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Image showing canopy cover in the upper NW corner of the U.S.This page includes a general description of the product, please consult the schedule and version pages for information specific to each release.

LANDFIRE's (LF) Forest Canopy Cover (CC) describes the percent cover of the tree canopy in a stand. Specifically, canopy cover describes the vertical projection of the tree canopy onto an imaginary horizontal surface representing the ground's surface. At non-disturbed locations, CC is assigned the midpoint of the Existing Vegetation Cover (EVC) forested classes. These products are provided for forested areas only.

CC first incorporated Annual Disturbance products during LF 2008 production. The introduction of this information allowed for informed changes to the assigned CC from disturbance type, severity, and time since the disturbance.

Beginning with LF 2016 Remap, and beyond, an improvement for fuels products in disturbed areas was implemented. Fuels are now adjusted to expected current year vegetation conditions for disturbances that have occurred between certain select years that vary by the version. Beginning with LF 2022, capability is implied in the naming convention.

LF 2016 Remap and beyond includes a 90-kilometer buffer along the 1,500 miles of the eastern and southern borders AK shares with Canada. Then with the LF 2020 update, and future updates, for the Conterminous United States (CONUS) a 90-kilometer buffer into Mexico is also included.

Used in the calculation of Canopy Bulk Density and Canopy Base Height, CC supplies information to fire behavior models to determine the probability of crown fire initiation, provide input in the spotting model, calculate wind reductions, and calculate fuel moisture conditioning.

Forest Canopy Cover Resources