This dataset is the 2020 version of wildfire hazard potential (WHP) for the United States. The files included in this data publication represent an update to any previous versions of WHP or wildland fire potential (WFP) published by the USDA Forest Service. WHP is an index that quantifies the relative potential for wildfire that may be difficult to control, used as a measure to help prioritize where fuel treatments may be needed. This 2020 version of WHP was created as part of the Wildfire Risk to Communities project (https://wildfirerisk.org) and this dataset is a 270-meter (m) resolution companion to the WHP published in Scott et al. (2020). Vegetation and wildland fuels data from LANDFIRE 2014 (version 1.4.0) form the foundation for this version of the WHP. As such, the data presented here reflect landscape conditions as of the end of 2014. National wildfire hazard datasets of annual burn probability and fire intensity were generated from the LANDFIRE 2014 data by the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station (Short et al. 2020) using the large fire simulation system (FSim). We also used LANDFIRE 2014 vegetation and fuels data directly in the WHP mapping process, as well as point locations of fire occurrence ca. 1992 - 2015 (Short 2017). With these datasets as inputs, we produced an index of WHP for all of the conterminous United States at 270-m resolution. We present the final WHP map in two forms: 1) continuous integer values, and 2) five WHP classes of very low, low, moderate, high, and very high. On its own, WHP is not an explicit map of wildfire threat or risk, but when paired with spatial data depicting highly valued resources and assets such as structures or powerlines, it can approximate relative wildfire risk to those specific resources and assets. WHP is also not a forecast or wildfire outlook for any particular season, as it does not include any information on current or forecasted weather or fuel moisture conditions. It is instead intended for long-term strategic fuels management.
This dataset is the 2020 version of wildfire hazard potential (WHP) for the United States. The files included in this data publication represent an update to any previous versions of WHP or wildland fire potential (WFP) published by the USDA Forest Service. WHP is an index that quantifies the relative potential for wildfire that may be difficult to control, used as a measure to help prioritize where fuel treatments may be needed. This 2020 version of WHP was created as part of the Wildfire Risk to Communities project (https://wildfirerisk.org) and this dataset is a 270-meter (m) resolution companion to the WHP published in Scott et al. (2020). Vegetation and wildland fuels data from LANDFIRE 2014 (version 1.4.0) form the foundation for this version of the WHP. As such, the data presented here reflect landscape conditions as of the end of 2014. National wildfire hazard datasets of annual burn probability and fire intensity were generated from the LANDFIRE 2014 data by the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station (Short et al. 2020) using the large fire simulation system (FSim). We also used LANDFIRE 2014 vegetation and fuels data directly in the WHP mapping process, as well as point locations of fire occurrence ca. 1992 - 2015 (Short 2017). With these datasets as inputs, we produced an index of WHP for all of the conterminous United States at 270-m resolution. We present the final WHP map in two forms: 1) continuous integer values, and 2) five WHP classes of very low, low, moderate, high, and very high. On its own, WHP is not an explicit map of wildfire threat or risk, but when paired with spatial data depicting highly valued resources and assets such as structures or powerlines, it can approximate relative wildfire risk to those specific resources and assets. WHP is also not a forecast or wildfire outlook for any particular season, as it does not include any information on current or forecasted weather or fuel moisture conditions. It is instead intended for long-term strategic fuels management.
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