Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The Landsat program produces imagery that is the foundation for LANDFIRE's vegetation and disturbance data layers. The development of detailed vegetation maps are an essential component of LANDFIRE.

LANDFIRE products were designed to support national, regional, and sub-regional analysis activities.

Considerations:

• The native spatial resolution of LANDFIRE raster spatial products is 30-meters, however, the appropriate application scale is much larger than 30 meters, and will vary by a combination of product, location, and specific use.
• Users should refer to the metadata and local, regional or expert knowledge to determine if LANDFIRE products are appropriate for their application in their area.
• LANDFIRE products are not intended to replace local products, but serve as a rich supplemental data source with complete areal coverage, regardless of ownership.

Our suggestion is to consider your intended use. LF native projection, USGS version of USA Contiguous Albers Equal Area Conic (NAD_1983_Albers or NAD_1983_Alaska_Albers), is perfect for larger area analysis, such as multiple states, etc. However, when doing any other types of analysis, such as local analysis, one may need to adapt LF products. If you are using software applications like FlamMap or FARSITE, it is best to reproject the products and use a north up projection, such as Fest-FIT UTM (NAD83). If data are not reprojected to a north up projection, models could produce unexpected results. It's good practice to understand the map projection characteristics of the products and, when necessary, reproject them to best fit your needs. LF offers a tool to modify the projection of the LF products you want to download.

For information on modifying an LF order, please review the Modify Request Page Tutorial.

LF 2016 Remap

LF 2014 and earlier versions

There is an intermittent problem with Internet Explorer and how the LF DDS and LFDAT deliver data. After you make your data selection and click Download from the DDS Request Summary window, a status window pops up. Don't close that window yet. This window provides an alternate link to retrieve your zipped data:

If an error occurs during download, click here to retrieve the download bundle.

Click on the here link inside the download file window to get your data.

Vegetation Condition Class (VCC) and Vegetation Departure (VDEP) are the same data that was previously called Fire Regime Condition Class (FRCC) and Fire Regime Departure Index (DEP). According to the FRCC Guidebook, FRCC is a combination of vegetation departure and fire frequency and severity departure. The layers previously referred to as Fire Regime Condition Class (FRCC) and Fire Regime Departure Index (DEP) were measures of vegetation departure, hence the name change.

Reference conditions for LF 2001 and LF 2008 used the Vegetation Dynamics Development Tool (VDDT). Reference conditions for LF c2001 were generated using LANDSUM.

Summary units for LF 2001 and LF 2008 used hydrologic unit codes (HUCs 8, 10, 12) depending on the fire regime group. Summary units for LF c2001 used ECOMAP subsections and map zones.

According to the FRCC Guidebook, FRCC is a combination of vegetation departure and fire frequency and severity departure. The layers previously referred to as Fire Regime Condition Class (FRCC) and Fire Regime Departure Index (DEP) were measures of vegetation departure, hence the name change.

Q: Will the LF Remap data be released all at once?

Q: What will be different with Vegetation for LF Remap?

Q: What year will LF Remap represent?

Q: What are the imagery dates for LF Remap?

1. Assure you are logged on as a system administrator, right click on the Internet Explorer (I.E.) icon and select Properties (or open I.E. and select Tools | Internet Options).
2. Select the security tab in the internet properties window.
3. Select trusted site on the security panel.
4. Verify the security level for this zone is set to medium, change it to medium if not already set.
5. Click the sites button in the security panel.
6. Uncheck the box to require server verification (https) for all sites in the zone. 7. Type http://landfire.cr.usgs.gov in the add this website to the zone text box. Click add.
7. Click close.
8. Click the customer level button.
9. Scroll down to the downloads section, enable for automatic prompting for the fire downloads.
10. Click ok.
11. Click yes in the warning window.
12. Click ok in the internet options window to close.

• be sure you have the most recent version of LFDAT
• try downloading later.

For "Check for Updates", you can get any of these error messages: (1) Component `MSCOMCTL.OCX` or one of its dependencies not correctly registered: a files is missing or invalid; or (2) Out of Memory.

Also, from the download option, after drawing a rectangle in the area of interest, nothing happens.

These two problems occur because LFDAT requires an ActiveX control for Visual Basic 6 (MSCOMCTL.OCX) on Windows 7 and 10.

