Summary

Description

LANDFIRE Existing Vegetation is mapped using predictive landscape models based on extensive field-referenced data, satellite imagery and biophysical gradient layers using classification and regression trees. LANDFIRE uses vegetation products to create fuel and fire regimes data. Most vegetation products use NatureServe's Ecological Systems classification, meeting the requirement that map units be identifiable, scalable, and model-able. The NatureServe Explorer provides descriptions for each ecological system including species, distribution and classification information. Three main elements comprise LANDFIRE Existing Vegetation. Existing Vegetation Type (EVT) characterizes the types and complexes of plant communities on the landscape, Existing Vegetation Cover (EVC) is the vertically projected percent cover of the live canopy layer for a specific area for a specific life-form, and Existing Vegetation Height (EVH) is the average height of the dominant vegetation. Existing Vegetation Type, Cover, and Height agree by life-form for every pixel. Use existing vegetation layers together for a more complete representation of the vegetated landscape.