LandCAN Toolbox

LandCAN Toolbox

Farmland Information Center (FIC)

The Farmland Information Center (FIC) is a clearinghouse for information about farmland protection and stewardship. It is a partnership between the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and American Farmland Trust, which was authorized by the federal Farmland Protection Policy Act (FPPA).

Fence Collision Risk Tool
The Fence Collision Risk Tool is a GIS map available to state wildlife agencies and NRCS field offices range-wide. The tool can be used to map out high-risk areas and plan fence marking and mitigation projects locally or across landscapes. The resulting maps are not directly available to the public because of the sensitivity of lek location data. However, whether you are a private landowner or public land manager, you can work with the NRCS to identify high-risk areas for your landscapes. The Fence Collision Risk Tool was produced using modeling that maps collision risk within 3 kilometers of known leks as a function of terrain ruggedness and distance to nearest lek across 10 western States. For more information read the NRCS publication Applying the Sage-Grouse Fence Collision Risk Tool to Reduce Bird Strikes (PDF)

Fieldprint Calculator
The Fieldprint Calculator is a free online tool for growers to voluntarily and securely analyze how their management choices impact natural resources and operational efficiency. Field To Market has developed the Calculator as an easy way to find out how your current land use, energy use, water use, greenhouse gas emissions, and soil loss compare with state and national averages.

Find a Landscape Conservation Cooperative (LCCs)
Find an LCC here. The 22 LCCs collectively form a network of resource managers and scientists who share a common need for scientific information and interest in conservation. Each LCC brings together federal, state, and local governments along with Tribes and First Nations, non-governmental organizations, universities, and interested public and private organizations. Our partners work collaboratively to identify best practices, connect efforts, identify science gaps, and avoid duplication through conservation planning and design.

Managing the landscapes that provide our natural and cultural resources has become increasingly challenging. With the signing of Secretarial Order No. 3289, the Department of the Interior launched the Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs) to better integrate science and management to address climate change and other landscape scale issues. By building a network that is holistic, collaborative, adaptive, and grounded in science, LCCs are working to ensure the sustainability of our economy, land, water, wildlife, and cultural resources.

Find a National Forest in the South
The Southern Region covers thirteen states--a vast area stretching from Texas on the western side, Virginia on the north, and down to Puerto Rico on the south. You'll find a wide variety of forest environments, including the only tropical forest (El Yunque) in the agency. Find a forest nearest you!

Find National Forests and Grasslands

The National Forests and Grasslands provide the greatest diversity of outdoor recreation opportunities in the world, connecting you with nature in an unmatched variety of settings and activities. You hike, bike, ride horses and drive off-highway vehicles. You picnic, camp, hunt, fish, and navigate waterways. You view wildlife and scenery, and explore historic places. You glide though powder at world class alpine resorts and challenge yourselves on primitive cross-country ski or snowmobile routes.

Fire Effects Information System
The Fire Effects Information System is an online collection of reviews of the scientific literature about fire effects on plants and animals and about fire regimes of plant communities in the United States. FEIS reviews are based on thorough literature searches, often supplemented with insights from field scientists and managers. FEIS provides reviews that are efficient to use, thoroughly documented, and defensible. Approximately 15 to 30 new or revised reviews are published in FEIS each year. There are 3 types of FEIS reviews:

Species Reviews

Fire Studies

Fire Regime Syntheses

Fire Safety Guide Book

Approximately 140 students complete fire science programs every year in Arkansas at one of the state’s three accredited fire science schools. A significant number of these fire science graduates come out of the Arkansas Fire Training Academy at Southern Arkansas University Tech. Although the number of graduating fire science students is relatively low, their job prospects are wide-ranging. In addition to firefighting and fire service administration, potential career opportunities also include inspecting structures for fire safety or analyzing and investigating the causes of fires.

Fire science education in Arkansas is limited to certificates and associate degrees. Programs range in focus from fire and emergency response to fire science technology to fire services management. Degree programs explore the knowledge and skills that aspiring fire professionals need to enter the workforce, while also offering preparation for specialized career choices.

Fire Science Degree Programs

Fish and Wildlife Service Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinators
Through the Service’s AIS Program, one AIS Coordinator is funded in each Service Region. This dedicated group of people works closely with state invasive species coordinators, non-governmental groups, private landowners and many others in their day-to-day activities. Find the Regional AIS Coordinator responsible for your state.

One of the premier activities that the AIS coordinators have worked on with public and private entities is the 100th Meridian Initiative. The goal of the Initiative is to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species by boats personal watercraft and other pathways. Boat inspections and assessments are conducted across the states west of the 100th Meridian. Through inspections and boaters assessments, partners can learn how to prevent the spread of zebra mussels and other AIS via transport of boats and personal watercraft. Often recreational users have unknowingly had their watercraft in zebra mussel-infested waters and haven’t washed it thoroughly enough to prevent a transfer of the small critters into an uninfested waterbody.

The AIS coordinators also organize cooperative sampling efforts with other Federal, State, and local agencies, universities, and public interest groups to track the distribution of AIS. AIS Coordinators author articles and provide interviews for national publications and news programs. They often attend boating and sportfishing shows, informing thousands of participants about the definition, biology, and impacts of AIS and what they can do to help prevent their spread.

