LANDFIRE 2015 Remap – Utilization of Remotely Sensed Data to Classify Existing Vegetation Type and Structure to Support Strategic Planning and Tactical Response

The LANDFIRE Program produces national scale vegetation, fuels, fire regimes, and landscape disturbance data for the entire U.S. These data products have been used to model the potential impacts of fire on the landscape [1], the wildfire risks associated with land and resource management [2, 3], and those near population centers and accompanying Wildland Urban Interface zones [4], as well as many other applications. The initial LANDFIRE National Existing Vegetation Type (EVT) and vegetation structure layers, including vegetation percent cover and height, were mapped circa 2001 and released in 2009 [5]. Each EVT is representative of the dominant plant community within a given area. The EVT layer has since been updated by identifying areas of landscape change and modifying the vegetation types utilizing a series of rules that consider the disturbance type, severity of disturbance, and time since disturbance [6, 7]. Non-disturbed areas were adjusted for vegetation growth and succession. LANDFIRE vegetation structure layers also have been updated by using data modeling techniques [see 6 for a full description]. The subsequent updated versions of LANDFIRE include LANDFIRE 2008, 2010, 2012, and LANDFIRE 2014 is being incrementally released, with all data being released in early 2017. Additionally, a comprehensive remap of the baseline data, LANDFIRE 2015 Remap, is being prototyped, and production is tentatively planned to begin in early 2017 to provide a more current baseline for future updates.