Fire Behavior Assessment Team: pre- and post-fire canopy cover data

Metadata:
Identification_Information:
Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Reiner, Alicia L.
Originator: Ewell, Carol M.
Originator: Fites-Kaufman, Josephine A.
Originator: Dailey, Scott N.
Originator: Noonan-Wright, Erin K.
Originator: Norman, Tiffany P.
Originator: Vaillant, Nicole M.
Originator: Dickinson, Matthew B.
Originator: Morgan, Chelsea
Originator: Courson, Mark
Originator: Campbell, Mike
Publication_Date: 2020
Title:
Fire Behavior Assessment Team: pre- and post-fire canopy cover data
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: tabular digital data
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Fort Collins, CO
Publisher: Forest Service Research Data Archive
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2020-0028
Description:
Abstract:
This data publication contains the raw and processed field-collected pre- and post-fire tree canopy cover data for the plots in which pre- and post-fire fuels, and fire behavior data were collected by the Fire Behavior Assessment Team (FBAT) on a subset of wildland fires in the United States from 2003-2017. FBAT collects pre- and post-fire fuels and tree data along with fire behavior measurements on wildland fires. FBAT is an interagency group of primarily Forest Service employees with both monitoring and fireline qualifications which collects pre- and post-fire fuels and tree data along with fire behavior measurements on wildland fires. Logistics (proximity to instrumentation/crew members), funding, fire activity, and monitoring questions influenced the geographic regions and fires where sampling was attempted, for instance, fuel treatments recorded in the Forest Service Activity Tracking System (FACTS), as well as tree mortality areas, were each targets for FBAT sampling in the past. This publication includes pre- and post-fire canopy cover measurements recorded in multiple locations for each of 11 different wildland fires. Measurements from 2014 and earlier were ocular estimates, and data post-2014 were collected using a densiometer.
Purpose:
These data are collected by the FBAT team to provide measures of pre-fire fuels/vegetation, active fire behavior (with sensors in the fire), and post-fire fuels/vegetation conditions during wildfires and prescribed fires for improving understanding and tools related to fire behavior and fire effects.
Supplemental_Information:
For more information about FBAT data see: https://www.fs.fed.us/adaptivemanagement/projects_main_fbat.php.

These data were published on 04/16/2020. On 12/03/2020 this data publication was updated to include a supplemental file that provides a diagram of the FBAT plot layout and a brief list of key method changes throughout the years FBAT has taken data to present (2020).
Time_Period_of_Content:
Time_Period_Information:
Range_of_Dates/Times:
Beginning_Date: 20030701
Ending_Date: 20171101
Currentness_Reference:
Ground condition
Status:
Progress: In progress
Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: Irregular
Spatial_Domain:
Description_of_Geographic_Extent:
The data were collected on wildland fires across the United States, mostly in California as well as Montana, Idaho, Arizona, Wyoming and Georgia. For more information regarding the location of these fires see Reiner et al. (2018, https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2018-0056).
Bounding_Coordinates:
West_Bounding_Coordinate: -127.97220
East_Bounding_Coordinate: -65.25879
North_Bounding_Coordinate: 51.63280
South_Bounding_Coordinate: 22.76568
Keywords:
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Theme_Keyword: cover
Theme_Keyword: canopy cover
Theme_Keyword: tree cover
Theme_Keyword: tree canopy cover
Theme_Keyword: densiometer
Theme_Keyword: Joint Fire Science Program
Theme_Keyword: JFSP
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO 19115 Topic Category
Theme_Keyword: environment
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: National Research & Development Taxonomy
Theme_Keyword: Ecology, Ecosystems, & Environment
Theme_Keyword: Fire
Theme_Keyword: Fire ecology
Theme_Keyword: Fire effects on environment
Theme_Keyword: Inventory, Monitoring, & Analysis
Theme_Keyword: Natural Resource Management & Use
Theme_Keyword: Forest management
Place:
Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Place_Keyword: United States
Place_Keyword: California
Place_Keyword: Montana
Place_Keyword: Idaho
Place_Keyword: Arizona
Place_Keyword: Wyoming
Place_Keyword: Georgia
Access_Constraints: None
Use_Constraints:
These data were collected using funding from the U.S. Government and can be used without additional permissions or fees. If you use these data in a publication, presentation, or other research product please use the following citation:

