FOREST COVER TYPE PREDICTION
REPORT
Machine Learning Internship
Faza Ulfath – 1DB21CI022
UNID - UMIP25141
Forest Cover Type Prediction Report
1. Introduction
Forests play a vital role in maintaining ecological balance and biodiversity. Predicting forest cover
types is crucial for conservation efforts, land management, and environmental planning. This
project aims to develop a machine learning model that accurately classifies forest cover types
based on various geographical and environmental features. Using a dataset from the Roosevelt
National Forest in northern Colorado, the model will analyze features such as elevation, aspect,
soil type, and proximity to water bodies to determine the forest cover type.
2. Problem Statement
The primary challenge in this project is to predict the type of forest cover for a given 30m x 30m
land patch based on environmental and geographical data. Accurate classification of forest cover
types can assist in resource management, wildfire prevention, and ecological studies.
3. Objectives
The objectives of this project include:
• Data Exploration and Preprocessing – Understanding and cleaning the dataset.
• Feature Engineering and Selection – Identifying the most influential features.
• Model Implementation – Training different machine learning models for classification.
• Performance Evaluation – Comparing models using accuracy and other metrics.
• Optimization and Fine-Tuning – Improving model performance through hyperparameter
tuning.
• Deployment Considerations – Making the model applicable for real-world use.
4. Expected Outcomes
• A well-trained machine learning model capable of predicting forest cover types with high
accuracy.
• Insights into the environmental factors that influence forest cover.
• A robust system that can be integrated into forestry management applications.
5. Dataset Description
The dataset used for this project is an analysis dataset collected from the Roosevelt National Forest
in northern Colorado. It contains multiple features related to the geographical and environmental
conditions of different forest areas.
5.1 Forest Cover Types
The dataset includes the following cover types, each represented as an integer:
• Spruce/Fir
• Lodgepole Pine
• Ponderosa Pine
• Cottonwood/Willow
• Aspen
• Douglas-fir
• Krummholz
5.2 Features
Key features in the dataset include:
• Elevation (meters)
• Aspect (degrees azimuth)
• Slope (degrees)
• Horizontal and Vertical Distance to Hydrology (water bodies)
• Horizontal Distance to Roadways
• Hillshade at different times (9 AM, Noon, 3 PM)
• Horizontal Distance to Fire Points
• Wilderness Area (Binary Columns)
• Soil Type (40 Binary Columns)
6. Solution Approach
6.1 Data Preprocessing
• Loading the dataset: The dataset is loaded into a DataFrame.
• Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA): Initial exploration is done to check for missing values and
understand the dataset's structure.
• Feature Engineering: Irrelevant columns are removed, and continuous variables are
standardized and normalized.
6.2 Model Selection
Several machine learning models were considered for classification:
• Logistic Regression
• Decision Tree Classifier
• Random Forest Classifier
• Gradient Boosting Classifier
• Support Vector Machine (SVM)
• K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN)
Among these, Random Forest and Gradient Boosting were chosen for their strong performance on
structured datasets.
6.3 Model Training
The dataset was split into training and testing sets. A Random Forest model was trained using the
training set.
6.4 Model Evaluation
• The model’s accuracy was evaluated using a test set.
• A confusion matrix and classification report were generated to assess the model’s
performance.
7. Results
The Random Forest Classifier achieved an accuracy of approximately 89% on the test set.
The model performed well in distinguishing different forest cover types. The most influential
features in classification were Elevation, Soil Type, Horizontal Distance to Hydrology, and Hillshade
values.
8. Code
9. Snapshots
10. Conclusion
This project successfully implemented a machine learning model to classify forest cover types
based on geographical and environmental features. The Random Forest Classifier provided the
best results, making it a suitable model for this classification task. With further tuning and
additional data, the model can be improved for better accuracy.
11. Future Scope
• Integration with GIS systems for real-time forest mapping.
• Incorporating additional satellite imagery to enhance prediction accuracy.
• Developing a web-based interface to allow foresters to input data and get predictions.
• Optimizing model performance through deep learning techniques.
12. References
• Kaggle Dataset: Forest Cover Type Prediction Dataset
• Scikit-learn Documentation: https://scikit-learn.org/
• Random Forest Algorithm: Breiman, L. (2001). "Random Forests". Machine Learning.
