Welcome to the California Department of Conservation
DLRP / FMMP

FMMP - Rural Land Mapping Project 

Documenting greater detail within the 'Other Land' category

FMMP received funding in FY 2002-2003 to develop a workflow for subdividing the broad ‘Other Land' class into four categories of interest.   This project was designed to address questions about the fate of thousands of acres of land which convert to 'Other' from agricultural classes, or from 'Other' to urban, each update cycle.   Of particular interest is documenting the extent of low density rural residential lands.        

The pilot counties for the project include Fresno, Madera, Merced, and Stanislaus.   New 2006 mapping in Mendocino County will also include the Rural Land Use categories, with the five counties totaling 15.6% of the FMMP study area.  

Reports

  

2002-04 data is included as separate worksheet   in county conversion tables as they are released. (XLS)  

all pilot counties now available

2002 Introduction and Data Summary (PDF)

available

Rural Land Mapping Categories

  
Rural Residential or Rural Commercial Residential areas of 1 to 5 structures per 10 acres ('ranchettes'), farmsteads, gravel parking lots, small packing sheds, firewood lots, compost facilities, equine centers. Rural Residential example image
Vacant or Disturbed Land Large vacant areas within urban, rural freeway interchanges, mineral extraction areas, mine tailings, borrow pits, irrigation ponds & canals, and formerly farmed lands which do not qualify for Grazing Land or Farmland of Local Importance. Vacant or Disturbed Land example image
Confined Animal Agriculture Poultry facilities, feedlots, dairy facilities, fish farms - this use may be a component of   Farmland of Local Importance in some counties.   Confined Animal Agriculture image example
Nonagricultural or Natural Vegetation Heavily wooded, riparian, wetland, salt flat, barren or rocky natural areas, grassland areas which due to land management mandates do not allow grazing.   Constructed wetlands are also included in this category. Nonagricultural Vegetation image example
Please note: these classes are not designed for interpretation as 'habitat'.   Differences between vacant/disturbed land and nonagricultural/natural vegetation are a function of level of disturbance, relative location, and time period since disturbance occurred.

FMMP initiated this project because of requests from the user community and we hope to design a product that meets your needs yet is fiscally practical.   Please contact us if you have questions or comments about the Rural Land Mapping Project.