LANDFIRE Fuels Products

Fuels Theme Overview The surface and canopy fuels products are representative of the particular type of disturbance experienced by herbaceous, shrub and tree lifeforms along with regrowth to the year indicated (usually the year released). All LANDFIRE (LF) products are available at landfire.gov, and the full suite of fuels products are available at https://landfire.gov/fuel. These products are released as they are completed throughout the year with regional areas released first (if applicable) and full extent mosaics of the regional areas released when all are complete. Fuel products describe the composition and characteristics of surface and canopy fuel. They do this by providing consistent fuel information to support fire planning, analysis, and budgeting to evaluate fire management alternatives, while supporting and supplementing strategic and tactical planning for fire operations. Below is a list of individual fuel products that are released on a yearly basis. Surface fuels consist of two different products. The first of these is 13 Anderson Fire Behavior Fuel Models (FBFM13). These original 13 standard fire behavior fuel models serve as input to Rothermel's surface fire behavior and spread model. FBFM13 represents distinct distributions of fuel loading found among surface fuel components (live and dead), size classes, and fuel types. The fuel models are described by the most common fire-carrying fuel type (grass, brush, timber litter, or slash), loading and surface area-to-volume ratio by size class and component, fuelbed depth, and moisture of extinction. The second of the surface fuel model products is LF’s 40 Scott and Burgan Fire Behavior Fuel Models (FBFM40), which represents distinct distributions of fuel loading found among surface fuel components (live and dead), size classes, and fuel types. This set contains more fuel models in every fuel type (grass, shrub, timber, slash) than Anderson's set of 13. The number of fuel models representing relatively high dead fuel moisture content increased, and fuel models with an herbaceous component are dynamic, meaning that loads shift between live and dead (to simulate curing of the herbaceous component) rather than remaining constant. Two additional classifications of fuels are also available, the first is the Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System (CFFDRS). CFFDRS depicts fuel types "as an identifiable association of fuel elements of distinctive species, form, size, arrangement, and continuity that will exhibit characteristic fire behavior under defined burning conditions". CFFDRS arranges fuel types into five major groups with 16 discrete fuel types that are qualitatively distinguished by variations in their forest floor and organic layer, surface, and ladder fuels, and stand structure and composition. The CFFDRS assignments for Alaska were made by fire behavior and fuels experts based on Existing Vegetation Type descriptions and representative photos. The second additional fuel classification is the Fuel Characteristic Classification System (FCCS) product, which defines a fuelbed as the inherent physical characteristics of fuel that contribute to fire behavior and effects (Riccardi and others 2007). A fuelbed can represent any scale or precision of interest. In FCCS, fuelbeds represent the structure and composition of wildland fuels and can accommodate a wide range of fuel characteristics in six horizontal fuel layers called strata (Ottmar and others 2007). FCCS summarizes and classifies wildland fuel characteristics and can also be used to predict surface fire behavior, crown fire potential and available fuel for estimating consumption, fire effects, and emissions. Canopy fuels consist of four different products. The first of these is Forest Canopy Cover (CC), which describes the percent cover of the tree canopy in a pixel. Specifically, canopy cover describes the vertical projection of the tree canopy onto an imaginary horizontal surface representing the ground's surface. At non-disturbed locations, CC is assigned the midpoint of the Existing Vegetation Cover (EVC) forested classes. These products are provided for forested areas only. The second of the canopy fuel products is Forest Canopy Height (CH) which describes the average height of the top of the tree canopy. CH measurement units are meters * 10. CH is assigned the midpoint of the EVH forested classes at non-disturbed locations. These products are provided for forested areas only. The third of the canopy fuel products is Forest Canopy Bulk Density (CBD), which describes the density of available canopy fuel in a stand. It is defined as the mass of available canopy fuel per canopy volume unit. CBD unit measurements are kg m3 * 100. These products are provided for forested areas only. CBD is calculated from a general linear model that was derived from plot data that was run through the program FuelCalc designed by Elizabeth Reinhardt of the Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory. This program ingested plot data (including species, diameter at breast height (DBH), height, height to live crown, canopy cover, and trees per acres) and computed CBD using species-specific allometric relationships. The fourth and last canopy fuel product is Forest Canopy Base Height (CBH), which describes the average height from the ground to a forest stand's canopy bottom. Specifically, it is the lowest height in a stand at which there is enough forest canopy fuel to propagate fire vertically into the canopy. CBH unit measurements are meters * 10. These products are provided for forested areas only. CBH equations were derived from plot data run through the Forest Vegetation Simulator Fire and Fuels Extension for specific disturbance scenarios.

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