LANDFIRE Analysts Behind the Scenes

Each year LANDFIRE (LF) Annual Disturbance (Dist) products depict where changes have occurred on the landscape, both spatially and temporally. The Dist products inform model vegetation transitions to provide updates to LF vegetation, fuel, and fire regime products. While LF is known for mapping fires, clearcutting, and harvests, sometimes unusual disturbances are mapped. Oil wells in New Mexico and Texas are one such unusual disturbance for analysts to map. These areas are mapped in the LF Dist product due to the removal of shrubland and grassland from the landscape. The below example demonstrates one of these oil well mapping efforts.

Located in west Texas and southeast New Mexico is the Permian Basin. The Permian Basin is a large sedimentary basin distinguished by its rich petroleum, natural gas, and potassium deposits. Due to its economic importance, it is one of the most well-studied geologic regions of the world. The Permian Basin is made up of three component parts: the eastern Midland Basin, the Central Basin Platform, and the western Delaware Basin. For this example, we will be focusing on the western Delaware Basin (outlined in bright yellow).

The Delaware Basin covers an extensive area of approximately 10,000 square miles. It spans across several counties in Texas and New Mexico. Its prominence in the Permian Basin has made it a crucial player in the energy sector, attracting substantial investment and attention from the oil and gas industry.

The below image is located within the Delaware Basin east of the Red Bluff Reservoir. The white lines and dots are access roads, pipelines, and oil wells. They are in abundance due to the rich oil reserves of the Delaware Basin, which can make it difficult for LF analysts to find changes to the landscape in those areas.

Below is a closer look of the same area within the Delaware Basin. This 2022 image (left) more clearly shows oil pads, access roads, and pipelines (seen in white). Then the 2023 image (right) captures the same area with increased oil pads in the following year. Can you spot the changes and additions? Our analysts spend many hours finding those differences from year to year! If you look closely, you can see that more oil pads, roads, and pipelines have been added.

Below is that same 2023 image but LF analysts have identified the new oil pads, roads, and pipelines for you. The red shows raster data where the disturbances were mapped, which are captured in the Dist23 product featured in the LF 2023 Update for the Conterminous United States.