LANDFIRE Remap Forest Canopy Height (CH) Marshall Islands

LANFIRE’s (LF) 2016 Remap (Remap) Forest Canopy Height (CH) describes the average height of the top of the canopy for a stand. In disturbed locations CH is calculated from linear regression equations derived from Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS) plot data output, but at non-disturbed locations it is assigned the midpoint of Fuel Vegetation Height (FVH) forested classes. In some instances, LF Remap assumes the potential burnable biomass in the tree canopy has been accounted for in the surface fuel model. For example, young or short conifer stands where the trees are represented by a shrub type fuel model will not have canopy characteristics. LF Remap Annual Disturbance products are incorporated into CH to provide informed changes by disturbance type, severity, and time since disturbance (TSD). Annual Disturbance products provide a pre-disturbance scenario represented by LF Remap existing vegetation products, the reporting of pre-disturbance scenarios helps to calculate CH. Vegetation adjustments are then modeled in disturbance areas based on disturbance type and severity. CH is then used in the calculation of Canopy Bulk Density (CBD) and Canopy Base Height (CBH). CH supplies information for fire behavior models, such as FARSITE (Finney 1998), that can determine; the starting point for embers in the spotting model, wind reductions, and the volume of crown fuels. CH also has capable fuels functionality, capable fuels calculate TSD assignments for disturbed areas using an "effective year." For example, year 2020 fuels may be calculated for the year 2020. the new process considers all the existing disturbances included in LF Remap and adjusts the TSD for these to the effective year (2020 in the example), making the products "2020 capable fuels." More information about capable fuels can be found at https://www.landfire.gov/lf_remap.php.