In previous LANDFIRE (LF) versions, LF products had a minimal and variable buffer ranging from 0 to 3 kilometers (km) beyond the borders of United States (U.S.) lands and territories. Now, in response to user requests, the LF 2016 Remap products for Alaska (AK) have been created with a 90km buffer into Canada.
This data will support a number of business needs and analyses such as, but not limited to, wildland fire with fire behavior projections and assessments, fuel treatments, risk assessments, firefighter and public safety issues, wildlife habitat, carbon, etc. It will also support analysis of cross-border incidents and land management planning that abuts international borders.
Plot data, Landsat imagery, lidar, climate, and other ancillary data were used to model and map AK which aided map development for the 90km buffer along the 1,538-mile border with Canada. However, differences in data availability required some substitutions and corrections (see Within the 90km Buffer below). The 90km (AK plus buffer) and AK/U.S. (AK without buffer) extents can be downloaded as mosaic zip bundles, allowing users the ability to choose the extent that best meets their needs. Instructions on how to clip the data can be found (here).
Download zip bundle:
Within the 90km Buffer:
Continuing efforts for the 90km buffer
In future LF production efforts, we plan to add a 90km buffer into the land of neighboring nations. With 1,933 miles of shared border between the U.S. and Mexico and 5,525 miles of shared border with Canada (including AK's border), this equates to approximately 417,000 square miles of land covered within the planned 90km buffer.