Category Variable Description Source
Land Cover Exposed Exposed soil Alberta Satellite Land Cover (ASLC); Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, Government of Alberta
Closed deciduous & mixed forest Closed aspen/balsam poplar/birch and closed mixedwood
Grassland Fescue grassland
Water All water bodies
Bogs and wetlands Graminoid wetlands, shrubby wetlands, undifferentiated wetlands, and black spruce bogs
Open conifer forest Open undifferentiated coniferous forests
Closed shrubland Closed upland shrub
Closed conifer forest Close pine, closed Engelmann/white spruce, and closed undifferentiated conifers
Human Features Transmission lines Cleared corridors designated for the location of power transmission line infrastructure. ABMI Wall-to-Wall Human Footprint Inventory (2021)
Borrowpits Excavation outside of the road right-of-way is made solely to remove or provide borrowed material for the sub-base construction for a specific roadway project. It includes any other associated infrastructure, such as access roads.
Clearing Human footprint features related to various industrial activities.
Cultivation Lands where the forest and/or shrubs have been removed to plant crops or grass species for livestock grazing.
Facilities Human footprint features related to various industrial activities.
Mines Human footprint features directly related to mining activities.
Trails Cleared corridors surfaced with dirt or low vegetation for human/vehicle access.
Vegetated edges Disturbed vegetation alongside road edges, railway edges including ditches, and other industrial features.
Wells Ground cleared for an oil/gas well pad where at least one well is currently active.
Harvest Areas where forestry operations have occurred (clear-cut, selective harvest, salvage logging, etc.).
Recreation Human footprint related to vegetated facilities and recreation.
Residential Residential developments with buildings for human inhabitance.
Seismic Cleared corridors created during hydrocarbon exploration.
Seismic 3D Cleared corridors created during hydrocarbon exploration.
Pipeline A line of underground and overground pipes, of substantial length and capacity, used to convey petrochemicals. The physical clearing contains underground and above-ground high-pressure pipelines.
Roads Non-vegetated, impermeable surfaces used for motorized vehicle or aircraft transportation or access.
Fire Area burned (0-5 years) Area burned between 2019 and 2023. Fire Perimeter Data Wildfire Management Branch, Government of Alberta
Area burned (6-10 years) Area burned between 2014 and 2018.
Area burned (11-15 years) Area burned between 2009 and 2013.
Area burned (16-20 years) Area burned between 2004 and 2008.
Area burned (21-25 years) Area burned between 1999 and 2003.
Area burned (26 years to 29) Area burned between 1995 and 1998. The shorter interval was based on there being no 1994 burn area data.