REGEN MAPPER: A web-based tool for predicting postfire conifer regeneration and prioritizing reforestation efforts in the western United States

Abstract

Increasing wildfire area burned and accelerated timber harvest have amplified the need for post-disturbance reforestation; this need has outpaced current capacity. Resource managers would use tools for identifying and prioritizing potential planting sites. A web-based decision support system was developed (DSS) to provide spatial information on potential for natural regeneration in post-disturbance environments. Users can select burn severity information using 1-year postfire data (Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity), or for recent disturbance events using either Rapid Assessment of Vegetation Condition After Wildfire or Soil Burn Severity Layers. The DSS predicts the potential for natural regeneration, based on distance to adult live trees (seed sources) and historical climatic conditions. The tool returns 30-meter resolution gridded raster maps describing the probability of natural seedling regeneration, distance to roads, and a cost-benefit calculation to assist in prioritizing planting areas.

Parent Publication

• Foundational concepts in silviculture with emphasis on reforestation and early stand improvement - 2022 National Silviculture Workshop

Citation

Holden, Zachary A.; Warren, Dallen; Davis, Kim; Jungck, Ellen; Maneta, Marco; Dobrowski, Solomon; Archer, Vince. 2022. REGEN MAPPER: A web-based tool for predicting postfire conifer regeneration and prioritizing reforestation efforts in the western United States. In: Jain, Theresa B.; Schuler, Thomas M. [comp.]. Foundational concepts in silviculture with emphasis on reforestation and early stand improvement - 2022 National Silviculture Workshop. Proc. RMRS-P-80. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 2 p.