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Succession Classes

LANDFIRE Rapid Assessment (RA) succession classes categorize current vegetation composition and structure into up to five successional states defined for each RA potential natural vegetation group (PNVG) model. An additional category defines uncharacteristic vegetation components, such as exotic species, that are not found within the compositional or structural variability of successional states defined for each RA PNVG model. These succession classes are similar in concept to those defined in the Interagency Fire Regime Condition Class Guidebook (Hann and others 2004).

Five succession classes, “A” through “E,” define successional states represented within a given RA PNVG model. Succession class “U” represents an uncharacteristic vegetation state for the RA PNVG. Additional data layer values were included to represent non-vegetated types (such as water, snow/ice, and barren), wetlands, development (such as residential, commercial, roads, and mines), agriculture, and unclassified vegetation (in other words, vegetation that was not classified during the RA process).

The LANDFIRE Rapid Assessment Succession Classes layer was developed from Landsat imagery circa 1998 to 2001 and from 1992 National Land Cover Database (NLCD) data. Landsat imagery was used to create intermediate layers of existing vegetation, diameter classes, and canopy cover, which were calculated from training data derived from existing maps and/or a limited amount of plot data. Unique combinations of the intermediate layers were used to assign succession classes “A” through “E” and “U” to each RA PNVG based on RA PNVG model descriptions. NLCD data were used to assign the land cover (water, development, agriculture, etc.) classes to this layer.

For more information about RA PNVG descriptions and modeling, please visit the RA Reference Condition Models section of this website.

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Kuchler A. W. 1964. Potential natural vegetation of the conterminous United States (manual and map). Special Publication 36. New York: American Geographical Society. 116 p.

Schmidt, Kirsten M., Menakis, James P., Hardy, Colin C., Hann, Wendel J., and Bunnell, David L. 2002. Development of coarse-scale spatial data for wildland fire and fuel management. General Technical Report RMRSGTR-87. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 41p. Available at: www.fs.fed.us/fire/fuelman.

Hann, Wendel J. et al. 2004. Interagency Fire Regime Condition Class Guidebook. Available at: www.frcc.gov.