|
LANDFIRE ››
| Q. | At what scale should LANDFIRE data be used? |
LANDFIRE data products facilitate national- and regional-level strategic planning and reporting of wildland fire management activities. LANDFIRE products are designed to be used at a landscape-scale in support of strategic vegetation, fire, and fuels management planning to evaluate management alternatives across boundaries.
Although LANDFIRE National products are delivered as 30-meter pixels, they should not be used at the individual pixel level or on small groups of pixels. LANDFIRE National products were designed to support 1) national (all states) strategic planning, 2) regional (single large states or groups of smaller states), and 3) strategic/tactical planning for large sub-regional landscapes and Fire Management Units (FMUs) (such as significant portions of states or multiple federal administrative entities). The applicability of LANDFIRE National products to support fire and land management planning on smaller areas will vary by product, location, and specific use. Further investigation by local and regional experts should be conducted to inform decisions regarding local applicability. However, it is the responsibility of the local user, using LANDFIRE metadata and local knowledge, to determine if and/or how LANDFIRE can be used for particular areas of interest.
Managers and planners must evaluate LANDFIRE data according to the scale and requirements specific to their needs (for example, habitat requirements for the species being considered or requirements by community leaders and interagency partners). LANDFIRE products are not intended to replace local products, but rather serve as a back-up by providing wall-to-wall cross-boundary products. It is the responsibility of the user to be familiar with the value, assumptions, and limitations of LANDFIRE products.
| |
