 vegetation symbol. A compact symbol that defines each Level 1 code, based on six different types of information: tree canopy cover, tree canopy height, dominant tree species composition, species association type, dominant understory species composition, and other information pertinent to the map unit. NOTE: this attribute is only available for the Island of Hawaiʻi map. Producer Defined Each code consists of a text string that combines six different types of information about the vegetation type, as defined below (with an example at the end): 1. Tree Canopy Crown Cover c = Closed canopy, most crowns interlocking; > 60% cover o = Open canopy, some or no interlocking crowns; > 25-60% cover s = Scattered trees; 5-25% cover vs = Very scattered trees; < 5% cover 2. Tree Canopy Height 1 = Low scrub trees, monopodial; 2-5 m tall 2 = Scrub trees, moderate stature > 5-10 m tall 3 = Tall stature trees; > 10 m tall 3. Tree Species Composition (A) Species Name or Association Abbreviations Ac = Acacia koa (koa) Al = Aleurites moluccana (kukui) Ch = Cheirodendron trigynum (olapa) Di = Diospyros ferea (lama) Ep = Euphorbia sp. ('akoko) Me = Metrosideros polymorpha ('ohi'a) Mr = Myrica faya (fayatree) My = Myoporum sandwicensis (naio) nt = Native trees Psc = Psidium cattleianum (strawberry guava, waiawi) Sa = Sapindus saponarirz (manele, soapberry) So = Sophora chrysophylla (mamane) xt = Introduced trees (B) Species Dominance Species Composition* Relative Dominance: A = Only species A present A-B = Species A and B codominant A,B = A dominant, B subdominant Am = Mosaic with either A or B present A,B-C = A dominant, B and C subdominant A-B,C = A and B codominant, C subdominant A-B-C = A,B,C codominant *Substitute the appropriate species name or association abbreviation for the letters A, B, or C. 4. Species Association Type D = Dry habitat species M = Mesic (moist) habitat species W = Wet habitat species Note: see reference listed in the Process Step for further details on species associations (Jacobi 1989). 5. Understory Species Composition (A) Species Name or Association Abbreviation (Note: species name abbreviations for trees may also be used if the understory is dominated by individuals of that species, less than 2 m tall). bg = Structured bog mf = Matted ferns: Dicranopteris spp., Hicriopteris sp., Stichems sp. mg = Mixed native-introduced grasses, sedges, or rushes ng = Native grasses ns = Native shrubs Pm = Passiflora mollissima (banana poka - introduced) Sp = Sphagnum sp. tf = Native treeferns, Cibotium spp. (hapu'u) xg = Introduced grasses, sedges, or rushes xh = Introduced herbaceous species xs = Introduced shrubs xx = Bare ground (at least 25% of the area without vegetation) (B) Species Dominance (uses same format as tree species) 6. Other Information bur = Recently burned clr = Recently cleared or logged fum = Volcanic fume defoliation msc = Miscellaneous unit - mix of native and introduced species in low elevation areas pio = Pioneer vegetation, seral stage on recent lava flow sng = Many standing dead or defoliated trees Below is an example of the entire code for open canopy, tall metrosideros dominant, moderate height native trees subdominant, Wet habitat, tree fern dominant/native shrub subdominant understory, with numerous dead or defoliated trees: o3Me,2nt (W:tf,ns)sng. L2_code Level 2 vegetation code. Sequential whole numbers used to differentiate vegetation classes at a more generalized level (known as Level 2). The L2 codes have consistent meanings across all four mapped islands, although not every island has every code present. Each island has its own range of Level 2 codes: Lānaʻi: 59 to 91 Molokaʻi: 13 to 91 Maui: 0 to 91 Island of Hawaiʻi: 0 to 91 Producer Defined 0 Not mapped Producer defined 0 91 L2_symbol Level 2 vegetation symbol. A compact symbol that defines each Level 2 code. This code is an abbreviated version of the more detailed Level 1 code that incorporates a subset of the elements from the detailed classification including species association type, tree species composition, and understory species composition. Producer Defined Each code consists of a text string that combines three different types of information about the vegetation type. The three types of information are a subset of the six types of information that are used in the Level 1 symbol. For a detailed description of each of the three types of information, see the full description under the L2_symbol column and/or the Jacabi (1989) technical report (full reference in the Process Step). The three types of information used at Level 2 are (1) species association type, (2) tree species composition, and (3) understory species composition. An example is below: M:My-So-xt(xg) The symbol in this example denotes a Mesic mamane-naio-exotic tree community with an exotic grass understory. L2_descrip Level 2 description of the vegetation map unit, corresponding to the Level 2 code and Level 2 symbol. Producer Defined This field contains a written description of the Level 2 vegetation mapping unit in plain language. Many descriptions contain Hawaiian plant species names rather than scientific names. An example follows for the symbol: M:My-So-xt(xg). At Level 2, this symbol has the description: "Mesic mamane-naio-exotic tree community with an exotic grass understory." Shape_Leng The perimeter (or distance along the outer edge) of each polygon feature. Perimeter values vary between islands, as noted below: Lānaʻi: 89.4 to 30,302.5 m Molokaʻi: 133.4 to 75,479.7 m Maui: 103.9 to 289,482.0 m Island of Hawaiʻi: 65.9 to 356,170.4 m Defined by ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc.) ArcGIS Pro software. 65.9 356170.4 meters Shape_Area The area enclosed by each polygon feature (units = square meters). Polygon areas vary between islands. Lānaʻi: 424 to 3,864,034 sq. meters Molokaʻi: 1,192 to 21,208,715 sq. meters Maui: 728 to 178,671,343 sq. meters Island of Hawaiʻi: 252 to 140,055,904 sq. meters Defined by ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc.) ArcGIS Pro software. 252 178,671,343 square meters The entity and attribute information provided here describes the tabular data associated with the data set. Please review the detailed descriptions that are provided (the individual attribute descriptions) for information on the values that appear as fields/table entries of the data set. The entity and attribute information was generated by the individual and/or agency identified as the originator of the data set. Please review the rest of the metadata record for additional details and information. U.S. Geological Survey - ScienceBase mailing address

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Denver CO 80225 1-888-275-8747 sciencebase@usgs.gov Unless otherwise stated, all data, metadata and related materials are considered to satisfy the quality standards relative to the purpose for which the data were collected. Although these data and associated metadata have been reviewed for accuracy and completeness and approved for release by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the display or utility of the data for other purposes, nor on all computer systems, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Tabular Digital Data https://doi.org/10.5066/P1NGGUZZ None. No fees are applicable for obtaining the data set. 20260112 U.S. Geological Survey - PIERC Data Steward mailing and physical

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