LANDFIRE ›› Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q.	From what time period were the data and satellite imagery used in creating the LANDFIRE vegetation products captured?

The LANDFIRE National 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, which occurred from 2000 to 2002. The environmental site potential (ESP) layer is intended to represent current site potential, in which "current" 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). 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.

Note that LANDFIRE data products are being updated through an Operations & Maintenance plan. Click Back to FAQs