Data Sources

Data sources

Canopi’s predictions are built on four publicly available scientific datasets, each contributing a different dimension of the environmental picture.

USFS Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA)

What it provides: Tree-level survival and mortality observations from permanent forest plots.

Why it matters: FIA is the foundation of Canopi’s training data. Field crews from the US Forest Service visit thousands of permanent plots across the country, measuring individual trees — their species, size, condition, and whether they’re alive or dead. Because the same plots are remeasured every 5-10 years, FIA provides direct observations of which trees survive and which don’t, under what conditions.

Coverage: All forested land in the United States. Canopi currently uses FIA data from Oregon and Washington.

Source: USFS Forest Inventory and Analysis

SSURGO (Soil Survey Geographic Database)

What it provides: Detailed soil properties mapped at fine spatial resolution — organic matter content, available water capacity, clay percentage, and drainage class.

Why it matters: Soil determines how much water is available to roots, how well nutrients are delivered, and whether drainage is adequate. For seedling survival specifically, soil water capacity during the first dry summer is often the difference between establishment and mortality.

Coverage: Most of the continental United States, mapped by county-level soil surveys.

Source: USDA NRCS Web Soil Survey

PRISM Climate Data

What it provides: 30-year climate normals at 4km resolution — precipitation, temperature (max, mean), dew point temperature, and vapor pressure deficit.

Why it matters: Climate defines the broad envelope of what’s possible at a site. Precipitation determines baseline water availability. Temperature determines growing season length and cold stress. Vapor pressure deficit — the atmosphere’s “thirst” — is emerging as one of the most important predictors of drought-induced tree mortality and consistently appears as a top risk factor in Canopi’s predictions.

Coverage: Continental United States at 4km grid resolution.

Source: PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University

SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission)

What it provides: Elevation data at approximately 30-meter resolution.

Why it matters: Elevation interacts with every other variable. Higher elevations mean colder temperatures, shorter growing seasons, and more frost exposure. But elevation also captures moisture gradients — higher-elevation sites in the Cascades often receive more precipitation. Slope and aspect (derived from elevation) determine solar exposure and drainage.

Coverage: Global, between 60°N and 56°S latitude.

Source: NASA SRTM