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13 Anderson Fire Behavior Fuel Models

These original 13 standard fire behavior fuel models serve as input to Rothermel's mathematical surface fire behavior and spread model (Rothermel 1972). The 13 Anderson Fire Behavior Fuel Model (FBFM13) layer represents distinct distributions of fuel loading found among surface fuel components (live and dead), size classes, and fuel types. The fuel models are described by the most common fire-carrying fuel type (grass, brush, timber litter, or slash), loading and surface area-to-volume ratio by size class and component, fuelbed depth, and moisture of extinction. The FBFM13 layer can serve as input to the FARSITE fire growth simulation model (Finney 1998) and FlamMap fire potential simulator (Stratton 2004). Further detail on these original fire behavior fuel models can be found in Anderson (1982) and Rothermel (1983).

LF_1.1.0 (Refresh 2008) – LF_1.1.0 used LF_1.0.5 (Refresh 2001) data as a launching point to incorporate disturbance and its severity, both managed and natural, which occurred on the landscape after 2001. Specific examples of disturbance are: fire, vegetation management, weather, and insect and disease. The final disturbance data used in LF_1.1.0 are the result of several efforts that include data derived in part from remotely sensed land change methods, Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (MTBS), and the LANDFIRE Refresh events data call. Vegetation growth was modeled where both disturbance and non-disturbance occurred.

LF_1.0.5 (Refresh 2001) – Imagery used in LF_1.0.0 (LANDFIRE National) covered a span of years, and because of this, several large wildland fires are not represented in the data. LF_1.0.5 data ensure wildland fires through 2001 are represented.

Additional improvements found in LF_1.0.5 include resolving inconsistencies along the international borders and updating aspects of the following: riparian and wetlands areas, agricultural and urban vegetation types as burnable, and adjusting the extent of barren and water land cover types.

LF_1.0.2 (Improvements) – With the release of LANDFIRE National data products, several areas of improvements were identified. In 2009, leadership direction and funding were provided to implement these improvements for the conterminous states. Improvements included resolving inconsistencies along the international borders and updating aspects of the following: riparian and wetlands areas, agricultural and urban vegetation types as burnable, and adjusting the extent of barren and water land cover types. Change to the LANDFIRE data products occurred only in areas affected by the improvements listed above. Surface and canopy fuel assignments were derived for all of the new existing vegetation types using existing fuel model mapping rules. Final fuel layers were created using a hierarchical merge process, which imbedded updated pixels over the existing values.

LF_1.0.1 (Rapid Refresh) – These data were refined for western zones based upon comments obtained from fuel and fire behavior specialists. Moreover, these data were updated to reflect the effects from recent (1999 to 2007) wildland fires. (Obtain LF_1.0.1 Fire Perimeter Data.) The FBFM13 layer was derived from the FBFM40 layer using a look-up table from Scott and Burgan (2005).

LF_1.0.0 (National) – FBFM13 was produced through a series of workshops held across the 48 states with fire and fuels specialists to assist the LANDFIRE team in determining surface fuel models for existing vegetation types based on rule sets developed by the existing cover and height of the vegetation. The resultant spatial arrangement of surface fuel models are known as the calibrated FBFM13 layer.

Metadata:
LF_1.1.0 (Refresh 2008)
LF_1.0.5 (Refresh 2001)
LF_1.0.2 (Improvements)
LF_1.0.1 (Rapid Refresh)
LF_1.0.0 (National)
LF_1.0.0 (National Alaska)


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Anderson, H.E. 1982. Aids to determining fuel models for estimating fire behavior. General Technical Report INT-122, United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Ogden, UT. 26 p.

Finney, M.A. 1998. FARSITE: Fire Area Simulator-model development and evaluation. Res. Pap. RMRS-RP-4, Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fort Collins, CO. 47 p.

Rothermel, R.C. 1972. A mathematical model for predicting fire spread in wildland fuels. Research Paper INT-115, United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Ogden, UT. 42 p.

Rothermel R.C. 1983. How to predict the spread and intensity of forest and range fires. General Technical Report INT-143, United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Reserach Station, Ogden, UT. 53 p.

Stratton, R.D. 2004. Assessing the Effectiveness of Landscape Fuel Treatments on Fire Growth and Behavior. Journal of Forestry. 102(7): 32-40.