LANDFIRE Forest Canopy Cover for Conterminous United States

LANDFIRE fuel data from the Department of the Interior includes canopy cover (CC) and other canopy fuel characteristics. These spatially-explicit raster maps are used to predict wildland fire behavior and effects. The data is designed for strategic fuel treatment and tactical fire assessment.

Use Cases

• Calculate surface fuel shading and dead fuel moisture in fire models like FARSITE using canopy cover (CC) data.
• Compute wind reduction factors and spotting distances for fire spread prediction using canopy base height (CBH) and canopy height (CH).
• Assess crown fire transition risk by analyzing canopy bulk density (CBD) and ladder fuel effects.
• Prioritize fuel treatment areas by mapping canopy characteristics across the Conterminous United States.

Strengths

• Data is produced by authoritative U.S. government agencies including the U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Forest Service.
• Includes multiple specific, modeled fuel products such as canopy bulk density (CBD) and canopy base height (CBH).
• Spatially-explicit raster format provides detailed geographic coverage of the Conterminous United States.

Limitations

• The specific spatial resolution, row/column count, and file size are not provided in the input.
• Data is from the LANDFIRE 2014 release, which may not reflect current forest conditions.
• Primary format is XML, which may require specialized geospatial tools for processing and analysis.

Provenance

Source

Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), U.S. Forest Service (USFS).

Collection Method

Remote sensing and geospatial modeling for fuel characterization.

Time Range

Based on the LANDFIRE 2014 release.

Freshness

Last updated metadata indicates 2026, but the underlying data release is LANDFIRE 2014.

Geography

Conterminous United States (CONUS).