Contemporary fire history metrics for the conterminous United States (1984-2023) (ver. 3.0, April 2024)
Dates
Publication Date
2022-11-08
Start Date
1984-01-01
End Date
2023-12-31
Revision
2023-03-24
Last Revision
2024-04-17
Citation
Vanderhoof, M.K., Hawbaker, T.J., Teske, C., Noble, J., and Smith, J., 2024, Contemporary fire history metrics for the conterminous United States (1984-2023) (ver. 3.0, April 2024): U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P98996IH.
Summary
Fire history metrics enable rapidly increasing amounts of burned area data to be collapsed into a handful of data layers that can be used efficiently by diverse stakeholders. In this effort, the U.S. Geological Survey's Landsat Burned Area product was used to identify burned area across CONUS over a 40-year period (1984-2023). The Landsat BA product was consolidated into a suite of annual BA products, which in-turn were used to calculate a series of contemporary fire history metrics (30 m resolution). Fire history metrics included: (1) fire frequency (FRQ), (2) time since last burn (TSLB) and (3) year of last burn (YLB), (4) longest fire-free interval (LFFI), and (5) average fire interval length (FIL). All metrics were reported using [...]
Summary
Fire history metrics enable rapidly increasing amounts of burned area data to be collapsed into a handful of data layers that can be used efficiently by diverse stakeholders. In this effort, the U.S. Geological Survey's Landsat Burned Area product was used to identify burned area across CONUS over a 40-year period (1984-2023). The Landsat BA product was consolidated into a suite of annual BA products, which in-turn were used to calculate a series of contemporary fire history metrics (30 m resolution). Fire history metrics included: (1) fire frequency (FRQ), (2) time since last burn (TSLB) and (3) year of last burn (YLB), (4) longest fire-free interval (LFFI), and (5) average fire interval length (FIL). All metrics were reported using years as the unit. The FRQ, TSLB and YLB metrics are useful across a wide range of fire regimes, and can be used to inform risk of wildfire, answer fire-management questions, or support fire model parameterization. The FIL and LFFI, alternatively, provide data on the distribution of fire events across the period of record and can help guide land management in regions with frequent fire, such as the Midwest and Southeast.
Citation Vanderhoof Melanie K., Hawbaker Todd J., Teske Casey, Noble Joe, Smith Jim (2022) Contemporary (1984–2020) fire history metrics for the conterminous United States and ecoregional differences by land ownership. International Journal of Wildland Fire 31, 1167-1183.
Vanderhoof, M.K., Hawbaker, T.J., Teske, C., Noble, J., and Smith, J., 2022, Contemporary (1984–2020) fire history metrics for the conterminous United States and ecoregional differences by land ownership: International Journal of Wildland Fire, v. 31, no. 12, p. 1167–1183, https://doi.org/10.1071/WF22044.
Remotely sensed burned area products are critical to support fire modelling, fire policy, and land management. However, burned area products often require further processing before use. The consolidation of burned area products into useful and relevant fire history metrics may help manage future fire risk, control the growing economic costs of wildfire damage and suppression, and meet national fire-related goals.
Revision 3.0 by Melanie K Vanderhoof on April 17, 2024. To review the changes that were made, see "revision_history_2023.txt” in the attached files section.
