Name: Maryland Habitat Connectivity Network - Hubs Corridors and Gaps
Display Field: HC_Type
Type: Feature Layer
Geometry Type: esriGeometryPolygon
Description: The Maryland Habitat Connectivity Network (HCN) provides high resolution, statewide data regarding the connected network of hubs, corridors, and gaps throughout the state. For the purposes of the MD HCN, hubs were defined as large contiguous blocks of forests and wetlands, corridors are defined as linear features connecting hubs that enable animals and plant propagules to move between hubs, and gaps are defined as areas within corridors that are not currently part of the optimal natural land use type(s).
The Maryland Habitat Connectivity Network (HCN) was formerly referred to as Maryland's Green Infrastructure Assessment (GIA). The original GIA was completed in 2003, and included mapping of hubs and corridors using 30m resolution Landsat landcover landuse data. GIA hubs were updated in 2010, using newer Landsat data, however corridors were not remapped at that time.
This current update to the MD HCN dataset leverages the Chesapeake Conservancy’s 2017/2018 1m Land Use Land Cover (LCLU) dataset. This update provides the most up to date, high resolution green infrastructure data possible for the state. This data set also contains several improvements, including a more detailed breakdown of 3 hub types (forest, wetland, aquatic), 2 corridor types (forest and aquatic), and 3 corridor and gap statuses (natural corridor, restorable gap, non-restorable gap).
***Please note, the MD Habitat Corridor Network is simply a renaming of the Maryland Green Infrastructure Assessment. The data represented in the HCN is the same data contained in the most recent update to the MD GIA.
Copyright Text: DNR, Chesapeake Conservancy MD, iMAP, Rachel Marks (rachel.marks@maryland.gov)