Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools (LANDFIRE), 2024, LANDFIRE 2023 Update (LF 2023): U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9BJP7OV.
Summary
LANDFIRE's (LF) 2023 update (LF 2023) Existing Vegetation Height (EVH) represents the average height of the dominant vegetation for a 30-m cell. EVH is produced separately for tree, shrub, and herbaceous lifeforms using training data depicting the weighted average height by species cover and Existing Vegetation Type (EVT) lifeform. Decision tree models using field reference data, lidar, and Landsat are developed separately for each lifeform, then lifeform specific height class layers are merged along with land cover into a single EVH product based on the dominant lifeform of each pixel. EVH ranges are continuous for the herbaceous lifeform category ranging from 0.1 to 1 meter with decimeter increments, 0.1 to 3 meters for shrub lifeform, [...]
Summary
LANDFIRE's (LF) 2023 update (LF 2023) Existing Vegetation Height (EVH) represents the average height of the dominant vegetation for a 30-m cell. EVH is produced separately for tree, shrub, and herbaceous lifeforms using training data depicting the weighted average height by species cover and Existing Vegetation Type (EVT) lifeform. Decision tree models using field reference data, lidar, and Landsat are developed separately for each lifeform, then lifeform specific height class layers are merged along with land cover into a single EVH product based on the dominant lifeform of each pixel. EVH ranges are continuous for the herbaceous lifeform category ranging from 0.1 to 1 meter with decimeter increments, 0.1 to 3 meters for shrub lifeform, and 1 to 99 meters for tree lifeform. If the height values of each lifeform exceed the continuous value range, they are binned into the appropriate maximum height class. EVH is then reconciled through QA/QC measures to ensure lifeform is synchronized with Existing Vegetation Cover (EVC). In LF 2023 Conterminous United States (CONUS) extent, LF will map the lifeform, cover, and height of existing vegetation in areas that were mapped as disturbed over the last twenty years (see LF Annual Disturbance products) using machine learning methods. These disturbed areas were the focus because they are the areas that have changed the most since LF 2016 Remap. To learn more about this new methodology for LF EVC, EVH, and Existing Vegetation Type (EVT) go to https://www.landfire.gov/data/lf2023.
The LF 2023 Update (LF 2023, version 240) is the fourth update to LANDFIRE’s new base map LF 2016 Remap (version 200) and will be releasing throughout calendar year 2024. LF 2023 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 30meter 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.