The LANDFIRE team established an Operations and Maintenance (O&M) strategy for updating data products, as directed in the LANDFIRE Executive Charter (see the Documents > Product Update Program section of this website: "Business Case" and "Technical Plan"). An update program is vital to support the full spectrum of fire management and natural resource management programs with timely and quality products that reflect recent changes in landscape conditions. A component of the transition from LANDFIRE Project to LANDFIRE Program is the Refresh phase, which provides selected updates to the existing base LANDFIRE data. These updates will reflect landscape disturbances and other data updates for years 1999 through 2008. The Refresh strategy was developed with input from interagency fire projects that depend upon LANDFIRE products, including the Fire Program Analysis (FPA) and Wildland Fire Decision Support System (WFDSS) projects. Other key contributors to the Refresh strategy included the National Interagency Fuels Coordination Group (NIFCG), National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG), NWCG Project Management Office (PMO), and the Fire Executive Council (FEC). The Refresh strategy has been approved by the LANDFIRE Executive Oversight Committee (EOC).

The Updated Products pages of this website provide details regarding the "Refresh" update – a transition to the Program strategy. When fully developed, other elements of the program will include Biennial and Decadal updates. Details regarding these updates will be forthcoming on this website.

LANDFIRE Refresh & Rapid Refresh

The transition leading to the LANDFIRE Program is known as "Refresh." Refresh includes 1) the “Rapid Refresh” project for 31 western mapping zones, which was conducted from January through June of 2008; and 2) a national “Refresh” project for all mapping zones, with production scheduled for October 2008 through September 2010.

The Refresh project is a joint initiative conducted by the National Interagency Fuels Technology Team (NIFTT), the Forest Service Remote Sensing Application Center (RSAC), and the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. Refresh involves a systematic approach that follows standardized procedures and application of spatial tools. Primary elements of the Refresh project include a constructive critique of existing LANDFIRE data products, and an update process to be applied consistently across all areas. The "Rapid Refresh" (RR) project was a "quick response" effort focused only on recent wildland fire disturbances, whereas the Refresh is a more comprehensive update project that serves as a bridge to the long-term LANDFIRE Program. Please visit the Data Products > Updated Products > Rapid Refresh page for details regarding the processes and outcomes of the Rapid Refresh effort.

Refresh Status

The Refresh project will provide updated vegetation landscape layers according to changes resulting from multiple disturbance processes and a range of management activities. In addition, LANDFIRE products will be updated to correct some mapping discrepancies that were detected after the initial mapping effort as part of a strategy to continually improve LANDFIRE data. Refresh will be conducted regionally from October 2008 through September 2010. The sharing of field data is critical to the Refresh Project by providing information on areas of disturbance and management activities that have resulted in landscape changes. Please visit the Data Products > Updated Products > Refresh page to learn about the data products being refined, the schedule, and data needs. Refresh products will be incorporated into a new updated base map for the nation. These products will be served as separate layers along with the original LANDFIRE National layers on the National Map LANDFIRE data, the data distribution website at http://landfire.cr.usgs.gov/viewer/.

Click here to learn more about LANDFIRE Rapid Refresh.

Click here to learn more about LANDFIRE Refresh.

Visit the Documents > Product Update Program section of this website for details on the Rapid Refresh & Refresh update processes.