LANDFIRE: an introduction

Author

Sarah Hagen

What is the LANDFIRE 101 Learning Website?

Welcome to LANDFIRE 101, an introduction to the essential elements of LANDFIRE — a crucial resource for land management and conservation. This platform is designed to familiarize you with the LANDFIRE Program, its comprehensive website, and some of the invaluable datasets it provides.

LANDFIRE users include district rangers, managers and natural resource specialists who may be tasked with a variety of objectives ranging from managing fuels, wildfires, multiple use requirements, wildlife habitat, and climate change. LANDFIRE products, while not all encompassing, provide a solid foundation. LANDFIRE aims for consistency and updates most datasets annually. The datasets serve as inputs for programs such as the Wildland Fire Decision Support System (WFDSS), the Interagency Fuels Treatment Decision Support System (IFTDSS), and Wildfire Risk to Communities. Getting started with LANDFIRE may feel daunting, but this website aims to support anyone getting started with (or diving deeper into) the broad LANDFIRE suite.

Note

This LANDFIRE 101 learning website serves as a supporting addendum to the comprehensive LANDFIRE Program website. The LANDFIRE 101 learning website can be followed from start-to-finish and provides practical support for LANDFIRE users. This supporting site should be used in conjunction with (not instead of) the LANDFIRE Program website. As such, this website provides essential information for using and applying LANDFIRE products. Each page provides multiple opportunities for understanding and exploring these data further on the LANDFIRE Program website.

What is LANDFIRE?

LANDFIRE, Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools, is a shared interagency wildland fire management data program across the United States and Territories. Leadership, management, and oversight are through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service - Fire and Aviation Management and the U.S. Department of the Interior - Office of Wildland Fire.

LANDFIRE provides more than twenty landscape-scale geospatial products of biological and ecological data, including data such as (900+) vegetation types and (13/40) fire behavior fuel models that support all-lands planning, fire and natural resources management, operations, analyses, and assessments. Learn more about LANDFIRE’s mission on the LANDFIRE Program website.

The LANDFIRE Project team is: USGS EROS, EROS Technical Support Services Contract (KBR), The Nature Conservancy, USDA Forest Service (Rocky Mountain Research Station) RMRS, and Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA).

LANDFIRE Partners are: USGS Gap Analysis, USGS National Land Imaging Program.

What is The Nature Conservancy’s connection?

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a major partner in the LANDFIRE Program supported by a cooperative agreement through the USDA Forest Service. TNC’s LANDFIRE Team works closely with the LANDFIRE Business Leads, program staff, and other partners to provide support to LANDFIRE users.

LANDFIRE user support can take many forms. Providing this assistance can range from in-person and online workshops to monthly office hours, newsletters and data alerts to technical, personalized assistance. Links to where you can find all these information sources and more are at the bottom of each page. TNC’s LANDFIRE team is dedicated to developing current, user-focused LANDFIRE resources that advance natural resource work, amplify the appropriate use of LANDFIRE products, and leverage the collective knowledge of the natural resource community.

LANDFIRE’s website offers a wealth of resources related to wildland fire and natural resource management. Users can access all LANDFIRE data, resources, applications, and updated information on the LANDFIRE Program website.

What you will learn

Our LANDFIRE 101 learning website provides a foundation for:

  • Basic background information about LANDFIRE vegetation and fuels datasets

  • Important attributes of each dataset

  • How and where to download each product

  • Examples of how these products are commonly used

  • How to avoid common misapplications of the data

Whether you are a novice or seeking to deepen your expertise, this training platform provides the insights and practical skills necessary for leveraging LANDFIRE data in your projects. We invite you to join us and discover how these powerful tools can support your endeavors in land management and beyond.

Still have questions? LANDFIRE is here to help.