Look for complete geospatial metadata in this layer's associated xml document available from the download link

* Metric Name: Northern Goshawk Suitable Habitat (Replaced June 2024)  

* Tier: 2  

* Data Vintage: 04/2023  

* Unit Of Measure: Unit Of Measure: Categorical - classified into one of the following habitat suitability categories:

  

* Metric Definition and Relevance: The Northern goshawk is a species of special concern to the US Forest Service, but it is not federally, or state listed at the present time and has therefore been identified as a focal species by Region 5 of the US Forest Service. The Northern goshawk is an old forest associate with particular habitat requirements in terms of nest trees, nest stands, and the structure of foraging habitat having open understory conditions to enable foraging maneuvers.  

* Creation Method: CWHR classifications are based on a combination of FVEG 2023 for canopy cover, size class and vegetation type. The vegetation data includes a variety of tree, shrub, grassland, and water dominated habitats. Species are considered present, and habitats considered suitable for each 30m cell for which the canopy cover-size-vegetation combination have been deemed suitable for the reproduction or foraging of that species in the California Wildlife Habitat Relationship database. Suitable habitat for the Northern goshawk is based on CWHR moderate and high suitability habitat for reproduction and foraging. Habitat which meets the following criteria is considered suitable:

  * Suitable foraging vegetation types: WHRTYPE = MHW, LPN, MRI, SCN, DFR, MHC, JPN, SMC, EPN, KMC, ADS, PPN, RFR, WFR
  * Suitable foraging habitat: size/density classes = 4P, 4S, 4M, 4D, 5P, 5S, 5M, 5D, 6 
  * Suitable nesting vegetation types: WHRTYPE = MHW, LPN, MRI, SCN, MHC, JPN, SMC, KMC, PPN, RFR, WFR
  * Suitable nesting habitat: size/density classes = 4M, 4D, 5P, 5S, 5M, 5D, 6 

The combined (reproduction and foraging) suitable habitat layer has been
further refined and clipped to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service species
range extent.

An additional data layer to identify locations that meet the criteria for a
goshawk protected activity center (PAC; 300 acres of suitable nesting habitat
in a contiguous block), has been provided with the Operational Data Layers –
see PAC layer.

  

* Credits: * FVEG 2023 * California Department of Fish and Wildlife CWHR version 9.0 (CDFW); 2014