LANDFIRE-FAQs

LANDFIRE Fact Sheet
Background
Organization

Sponsor
Partners & Cooperators
Exec. Oversight Comm.
Organization Chart
Project Components

Prototype
LANDFIRE National
Updating Products
Information Bulletins
Associated Websites

Overview

LANDFIRE National arrow down

Data Products close

Notices

Version Alerts close

Notifications

Data Product Access arrow down

Overview

National Map
bullet

Data Access Tool
bullet

DVD

Applications

Data Product Quality arrow down

Overview

National Assessment
bullet

Feedback

Review

Updated Products

Overview
Rapid Refresh
Refresh
Data Product Access

National Map
LF Rapid Assessment (2005)
Helpful Data Tools

National Schedule

Schedule Map
Schedule Table
Mapping Status
Updated Products Schedule
Key LANDFIRE Dates

Field Reference Database

Overview
Sharing your Existing Data
Collecting New Data
Vegetation Modeling

Overview
Workshops
Model Review
Fuel Workshops

FBFM Assignment
FBFM Calibration
Updating Products

Overview
Refresh Data Needs
Providing Event Data
Providing Other Data
Training Workshops
Key LANDFIRE Dates

Link toNational
Map LANDFIRE

LANDFIRE
National Schedule

LANDFIRE ›› Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q. What data do you need for Refresh?

We need data that can be used to update LANDFIRE data layers, as well as data that could be used to remedy known concerns with the LANDFIRE National layers. In a nutshell, we are asking for data on any recent disturbances or treatments that would have altered the composition or structure of vegetation and/or fuel. These data must be from 1999 or later and may include the following:

1.GIS polygon layers depicting any disturbances or treatments that would have altered the composition and structure of vegetation and/or fuel (including, but not limited to: wildland fires, mechanical treatments, silvicultural treatments, insect and disease infestations, and storm damage).

2. GIS polygon layers that could be used to correct areas of concern in existing LANDFIRE layers (for example, evidence of exotic plant infestations in areas mapped as native vegetation, burnable agricultural lands mis-characterized as non-burnable, or vegetated areas labeled as barren);

3. Geo-referenced plot data that could be used to characterize the post-disturbance or post-treatment conditions of vegetation and/or fuel.

The polygon layers should contain the following information (i.e., attributes), at minimum:

type of event (such as management treatments, wildland fire, insect and disease infestation, wind damage) or general theme (such as burnable agricultural lands, exotic plants)
year of event (or assessment date, if map of burnable ag. or exotic plants)
severity of event (amount of change within the polygon)
defined spatial coordinate system

The geo-referenced plot data should afford some combination of the following from each sampling unit (for example, plot or transect):

a cover type and/or potential vegetation type label,
a full or partial list of plant taxa present with canopy cover estimates for each,
height estimates for plant taxa and/or individual trees,
diameters of individual trees,
crown ratios and crown classes of individual trees,
tree densities, and
year and type of disturbance or treatment.

In the event that individual trees have been mapped within the sampling unit (in other words, if data were collected following a protocol similar to that of the USFS Forest Inventory and Analysis Program), we ask that you include the coordinates (or distance and azimuth from mapped plot center) for each of the trees, as those data would enable us to model tree canopy cover ideally suited for LANDFIRE's remote-sensing applications.

The fuel-loading data should include the following:

counts or biomass estimates of fine and coarse woody material,
depths or biomass estimates of litter and duff layers,
year and type of disturbance.

Photos of the georeferenced sampling units are useful as well, and records of exotic plant taxa, ideally with cover estimates, are useful regardless of what additional vegetation or fuel information may accompany them.

Back to FAQs