Reiner, Alicia L.; Ewell, Carol M.; Fites-Kaufman, Josephine A.; Dailey, Scott N.; Noonan-Wright, Erin K.; Norman, Tiffany P.; Vaillant, Nicole M.; Dickinson, Matthew B.; Morgan, Chelsea; Courson, Mark; Campbell, Mike. 2020. Fire Behavior Assessment Team: pre- and post-fire canopy cover data. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2020-0028
Point_of_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization: USDA Forest Service, Washington Office Business Operations
Contact_Person: Alicia Reiner
Contact_Position: Fire Ecologist
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical
Address: Suite 201, 160 Holdsworth Way UMASS
City: Amherst
State_or_Province: MA
Postal_Code: 01002
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: 530-559-4860
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: alicia.reiner@usda.gov
Data_Set_Credit:
Funding for this project has been provided in the past by various intermittent sources including the Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) Project # 01C-2-1-08, USDA Forest Service Washington Office Fire and Aviation Management (WO-FAM), Pacific Southwest Region, Stanislaus National Forest, Sequoia National Forest, and Northern Research Station (NRS).
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Reiner, Alicia L.
Originator: Ewell, Carol M.
Originator: Fites-Kaufman, Josephine A.
Originator: Dailey, Scott N.
Originator: Noonan-Wright, Erin K.
Originator: Norman, Tiffany P.
Originator: Vaillant, Nicole M.
Originator: Dickinson, Matthew B.
Originator: Morgan, Chelsea
Originator: Courson, Mark
Originator: Campbell, Mike
Publication_Date: 2018
Title:
Fire Behavior Assessment Team: plot location data
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: vector digital data
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Fort Collins, CO
Publisher: Forest Service Research Data Archive
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2018-0056
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Reiner, Alicia L.
Originator: Ewell, Carol M.
Originator: Fites-Kaufman, Josephine A.
Originator: Dailey, Scott N.
Originator: Noonan-Wright, Erin K.
Originator: Norman, Tiffany P.
Originator: Vaillant, Nicole M.
Originator: Dickinson, Matthew B.
Originator: Morgan, Chelsea
Originator: Courson, Mark
Originator: Campbell, Mike
Publication_Date: 2018
Title:
Fire Behavior Assessment Team: pre- and post-fire tree data, raw and processed
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: spreadsheet
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Fort Collins, CO
Publisher: Forest Service Research Data Archive
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2018-0057
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Miesel, Jessica
Originator: Reiner, Alicia
Originator: Ewell, Carol
Originator: Maestrini, Bernardo
Originator: Dickinson, Matthew
Publication_Date: 2018
Title:
Quantifying changes in total and pyrongenic carbon stocks across fire severity gradients using active wildfire incidents
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Frontiers in Earth Science
Issue_Identification: 6:1-21
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2018.00041
Online_Linkage: https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/57240
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Lydersen, Jamie M.
Originator: Collins, Brandon M.
Originator: Ewell, Carol M.
Originator: Reiner, Alicia L.
Originator: Fites, Jo Ann
Originator: Dow, Christopher B.
Originator: Gonzalez, Patrick
Originator: Saah, David S.
Originator: Battles, John J.
Publication_Date: 2014
Title:
Using field data to assess model predictions of surface and ground fuel consumption by wildfire in coniferous forests of California
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: JRG Biogeosciences
Issue_Identification: 119(3): 223-235
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.1002/2013JG002475
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Data_Quality_Information:
Attribute_Accuracy:
Attribute_Accuracy_Report:
In 2014 and earlier, ocular estimates were collected on canopy cover rather than data collection using a densiometer. Ocular estimates involved a field observer looking up at the tree canopy in the plot and estimating the percent cover visually. The instances where canopy cover was recorded using the densiometers would likely have higher accuracy than the instances where canopy cover was measured purely with ocular estimates because the densiometer aids in reducing observer bias.

