Summary

ABSTRACT This paper develops techniques for the mapping of forest types in Arizona, New Mexico, and Wyoming. The methods,involve regression-tree modeling ,using a variety ,of remote ,sensing and GIS layers along with Forest Inventory Analysis (FIA) point data. Regression-tree modeling ,is a fast and efficient technique of estimating variables for large data sets with high accuracy levels. If the methods developed in this paper are successful, they will be applied to the contiguous United States and Alaska producing a forest type map,for these areas. This forest type map will update and improve an older version of the forest type map made in 1992.

ABSTRACT Recent emphasis ,has been placed on estimating ,amount ,and characteristics of forests affected by wildfire ,in the Interior West. Data collected by FIA is intended ,for estimation over large geographic areas and is too sparse to construct sufficiently precise estimates within burn perimeters. This paper illustrates how ,recently built MODIS- based maps of forest/nonforest and biomass coupled with field collected plot data can be used to produce estimates of forest biomass within small geographic areas. FIA-collected forest attributes were modeled,as functions of 250-m resolution digital ancillary variables using nonparametric tree-based methods, then maps were built over diverse ecological mapping,zones. A composite,estimation approach was applied to balance the potential bias of synthetic estimates (generated solely from the maps) against the instability of a ,direct estimator (generated from small numbers,of FIA plots). Methods are described and illustrated through applications to fires that occurred in the years 2002 and 2003.

SUMMARY A prototype simulation system was developed and evaluated for purposes of large fire planning. The term "large fire" is used here in reference to fires that may spread far from the ignition location or require management action that extends beyond the initial response phase. No particular size or duration is implied, but these fires tend to burn across heterogeneous fuels and topography, elicit complex suppression strategies, and continue throughout multiple days or weeks with varying weather - all of which obviate simple descriptions or models of fire size, burned area, and fire behavior. A prototype system was developed to represent an integration of new and existing fire modeling components and made use of readily available sources of fuels and weather data. One new component was needed for this system -- a large-fire containment model, which is described in an appendix. The simulations were applied to two test locations: Northwest Montana and the Southern Sierra Nevada, California. On a 16-processor computer, the simulations required 4 to 8 hours of run time for each scenario of 10,000 to 30,000 simulation years. Outputs from the simulation include spatial maps of burn probability, fire behavior distributions, and fire sizes. These were shown to be suitable for addressing the performance metrics identified by FPA. PURPOSE This report describes the development and testing of a prototype system for simulating large fires for planning purposes in FPA. The term "large fire" is used here to refer very generally to fires that escape initial attack, irrespective of their actual size. Compared to initial attack, modeling of large fires is relatively new and considerably more difficult. Impacts of large fires derive from fire spread across heterogeneous landscapes far from their ignition sources under highly variable weather. The effectiveness and expense of suppression actions on large fires is also highly variable and poorly understood. Fires that become "large" after initial suppression response are rare, constituting fewer than 3% of all ignitions on average. The rarity of large fires in any particular geographic area suggests the use of probability for characterizing them. It also

ABSTRACT A cooperative effort between Virginia Tech, the USDA Forest Service, and the industry has led to the development,of a new scanning technology to automatically detect lumber,grading features that affect the value of the end product. This effort has resulted in several commercial scanning systems now available through Group Seven Systems and Nova Technologies. These systems,include a color sorting system,for hardwood,edgeglued panel parts and,an automatic lumber,defect scanning,system,for hardwood,rough

ABSTRACT Understanding the trade-off between ,short-term and long-term consequences,of fire impacts on ecosystems isneeded,before a comprehensive,fuels management program can be implemented nationally. W e are com- paring three vegetation models that may ,be used ,to predict the effects of various fuel management,treat- ments at seven locations in major U. S. fuel types. The models being implemented,and evaluated are the Fire Effects Trade-off Model (FETM), the SIMulating veg- etative Patterns and Processes at landscape ,scaLEs/ Multi-resource Analysis and Geographic Information System (SIMPPLLE/MAGIS), the Vegetation Distur- bance Dynamics Tool/Tools for Exploratory Landscape Scenario Analyses (VDDT/TELSA), and SAFE For- ests. We ,will evaluate the implementation ,of each model,and estimate the uncertainty associated with predictions from the four models ,using simulation. This uncertainty is a component,of the risk associated with a fuel management ,program. The model com- parison will identify model components,that are needed