LANDFIRE’s 2023 Update (LF 2023) Fuel Vegetation Cover (FVC) product represents the LF Existing Vegetation Cover (EVC) product, modified to represent pre-disturbance EVC in areas where disturbances have occurred over the past 10 years. In LF 2023, vegetation products are created through an image-based process (within the Conterminous United States (CONUS)) that assesses canopy structure (Forest Canopy Height (CH) and Cover (CC)). EVC is mapped as continuous estimates of canopy cover for tree, shrub, and herbaceous lifeforms with a potential range from 10% to 100%. Continuous EVC values are binned to align with fuel model assignments when creating FVC. FVC is an input for fuel transitions related to disturbance and fuel products in LF 2023 were created with LF 2016 Remap vegetation in non-disturbed areas. To designate disturbed areas where FVC is modified, the aggregated Annual Disturbance products from 2014 to 2023 in the LF Fuel Disturbance (FDist) product are used. All existing disturbances between 2014-2023 are represented in LF 2023, and the products are intended to be used in 2024 (the year of release).
When using any product from the LF 2023 fuel product suite, users should consider adjusting fuel layers for disturbances that occurred after the end of the 2023 fiscal year (after October 1st, 2023). Disturbances that occurred after the end of the 2023 fiscal year are not accounted for within LF 2023 fuel products. Learn more about LF 2023 at https://www.landfire.gov/data/lf2023.