Mapping Fuels on the Okanogan and Wenatchee National Forests

Abstract

Resource managers need spatially explicit fuels data to manage fire hazard and evaluate the ecological effects of wildland fires and fuel treatments. For this study, fuels were mapped on the Okanogan and Wenatchee National Forests (OWNF) using a rule-based method and the Fuels Characteristic Classification System (FCCS). The FCCS classifies fuels based on their combustion properties, producing unique “fuel beds,” each of which represents a distinct fire environment. Managers on the OWNF identified 187 fuel beds which were consolidated into 40 general fuel beds representing the major vegetation forms (forest vs. non-forest) and species groups. Fuel beds were assigned to each 25-m cell in the forest domain (27,353,425 cells) using decision rules based on a combination of spatial data layers. General fuel beds can then be subdivided into specific structural types using spatial data on canopy cover, quadratic mean diameter, and past disturbances (fires, insects, and management). This rule-based approach allows for the incorporation of more specific data if available or a more general classification if they are unavailable, and for reclassification when new data become available. Key uses of the fuels map include spatially explicit modeling of fire effects and assessment of spatial patterns of fire hazard under different management strategies.

Parent Publication

• Fuels Management-How to Measure Success: Conference Proceedings

Citation

Raymond, Crystal L.; Kellogg, Lara-Karena B.; McKenzie, Donald. 2006. Mapping Fuels on the Okanogan and Wenatchee National Forests. In: Andrews, Patricia L.; Butler, Bret W., comps. 2006. Fuels Management-How to Measure Success: Conference Proceedings. 28-30 March 2006; Portland, OR. Proceedings RMRS-P-41. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 293-304