Steps to register MSCOMCTL.OCX on Windows 7 or 10 64-bit version (it requires administrative privileges on the system) (source: Microsoft Community):

1. Check if the OCX file already exists on %windir%\SysWOW64 (e.g. c:\Windows\SysWOW64, assuming Windows is installed in the Windows folder on your C drive)
2. If the file exists, go to step 5.
3. If it does not exist, download the OCX file to your desktop or someplace you can find it. If the file downloads as a .txt file, rename file from extension *.txt to *.ocx.
4. Copy the file on the SysWOW64 folder (SysWOW64 means "Windows on Windows" and it is where Windows keeps 32-bit version files on a 64-bit system)
5. Open a Command Prompt window as Administrator.
6. For Windows, upper and lower case letters do not matter when working in the Command Prompt window.
7. For a 64-bit installation enter the following command: cd %windir%\SysWOW64
8. Then enter the following command: regsvr32 MSCOMCTL.OCX
9. If the command from step 8 does not work try this one: regsvr32 C:\Windows\SysWOW64\MSCOMCTL.OCX
10. You should see a message like this: DllRegisterServer in MSCOMCTL.OCX succeeded.

We need data that can be used to update LANDFIRE data layers, and data that could be used to remedy known concerns with previous versions. In a nutshell, we need Event data on any recent (current update cycle) disturbances or vegetation/fuel treatments that would have altered the composition or structure of vegetation and/or fuel. In addition to Event data, LANDFIRE also benefits from point or polygon vegetation or fuel plot data which may be incorporated in the LANDFIRE Reference Database (LFRDB).

LANDFIRE collects and welcomes submitted data on an annual basis throughout the year but has a data submission deadline of March 31 of each year. Data submitted before March 31 will be evaluated for inclusion into the appropriate LANDFIRE update cycle. Submissions after March 31 will be considered in subsequent updates.

We will accept Event data (disturbance and vegetation/fuel treatment data) in various formats, including ESRI shapefiles, geodatabases, and ArcInfo coverages. Supporting information, including definitions of the fields and any codes in the data tables, should accompany the data to ensure that they can be interpreted correctly. If you have LFRDB data (vegetation and/or fuel plot data) to share, we're even more flexible in terms of data format. We'll gladly accept digital data in, text files, spreadsheets, relational databases, ESRI shapefiles or geodatabases, and ArcInfo coverages - whichever is most convenient for the contributor. Coordinate information, including map datum, can be bundled with the other attribute information or in a separate, linked file, or data form. Supporting information, including definitions of the fields and any codes in the data tables or data-entry forms, should accompany the data to ensure that they are accurately represented in the LANDFIRE reference database.

An update program is vital to support the full spectrum of fire and natural resource management programs with timely and quality products that reflect recent changes in landscape conditions. The LANDFIRE updates focus on landscape changes to vegetation and fuels resulting from disturbance and treatment activities such as wildland fire, fuel and vegetation treatments, mortality from insects and disease, storm damage, invasive plants, and other natural or anthropogenic events. Areas of concern will be improved through the LANDFIRE update process, and the existing layers will be updated to reflect more current conditions.

If you have questions or would like to submit data please contact Brenda Lundberg, LANDFIRE Reference Data Administrator. You may email datasets smaller than 25MB to blundberg@contractor.usgs.gov. If the files are too large to send via email please contact Brenda Lundberg for alternative file transfer options.

LANDFIRE does draw data from several web based data clearing houses including the NPS Data Store, USGS/NPS Vegetation Characterization Website, and USFS Regional Data Clearing houses. LANDFIRE also acquires data from agency/corporate database systems such as USFS FACTS (Forest Service Activity Tracking System) and USFS NRIS (Natural Resource Information System). The Website Agency DB Table provides a complete list of websites or agency database systems from which LANDFIRE draws data. For a copy of the Website Agency DB Table please visit http://www.landfire.gov/participate_refdata_sub.php. If you store data on one of the websites or agency databases listed in this table, please verify that a current version of your data are posted to ensure that this data will be evaluated for use in the next LANDFIRE update cycle.

Although other quantitative state-and-transition models exist, VDDT (Beukema and others 2003) was selected as the model of choice for nationally consistent fire and fuel projects because it is:

• public domain, free and accessible to all (www.essa.com/vddt)
• user-friendly
• non-spatial, not affected by lack of spatial data or data storage requirements

Beukema, S.J.; Kurz, W. A.; Pinkham, C.B.; Milosheva, K.; Frid, L. 2003. Vegetation Dynamics development tool, User.s Guide, Version 4.4c. Prepared by ESSA Technologies Ltd., Vancouver, BC. 239 p. [Online.] Available: www.essa.com/vddt.

