Identification Information

Title Crown Fire Potential

Date 2010-09-30

Date Type Publication

Cited Responsible Party

Organization Name The Nature Conservancy in New Mexico

Role identify

Presentation Form raster digital data

Abstract Crown fire potential was modeled using FlamMap, an interagency fire behavior mapping and analysis program that computes potential fire behavior characteristics. The tool uses eight spatial input data layers to represent biophysical conditions and weather parameters to simulate wind and fuel moisture conditions. The spatial input layers were created by Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools Project (LANDFIRE) and include elevation, slope, aspect, canopy closure, fuel model 40, canopy base height, and canopy bulk density. The weather parameters were collected from the RAWS weather stations in New Mexico. Crown fire potential was modeled by individual fire zones, created by the Southwest Coordination Center (SWCC) then combined using the mosaic to new raster function in ArcGIS. The weather data for the northern and western fire zones (101, 102, 103, 109, 110, and 113) represents the average early summer (May and June ) conditions; the weather data for the eastern fire zones (104, 108, 114, 115) represents the average early spring (March and April ) conditions; and the weather data for the southern and central fire zones (105, 106, 107, 111, 112) represents the average spring (April and May) conditions. The Flam Map model result classifies crown fire potential into three categories: surface fire, passive crown fire, and active crown fire. The technical team recommended that the result be grouped into two categories: 1. areas with no crown fire potential and 2. areas with crown fire potential.

Purpose Crown fire is the movement of fire into and through the tree canopy. Crown fires typically move rapidly, and are very intense. Passive crown fire does not carry continuously through the canopy, but burns crown fuels intermittently (e.g. when individual trees or groups of trees burn). Active crown fire carries continuously through the canopy. Crown fires are the most difficult and dangerous types of fire to fight.

Data Set Credit The Nature Conservancy in New Mexico

Status Complete

Point of Contact

Individual Name

Organization Name EMNRD, Forestry Division

Position Name GIS Specialist

Role Point of contact

Voice 505-476-3346

Facsimile

Address

Delivery Point 1220 St. Francis Drive
City Santa Fe
Administrative Area NM
Postal Code 87505
Country

Electronic Mail Address trent.botkin@state.nm.us

Maintenance and Update Frequency As needed

Descriptive Keywords NM Statewide Natural Resources Assessment

Access Constraints None

Use Constraints All data is provided "as is." Energy Minerals and Natural Resources Department, Forestry Division makes no representation or warranty as to the completeness, accuracy or utility of any specific data. It is strongly recommended that careful attention be paid to the contents of the metadata file associated with this data.

Language English

Topic Category environment

Extent

Geographic Bounding Box

West Bound -109.324845
East Bound -102.936542
North Bound 37.065742
South Bound 31.320252

Temporal Extent

DateTime 2009

Data Quality Information

Logical Consistency Report Data set in raster format

Completeness Report Data created in FlamMap 3.1 using landfire spatial data downloaded fall 2009

Lineage

Source Information

Source Citation

Source Scale Denominator 2

Type of Source Media online

Source Time Period of Content

DateTime 2010
Source Currentness Reference Publication date

Source Citation Abbreviation LANDFIRE

Source Contribution Landfire provided 8 spatial input layers used to model crownfire in FlamMap

Process Step

Process Description Crown fire potential was modeled using FlamMap, an interagency fire behavior mapping and analysis program that computes potential fire behavior characteristics. The tool uses eight spatial input data layers to represent biophysical conditions and weather parameters to simulate wind and fuel moisture conditions. The spatial input layers were created by Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools Project (LANDFIRE) and include elevation, slope, aspect, canopy closure, fuel model 40, canopy base height, and canopy bulk density. The weather parameters were collected from the RAWS weather stations in New Mexico. Crown fire potential was modeled by individual fire zones, created by the Southwest Coordination Center (SWCC) then combined using the mosaic to new raster function in ArcGIS. The weather data for the northern and western fire zones (101, 102, 103, 109, 110, and 113) represents the average early summer (May and June) conditions; the weather data for the eastern fire zones (104, 108, 114, 115) represents the average early spring (March and April) conditions; and the weather data for the southern and central fire zones (105, 106, 107, 111, 112) represents the average spring (April and May) conditions. The Flam Map model result classifies crown fire potential into three categories: surface fire, passive crown fire, and active crown fire. Active and passive crown fire were reclassified to 5 and surface and no data were reclassed to 0. The reclassed and original grids were then combined

Source Used Citation Abbreviation LANDFIRE

Process Date 2009

Process Time

Process Contact

Individual Name

Organization Name The Nature Conservancy in New Mexico

Position Name GIS Manager

Role Point of contact

Voice 505-988-3867

Facsimile

Address

Delivery Point 212 East Marcy Street
City Santa Fe
Administrative Area NM
Postal Code 87501
Country

Electronic Mail Address

Crown Fire Potential

Metadata from the RGIS Metadata Repository

Identification Information

Distribution Information

Spatial Reference Information

Data Quality Information

Metadata Reference Information