Food Access Research Atlas
The USDA's ERS Food Access Research Atlas maps food deserts, or areas where there is limited access to supermarkets, grocery stores, or other sources of healthy and affordable food. There are many ways to define which areas are considered "food deserts" and many ways to measure food store access for individuals and for neighborhoods. Most measures and definitions take into account at least some of the following indicators of access:
Accessibility to sources of healthy food, as measured by distance to a store or by the number of stores in an area.
Individual-level resources that may affect accessibility, such as family income or vehicle availability.
Neighborhood-level indicators of resources, such as the average income of the neighborhood and the availability of public transportation.
In the Food Access Research Atlas, several options are available to describe food access along these dimensions. Click here.

Forage Information System
The Forage Information System, provided by Oregon State University is a resource for forage-related topics, including Extension, research, and teaching.

Forest Products Laboratory
Forest Products Laboratory

Located in Madison, Wisconsin, since 1910

Nation's only federally funded wood utilization research laboratory

Currently employs 60 Research Scientists

Primarily or partly responsible for many of today's wood-based technologies, including wood preservatives, glulam beams, oriented strandboard, and fiber-based packaging

Research partnerships located in virtually every state in the Nation

Early research highlights

Reduced timber demand for railroad ties by 75% through preservatives research

Increased average lumber yield per log from 25% to 60%

Wood frame technology used in over 90% of our Nation's homes

Designed and constructed Nation's first prefabricated home

Forest* A *Syst
Forest*A*Syst is a self-assessment guide, designed for a national audience, with the goals of helping new forest landowners articulate their objectives in a written management plan and foster a working relationship with a resource professional who can provide them with technical assistance. The national document was intended to serve as a protocol for state forestry agencies to follow as they developed their own state-specific Forest*A*Syst document and programming. Only a few states adopted the concept and produced their own printed version of Forest*A*Syst.
Profile Your Land

Forestry Careers & Degrees: A Guide For Students

If you’re considering a career in the forestry profession, use this Forestry Career Guide to help you find a wealth of information about the forestry profession, including facts and data on employment prospects, educational requirements and options, and more. Forestry and forestry-related jobs can be found in every sector of the employment market. And while the majority of employment opportunities exist with state and federal governments, there are also many jobs available with private businesses such as the timber industry.

Fire Science Online recently launched career and education guides focused on public service and safety careers including firefighting, law enforcement, forestry, and paramedics to name a few. Each guide contains career and salary information, a school search tool, internships, scholarships, and other related educational information.

FracFocus
Looking for information on a well site near you? Use FracFocus to search for nearby well sites that have been hydraulically fractured to see what chemicals were used in the process.
Click here.

GCPO LCC Conservation Planning Atlas
The Conservation Planning Atlas (CPA) is a science-based mapping platform where conservation managers and LCC members can go to view, retrieve, and perform analyses on spatial information with specific conservation goals in mind. Three portals have been created for the LCC network:
the Gulf Coastal Plains and Ozarks LCC (GCPO LCC)
the South Atlantic LCC (SA LCC)
the Southeastern U.S.
Spatially explicit datasets, galleries, and maps are available in a hierarchical system:
GCPO LCC specific datasets
SA LCC specific datasets
Southeastern datasets
the entire Databasin archive
Data can be searched, viewed, and used in analyses. Additionally, you can upload your own data to your account to be used in conjunction with these datasets.

The CPA provides a platform for LCCs to create galleries to showcase a cohesive collection of spatial information and supporting documentation. Several galleries are being showcased at each portal.

The CPA also allows its users to create groups of members from several organizations who may have the same conservation goals. Within a group, you can perform analyses, upload data, and share information for other group members to use.

The CPA was created in an effort to fulfill the mission of the GCPO LCC: to create a shared vision for sustainable natural and cultural resources in the face of a changing climate and other threats, and to foster the achievement of that vision with evaluation and refinement over time.

Geospatial Data Gateway
The Geospatial Data Gateway (GDG) provides access to a map library of over 100 high resolution vector and raster layers in the Geospatial Data Warehouse. It is the One Stop Source for environmental and natural resources data, at any time, from anywhere, to anyone. It allows you to choose your area of interest, browse and select data, customize the format, then review and download.

This service is made available through a close partnership between the three Service Center Agencies (SCA); Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Rural Development (RD).

Get Up-to-Date Tax Information on Forestland and Timber Issues
The National Timber Tax website was developed to be used by timberland owners, as well as a reference source for accountants, attorneys, consulting foresters and other professionals who work with timberland owners by answering specific questions regarding the tax treatment of timber related activities. Click Here!

Other forestland and timber resouces include:
TimberTax.com hosted by the National Woodlot Owners Association, which provides a current list of tax preparers with training in timber tax issues.

goCrop
Take farming further with goCrop™

goCrop uses integrated web and mobile applications to help farmers plan, analyze and report nutrient management practices with streamlined speed. Designed by farmers who understand the virtue of efficiency, goCrop keeps you focused on farming.

The app is available for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. Learn more

Grassfed Beef Financial Calculators
How much can be earned from grass-fed beef? Use the following financial calculators to customize an estimate.

Grass-fed Beef Decision Calculator - This is a comprehensive, interactive Excel spreadsheet that allows you to examine the costs of various beef cattle enterprises and make informed financial decisions. Download the calculator here. An explanation of how to use the calculator can be found here.

A Comparison of Rental Rates for Landowners - This is a simple model for landowners providing comparative rents from leasing to grass-fed beef operations versus corn producers. Download the spreadsheet here.

All files are Excel spreadsheets.