Keane, R.E.; Parsons, R.; Hessburg, P. 2002. Estimating historical range and variation of landscape patch dynamics: limitations of the simulation approach. Ecological Modeling. 151: 29-49.

• quantitative, site specific agreement assessment by map zone and groups of map zones using withheld field plots
• case studies in selected areas

Learn more about Data Product Quality.

LANDFIRE National (LF c2001) existing vegetation products portray vegetation composition and structure conditions circa 2001. The time period is determined by the average date of Landsat satellite imagery acquisition used for the original mapping, which occurred from 2000 to 2002. Subsequent versions (LF 2001, LF 2008, LF 2010, LF 2012, and LF 2014) used National as a starting point for data processing. Disturbances mapped in updated versions beyond National used imagery from 1999-2014 where the imagery year corresponds to the disturbance year.

LANDFIRE vegetation map units must be:

Identifiable - Vegetation map units must be able to be keyed from the LANDFIRE reference database, which is a field-referenced database made up of a compilation of existing government and non-government inventory databases. Additionally, all map units must adhere to standard federal terminology used in vegetation map unit classifications and descriptions of vegetation map units.

Scalable - Vegetation map units must be hierarchical with regard to floristic and spatial scale. The aggregation and division of map units must be straightforward. The LANDFIRE map units must tier, where possible, to the physiognomic and floristic hierarchy detailed in the Federal Geographic Data Committee's (FGDC) Vegetation Classification Standard (FGDC 1997) and other documents describing national vegetation map unit classifications (Eyre 1980; Shiflet 1994; Grossman and others 1998; Comer and others 2003; Brohman and Bryant 2005).

Mappable - Vegetation map units must be capable of being accurately portrayed geospatially as discrete entities and as attributes in geospatial databases. Field-referenced data used to develop training databases must have adequate vegetation information to distinguish vegetation map units. These map units must be congruent with approaches that integrate Landsat-based remote sensing and machine-learning techniques with biophysical gradient modeling for mapping vegetation across broad areas.

Model-able - Vegetation map units must be logically consistent with the framework of the landscape fire succession models critical for simulating historical fire regimes and vegetation.

Brohman, R.; Bryant, L. eds.2005. Existing vegetation classification and mapping technical guide. Gen. Tech. Rep. WO-67. Washington, DC: U.S., Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Ecosystem Management Coordination Staff. 305 pp.

Comer, P., D. Faber-Langendoen, R. Evans, S. Gawler, C. Josse, G. Kittel, S. Menard, M. Pyne, M. Reid, K. Schulz, K. Snow, and J. Teague. 2003. Ecological Systems of the United States: A Working Classification of U.S. Terrestrial Systems. NatureServe, Arlington, VA. 75 p.

Eyre, F. H. E. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and Canada. Society of American Foresters, Washington DC., USA.

FGDC, ed.[Online] http://www.fgdc.gov/standards/projects/FGDC-standards-projects/vegetation/vegclass.pdf/view?searchterm=vegclass.pdf

Grossman, D. H., D. Faber-Langendoen, A.S. Weakley, M. Anderson, P. Bourgeron, R. Crawford, K. Goodin, S. Landaal, K. Metzler, K. Patterson, M. Pyne, M. Reid, and L. Sneddon. 1998. International classification of ecological communities: Terrestrial vegetation of the United States Volume I. The National Vegetation Classification System: development, status, and applications. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington VA., USA.

Shiflet, T. N. E. 1994. Rangeland cover types of the United States. Denver, CO, USA: Society of Range Management. 151 p.

PV is the vegetation capable of existing given the biophysical characteristics of a site. PV integrates current regional climate and physical site characteristics.

LANDFIRE characterizes PV in two ways:

• Environmental Site Potential (ESP) is the vegetation that would become established at late or climax stages of successional development in the absence of disturbance (pre European). ESP reflects the dates of the input data used in the mapping process (approx. 1980-2004 for field data and 1980-1997 for biophysical gradient layers developed from DAYMET data). It also includes the competitive potential of native plant species. The ESP layer informs vegetation and fuel mapping.
• Biophysical Settings (BpS) is a refinement of ESP and incorporates natural ecological disturbance processes, such as fire. The biophysical settings (BpS) layer represents a composite time period that includes the "current" input data, the historical context provided by vegetation dynamics models, and assumptions about fire regimes. It forms the basis for linking ecological processes of succession to landscapes, which is used to simulate historical vegetation and disturbance characteristics.