Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools (LANDFIRE), Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and Hatten, T.D., 2023, LANDFIRE 2022 (230) Update: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P974JF8W.
Summary
LANDFIRE (LF) disturbance products are developed to provide temporal and spatial information related to landscape change. Historical Disturbance (HDist) is developed from the base annual LF disturbance products, and attribute code system, to represent the history of disturbance for a 10-year span. Each year's disturbance scenarios are checked against time relevant LF vegetation products to check for logical inconsistencies. Errant codes are flagged and updated to a discard code with the remaining disturbance types cross-walked/aggregated to Fuel Disturbance (FDist) types. HDist includes the year of disturbance that is recorded for that pixel. In LF 2022, the time since disturbance code is the same for both HDist and FDist. Starting [...]
Summary
LANDFIRE (LF) disturbance products are developed to provide temporal and spatial information related to landscape change. Historical Disturbance (HDist) is developed from the base annual LF disturbance products, and attribute code system, to represent the history of disturbance for a 10-year span. Each year's disturbance scenarios are checked against time relevant LF vegetation products to check for logical inconsistencies. Errant codes are flagged and updated to a discard code with the remaining disturbance types cross-walked/aggregated to Fuel Disturbance (FDist) types. HDist includes the year of disturbance that is recorded for that pixel. In LF 2022, the time since disturbance code is the same for both HDist and FDist. Starting with LF 2016 Remap, HDist replaced Vegetation Disturbance (VDist) from previous LF versions.
The LANDFIRE 2022 Update (LF 2022) is designed to produce vegetation, disturbance, and fuels products that inform wildland fire and ecological decision systems. LF 2022 is another update to the LF 2016 Remap base map and LF 2020, it includes adjustments to vegetation and fuels in disturbed areas for disturbances recorded in 2021 and 2022. Disturbances in 2022 represent the first full fiscal year of disturbance. Transition rulesets for vegetation account for disturbances from 2017 to 2022 while fuel updates utilize 2012 to 2022 disturbances. In LF 2022 Existing Vegetation Type (EVT) Ecological Systems classifications are the same as LF 2020, except in areas where agriculture or urban areas have changed. LF 2022 contains the first application of the "zero to one" Time Since Disturbance (TSD) rules for EVC and EVH transition rules. Both LF Existing Vegetation Cover (EVC) and Height (EVH), as well as all fuels products, are 2023 capable in disturbed areas. LF 2022 products are designed to facilitate national and regional level strategic fire and resource management planning and reporting of management activities. The principal purposes of the products include providing, 1) national level, landscape scale geospatial products to support fire and fuels management planning, and 2) consistent fuels products to support fire planning, analysis, and budgeting to evaluate fire management alternatives. Products are created at a 30-meter raster; however, the applicability of products varies by location and specific use. LF products were designed to support 1) national (all states) strategic planning, 2) regional (single large states or groups of smaller states), and 3) strategic/tactical planning for large sub regional landscapes and Fire Management Units (FMUs) (such as significant portions of states or multiple federal administrative entities). The applicability of LF products to support fire and land management planning on smaller areas will vary by product, location, and specific use. Managers and planners must evaluate LF products according to the scale and requirements specific to their needs.
