A Fuelscape for All Lands Across the Southeastern US
A fuelscape is a representation of the fuel, vegetation, and topography across a landscape. The fuelscape consists of geospatial datasets representing surface fuel model (FM40), canopy cover (CC), canopy height (CH), canopy bulk density (CBD), canopy base height (CBH), slope, elevation, and aspect. These datasets can be combined into a single landscape file (LCP) and used as a fuelscape input in fire behavior modeling programs. LANDFIRE 2.2.01 was the source for the fuel, vegetation, and topography data for the SWRA fuelscape.
Through the combined efforts of the Southern Group of State Foresters (SGSF), Texas A&M Forest Service (TAMFS), a variety of federal/state agency partners, and Pyrologix, an updated and calibrated fuelscape was produced as part of the Southern Wildfire Risk Assessment (SWRA). This fuelscape covers lands in 13 Southern States2 (Figure 1) and can be used in the 2023 fire season and beyond to support fire operations in response to wildfire incidents. Pyrologix will also use the SWRA fuelscape to complete wildfire hazard assessment across all 13 states; the results of which can be used to aid in the planning, prioritization, and implementation of prevention and mitigation activities.