Ideally as many as 50-100 densiometer points should be taken to obtain more accurate canopy cover readings, which means that our small sample sizes (10-13 points per year) probably yields data with a large degree of variation from actual conditions measured.

Note that the tree data can be processed through the Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS, https://www.fs.fed.us/fvs/) to obtain alternate estimates of canopy cover through the models embedded in the FVS program (Dixon 2002). These data could provide another estimate of tree canopy cover.


Dixon, Gary E. (Comp.). 2002. Essential FVS: A user’s guide to the Forest Vegetation Simulator. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Management Service Center. 226p. http://www.fs.fed.us/fmsc/ftp/fvs/docs/gtr/EssentialFVS.pdf (Revised: February 2013, last accessed August 19, 2013)
Logical_Consistency_Report:
Not applicable
Completeness_Report:
All available data are provided. There are missing data, reasons are generally that time or safe conditions were not present.

No canopy cover data collected in the field (estimates or measurements) were found for the Lion fire, Clover fire, Sweatfarm, Antelope, Warm, Ralston, Bar/Orleans, Crag, Blackerby and Black Mountain, although often ocular estimates of pre-fire canopy cover are sometimes given in FBAT reports. (For almost every fire on which FBAT collected data, a report of summarized data is housed on the FBAT website: https://www.fs.fed.us/adaptivemanagement/projects_main_fbat.php.)

If data were missing because the densiometer data were not taken, "data not taken" is recorded in the data file. In cases where plots did not burn, "NA" is used for post-fire canopy cover. For missing data, or post-fire canopy cover, please use the tree data FVS output in which the Forest Vegetation Simulator was used to model canopy cover based on tree diameter at breast height (dbh), species, and height measurements taken (for access to these FVS canopy cover outputs see Reiner et al. 2018; https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2018-0057).


Reiner, Alicia L.; Ewell, Carol M.; Fites-Kaufman, Josephine A.; Dailey, Scott N.; Noonan-Wright, Erin K.; Norman, Tiffany P.; Vaillant, Nicole M.; Dickinson, Matthew B.; Morgan, Chelsea; Courson, Mark; Campbell, Mike. 2018. Fire Behavior Assessment Team: pre- and post-fire tree data, raw and processed. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2018-0057
Lineage:
Methodology:
Methodology_Type: Field
Methodology_Description:
The pre-determined locations at which canopy cover was recorded, as well as the number of locations, varies in this dataset. In general, several sampling points were located along each fuels transect for each plot (Reiner et al. 2019, https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2019-0010).

In 2014 and earlier, ocular estimates were collected on canopy cover rather than data collection using a densiometer. Ocular estimates involved a field observer looking up at the tree canopy in the plot and estimating the percent cover visually. In later years a single-point densiometer was used which employs a cross-hair and leveled sight tube through which the observer looks at the canopy through pre-determined locations and records 'yes' if the view in the cross-hairs is on any portion of a tree canopy or 'no' if the crosshair intersect a view of the sky. There are two leveling tubes which the observer must use to position the densiometer vertical to the ground before recording the observation. Different numbers of points, or readings using the densiometer were used in various years ranging from 10 to 13.

Below is a list of the fire names sorted by the year the fire occurred.

2013:
Aspen
Rim

2014:
Beaver
French
King

2015:
Rough
Willow

2016:
Tatanka (also referred to as Tantanka Complex, Buffalo, or Maple)

2017:
Schaeffer
Pier
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Reiner, Alicia L.
Originator: Ewell, Carol M.
Originator: Fites-Kaufman, Josephine A.
Originator: Dailey, Scott N.
Originator: Noonan-Wright, Erin K.
Originator: Norman, Tiffany P.
Originator: Vaillant, Nicole M.
Originator: Dickinson, Matthew B.
Originator: Morgan, Chelsea
Originator: Courson, Mark
Originator: Campbell, Mike
Publication_Date: 2019
Title:
Fire Behavior Assessment Team: surface and ground fuels, raw and processed
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: spreadsheet
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Fort Collins, CO
Publisher: Forest Service Research Data Archive
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2019-0010
Process_Step:
Process_Description:
Overall canopy cover was calculated as the sum of points with canopy cover divided by the total number of points sampled, and multiplied by 100 to obtain a percent.
Process_Date: Unknown
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Entity_and_Attribute_Information:
Overview_Description:
Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
Below is a description of the files available in this publication.

