Data Products ›› LANDFIRE Fire Regime Product Descriptions

Fire Regime Groups

The Fire Regime Groups (FRG) were intended to characterize the presumed historical fire regimes within landscapes based on interactions between vegetation dynamics, fire spread, fire effects, and spatial context (Barrett and others 2010). FRG definitions have been altered from previous applications (Hann & Bunnell 2001; Schmidt and others 2002; Wildland Fire Communicator's Guide) to best approximate the definitions outlined in the Interagency Fire Regime Condition Class Guidebook (Barrett and others 2010). These definitions were refined to create discrete, mutually exclusive criteria appropriate for use with LANDFIRE's fire frequency and severity data products.

Fire regime groups:

• Fire Regime I (0 to 35 year frequency, low to mixed severity)
• Fire Regime II (0 to 35 year frequency, replacement severity)
• Fire Regime III (35 to 200 year frequency, low to mixed severity)
• Fire Regime IV (35 to 200 year frequency, replacement severity)
• Fire Regime V (200+ year frequency, any severity)

LF_1.1.0 (Refresh 2008) – Fire regime group definitions were altered from previous applications to best approximate the definitions outlined in the Interagency FRCC Guidebook. These definitions were refined to create discrete, mutually exclusive criteria. This layer is created by linking the BpS Group attribute in the BpS layer with the Refresh Model Tracker (RMT) data and assigning the Fire Regime Group attribute. This geospatial product should display a reasonable approximation of Fire Regime Group, as documented in the Refresh Model Tracker.

LF_1.0.5 (Refresh 2001) – Fire regime group definitions were altered from previous applications to best approximate the definitions outlined in the Interagency FRCC Guidebook. These definitions were refined to create discrete, mutually exclusive criteria. This layer is created by linking the BpS Group attribute in the BpS layer with the Refresh Model Tracker (RMT) data and assigning the Fire Regime Group attribute. This geospatial product should display a reasonable approximation of Fire Regime Group, as documented in the Refresh Model Tracker.

LF_1.0.0 (National) – The Fire Regime Group layer represents an integration of the spatial fire regime characteristics of frequency and severity simulated using the vegetation and disturbance dynamics model LANDSUM (Keane and others 2002).

For Alaska and Hawaii, the Fire Regime Group was derived from the FRG values provided in the Model Tracker Database for each corresponding BpS model rather than from LANDSUM.

LF_0.5.0 (Rapid Assessment) – Fire regime groups were mapped directly from the LF_0.5.0 Potential Natural Vegetation Groups (PNVGs) spatial data layer based on assignments made to each LF_0.5.0 PNVG model. For more information about LF_0.5.0 PNVG descriptions and modeling, please visit the LF_0.5.0 Reference Condition Models section of this website.

Metadata:
LF_1.1.0 (Refresh 2008)
LF_1.0.5 (Refresh 2001)
LF_1.0.0 (National)
LF_1.0.0 (National Alaska)
LF_1.0.0 (National Hawaii)
LF_0.5.0 (Rapid Assessment)



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Hann, W.J. and D.L. Bunnell. 2001. Fire and land management planning and implementation across multiple scales. International Journal of Wildland Fire 10: 389-403.

Barrett, S.; Havlina, D.; Jones, J.; Hann, W.; Frame, C.; Hamilton, D.; Schon, K.; Demeo, T.; Hutter, L.; and Menakis, J. 2010. Interagency Fire Regime Condition Class Guidebook. Version 3.0 [Homepage of the Interagency Fire Regime Condition Class website, USDA Forest Service, US Department of the Interior, and The Nature Conservancy]. [Online], Available: www.frcc.gov.

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

Schmidt, K.M., J.P. Menakis, C.C. Hardy, W.J. Hann, and D.L. Bunnell. 2002. Development of coarse-scale spatial data for wildland fire and fuel management. USDA Forest Service General Technical Report: RMRS-GTR-87.

Wildland Fire Communicator's Guide [Online]. Available: http://www.nifc.gov/preved/comm_guide/wildfire/fire_5.html