Penn State Data Commons - Full Metadata

Abstract:

This collection of data was used in the preparation of a study on abandoned cropland in the United States. Abandoned cropland (ACL) is often cited as a land resource upon which to produce energy crops while reducing the negative impacts of broad scale energy crop production; for example, carbon emissions from land-cover change and competition with food production. In contrast to marginal land which refers to a set of biophysical and economic criteria usually imposed by experts or policymakers, the designation of ACL refers to a land-use decision by a land owner. As such, ACL is argued to be a more appropriate indication of land availability for dedicated energy crop production. Prevailing estimates of ACL in the US vary widely due to inconsistent treatment of land-use conversions away from cropland and over-reliance on remote sensing methods which measure land cover, even though ACL is a category of land use. This study develops and applies a replicable and flexible methodology to estimate available abandoned cropland (AACL) at the county level in the United States, which accounts for conversion of ACL to forest cover, urban development or permanent pasture. Estimates of AACL are derived for two scenarios: 1) land abandoned between 1978 and 2012, which excludes lands with meaningful forest regrowth; and 2) land abandoned between 2007 and 2012, which corresponds to land-use constraints imposed by the Renewable Fuel Standard. Results show that 15 and 4.9 Mha of AACL exist in the United States in the two scenarios respectively, amounting to between only 3 and 8 percent of total light duty gasoline consumption in the US. Research conducted as part of the Northeast Woody/Warm-season Biomass Consortium (NEWBio). Datasets in this collection include a county boundaries GIS file, historical agricultural census data, switchgrass yields, cropland to urban land conversions, and National Land Cover Database (NLCD) data from 2001 and 2011.

Purpose:

To estimate the amount of abandoned cropland that exists in counties within the United States and that is potentially available for energy crop production.

Currentness_Reference:

United States

Use_Constraints:

None

Address:

2217 Earth & Engineering Sciences Building

Data_Set_Credit:

Ryan E. Baxter (The Pennsylvania State University) and Kirby E. Calvert (University of Guelph)

Attribute_Definition:

Internal feature number.

Attribute_Definition_Source:

Esri

Attribute_Definition:

Feature geometry.

Attribute_Definition_Source:

Esri

Attribute_Definition:

County FIPS code in text format.

Attribute_Definition:

County FIPS code in number format.

Attribute_Definition:

State and county names concatenated.

Attribute_Definition:

State and county names concatenated and lower case.

Attribute_Definition:

County area in hectares.

Attribute_Definition:

Length of feature in internal units.

Attribute_Definition_Source:

Esri

Attribute_Definition:

Area of feature in internal units squared.

Attribute_Definition_Source:

Esri

Address:

115 Land and Water Building

Distribution_Liability:

The USER shall indemnify, save harmless, and, if requested, defend those parties involved with the development and distribution of this data, their officers, agents, and employees from and against any suits, claims, or actions for injury, death, or property damage arising out of the use of or any defect in the FILES or any accompanying documentation. Those parties involved with the development and distribution excluded any and all implied warranties, including warranties or merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose and makes no warranty or representation, either express or implied, with respect to the FILES or accompanying documentation, including its quality, performance, merchantability, or fitness for a particular purpose. The FILES and documentation are provided "as is" and the USER assumes the entire risk as to its quality and performance. Those parties involved with the development and distribution of this data will not be liable for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of the use or inability to use the FILES or any accompanying documentation.

Address:

115 Land & Water Research Building

Full Metadata

Available Abandoned Cropland in the United States