DATA

\Data\FBAT_CanopyCover.csv: Comma-delimited ASCII text file containing raw and processed pre- and post-fire field-collected tree canopy cover data. Variables are defined below.

FIRE = name of fire (Aspen, Beaver, French, King, Pier, Rim, Rough, Schaeffer, Tatanka, Willow)
PLOT = plot identifier
PRE-FIRE CANOPY COVER = pre-fire canopy cover estimate for the plot (percentage)
TOTAL READINGS = total number of points along transects where cover data was recorded
POST-FIRE CANOPY COVER = post-fire canopy cover estimate for the plot (percentage)
NOTES = notes about data collection

If canopy cover data were not measured for a plot "data not taken" is recorded in that field. If plots are not included in this dataset, canopy cover data was not measured. In cases where plots did not burn, "NA" is used for post-fire canopy cover.


SUPPLEMENTAL FILES

\Supplements\FBAT_Plot_Layout.pdf: Adobe Acrobat PDF/a file containing a diagram of the FBAT plot layout along with a brief list of key method changes throughout the years FBAT has taken data to present (2020). The diagram depicts (not to scale) the lengths and directions of the fuel transects in relation to the various fire behavior sensors installed on plots. The summary of methods changes highlights namely differences in subsampling, i.e. the number of fuel transects or rate of spread sensors used.
Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:
none provided
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Distribution_Information:
Distributor:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization: USDA Forest Service, Research and Development
Contact_Position: Research Data Archivist
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical
Address: 240 West Prospect Road
City: Fort Collins
State_or_Province: CO
Postal_Code: 80526
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: see Contact Instructions
Contact Instructions: This contact information was current as of December 2020. For current information see Contact Us page on: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS.
Resource_Description: RDS-2020-0028
Distribution_Liability:
Metadata documents have been reviewed for accuracy and completeness. Unless otherwise stated, all data and related materials are considered to satisfy the quality standards relative to the purpose for which the data were collected. However, neither the author, the Archive, nor any part of the federal government can assure the reliability or suitability of these data for a particular purpose. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed for a user's application of these data or related materials.

The metadata, data, or related materials may be updated without notification. If a user believes errors are present in the metadata, data or related materials, please use the information in (1) Identification Information: Point of Contact, (2) Metadata Reference: Metadata Contact, or (3) Distribution Information: Distributor to notify the author or the Archive of the issues.
Standard_Order_Process:
Digital_Form:
Digital_Transfer_Information:
Format_Name: ASCII
Format_Version_Number: see Format Specification
Format_Specification:
Comma-delimited ASCII text file
File_Decompression_Technique: Files zipped using 7-Zip 19.00
Digital_Transfer_Option:
Online_Option:
Computer_Contact_Information:
Network_Address:
Network_Resource_Name: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2020-0028
Fees: None
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Metadata_Reference_Information:
Metadata_Date: 20201203
Metadata_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization: USDA Forest Service, Washington Office Business Operations
Contact_Person: Alicia Reiner
Contact_Position: Fire Ecologist
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical
Address: Suite 201, 160 Holdsworth Way UMASS
City: Amherst
State_or_Province: MA
Postal_Code: 01002
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: 530-559-4860
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: alicia.reiner@usda.gov
Metadata_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization: USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station
Contact_Person: Matthew Dickinson
Contact_Position: Research Forest Ecologist
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical
City: Deleware
State_or_Province: OH
Postal_Code: 43015
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: 740-368-0096
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: matthew.b.dickinson@usda.gov
Metadata_Standard_Name: FGDC Biological Data Profile of the Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata
Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001.1-1999
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https://www.fs.usda.gov/rds/archive/products/RDS-2020-0028/_metadata_RDS-2020-0028.html