CWHR Links

• CWHR Information
• Wildlife Habitats
• Life History & Range Maps
• Field Forms & Guidelines
• CWHR Software Download
• CWHR GIS Data Download
• Spatial Model Prototypes

 

 

Department of Fish & Game
Biogeographic Data Branch
1807 13th Street, Suite 202
Sacramento, CA 95811
(916) 322-2493 • Email BDB

California Wildlife Habitat Relationships

California Wildlife Habitat Relationships (CWHR) is a state-of-the-art information system for California's wildlife. CWHR contains life history, geographic range, habitat relationships, and management information on 694 species of amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals known to occur in the state. CWHR products are available to anyone interested in understanding, conserving, and managing California's wildlife.

Read more about the CWHR System and its components.

Products

  CWHR Software and GIS Data

• CWHR Version 8.2 Software and User's Manual (2008)
  A database application compiled as a stand-alone program in Visual dBase. Predicts presence of and habitat suitability for 694 terrestrial vertebrates based on geographic distribution, relationships to habitats and stages, seasonal use patterns and presence of habitat elements. Prints species life history descriptions, habitat descriptions and custom reports of database queries. Also includes BIOVIEW, an application that translates habitat suitability values for wildlife species into data that can be used in a GIS, with an option to apply fuzzy logic to the calculation of these values.
  
  
• CWHR GIS Data – Species Range Maps and Hexagon Intersections (2008)
  GIS shapefiles captured at 1:1,000,000 scale showing statewide range by season of the 694 terrestrial vertebrates in CWHR. 2008.

  Publications

• A Guide to the Wildlife Habitats of California (1988 + updates)
  (Mayer, K.E. and W.F. Laudenslayer, Jr.)
• California's Wildlife (1988-1990 + updates) -- Life History Accounts and Range Maps

  Spatial Model Prototypes

• Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) Models (1995)
  (Developed by UC Berkeley for CDFG CWHR Program, 1995)
• CWHR Level II Modeling (2002)
  (Developed by the USFS Southwest Research Station for CDFG CWHR Program, 2002)

  More Decision Support Tools Using CWHR

• Guilds in CWHR (CDFG Northern Region, Interior Timberland Planning)
• Brief preview of one of the applications  [PDF]
• All guild programs (scroll to bottom of page)

Product Support

• CWHR Frequently Asked Questions and Software Troubleshooting
• Standards and Guidelines for CWHR Species Models (December 2000)  [PDF]
• CWHR Version 8.1 Software Tutorial  [ZIP]

Field Forms and Guidelines

• Clarification of the Measurement of California Wildlife Habitat Relationships (CWHR) System Size Class 5 and 6 for Tree Habitats (2007)  [PDF]
• Revised Classification Rules (2005)  [PDF]
• Wooded Habitat Sampling Data Sheet  [PDF]
• Non-wooded Habitat Sampling Data Sheet  [PDF]
• Habitat Element Checklist  [PDF]