LANDFIRE ›› Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q.	What is fire regime condition class (FRCC) and what role does it play in LANDFIRE?

Fire Regime Condition Class (FRCC) is a standardized, interagency tool for determining the degree to which current landscape conditions have departed from historical reference condition vegetation and disturbance regimes. Assessing FRCC can help guide management objectives and assist in setting priorities for ecological restoration. Historically, the coarse-scale FRCC maps produced in 2002 at the Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory illustrated the utility of FRCC for strategic hazardous fuel reduction planning; however, these data lacked the spatial resolution needed to accurately plan and prioritize projects. The interest in and acceptance of the FRCC concept, combined with the limitations of the coarse-scale FRCC maps, served as a catalyst for both the LANDFIRE Project and for the development of methods for field-based, local assessments of FRCC.

FRCC is an important product of LANDFIRE (note: LANDFIRE will not map disturbance regimes but will map the departure in vegetation conditions). The LANDFIRE Rapid Assessment has completed a "first pass" assessment of FRCC across the nation, and LANDFIRE National is currently mapping FRCC across the country, starting in the West. The Rapid Assessment FRCC product is based on expert systems, whereas the LANDFIRE National FRCC product is based on the simulation of succession and disturbance regimes. The LANDFIRE FRCC products, when used in combination with land, resource, and fire management plans, will assist land managers in planning and prioritizing hazardous fuel treatment projects.

Please visit the Data Products section of this website for detailed descriptions of the LANDFIRE National and Rapid Assessment FRCC and FRCC Departure Index layers. See below for a chronological description of how FRCC and subsequently LANDFIRE developed. For details on FRCC methods, activities, workshops, and training, please visit www.frcc.gov.



History of LANDFIRE and Fire Regime Condition Class

• A number of severe wildfire seasons between 1988 and the late 1990s highlighted the need for consistent data on wildland fire and fuel conditions.
• 1997 — The first steps of the FRCC coarse-scale endeavor began with the Fire Regimes for Fuel Management and Fire Use and Ecosystems at Risk projects - USDA FS.
• 1999 — As FRCC development progresses, Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory (MFSL) was asked by USFS Fire and Aviation Management to investigate the possible development of a landscape-scale, nationally consistent FRCC map.
• 1999 — The General Accounting Office (GAO) (currently known as the Government Accountability Office) reports: A cohesive strategy is needed to address the apparently increasing wildland fire threats (western U.S.) (GAO/RCED-99-65).
• 1999 — A concept for a national fire fuel and risks assessment is developed by USDA Forest Service and DOI USGS scientists — the genesis of the LANDFIRE Project.
• 2000 fire season occurs. Nearly 7 million acres of public and private lands burn.
• Fall, 2000 — "Managing the Impact of Wildfires on Communities and the Environment" submitted to the President, September 8, 2000. National Fire Plan (NFP) implemented with bi-partisan support though Appropriations.
• 2001 — GAO reports: Federal agencies are not organized to effectively and efficiently implement the National Fire Plan (GAO-01-1022T)
• Spring 2001 — LANDFIRE proposal submitted. USFS-MFSL and USGS-National Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) propose methods frameworks and LANDFIRE deliverables for two large prototype areas in the western U.S. In addition to landscape-scale FRCC, the LANDFIRE Project proposes to develop 30-meter resolution maps of wildland fuel.
• 2002 — The Rocky Mountain Research Station completes coarse-scale (1-km) maps of FRCC spanning the entire U.S. These GIS maps were based largely on expert opinion and modeling. (RMRS-GTR-87).
• 2002 — GAO reports: Improved planning will help agencies better identify firefighting preparedness needs (GAO-02-158). Reducing the threat of wildland fires requires sustained and coordinated effort (GAO-02-843). Leadership and accountability needed to reduce risks to communities and resources (GAO-02-259).
• March 2002 — The DOI and Forest Service funds a three-year LANDFIRE Prototype to develop and demonstrate a consistent, repeatable, science-based methodology that can be used for national implementation.
• May 2002 — In the "10-Year Comprehensive Strategy Implementation Plan," Western Governors' Association calls for new performance measures in agency strategic plans and for additional collaboration in the prioritization of hazardous fuel projects. The agencies seek additional data for establishing priorities based on risk to communities and resources and the need for restoration treatments.
• May 2002 — Fire Program Analysis (FPA) project begins. (LANDFIRE data will become a critical input for FPA phase 2.)
• Spring 2003 — Early LANDFIRE Prototype results (digital maps and computer models) demonstrate operational capability of the methodology.
• 2003 — GAO reports: Additional actions required to better identify and prioritize lands needing fuel reduction (GAO-03-805). Technologies hold promise for wildland fire management, but challenges remain (GAO-03-1047).
• October 2003 — Wildland Fire Leadership Council agrees to oversee National Implementation of the LANDFIRE Project beginning FY04.
• December 2003 — The President signs the "Healthy Forest Restoration Act" (HFRA), which sets priorities based on fire regime condition class and fire risk to communities and community infrastructure. It also requires reporting of vegetation burned by wildfire by administrative unit.
• May 2004 — LANDFIRE Charter signed by WFLC. (LANDFIRE Project to develop desired data to meet NFP, HFRA, 10-year strategy, and land managers needs).

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