Tree Mortality from Fires and Bark Beetles at 1-km Resolution, Western USA, 2003-2012
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2019
Abstract
This dataset provides annual estimates of tree mortality due to fires and bark beetles from 2003 to 2012 on forestland in the continental western United States. Tree mortality was estimated at 1-km spatial resolution by combining tree aboveground carbon (AGC) and disturbance datasets derived largely from remote sensing. Tree mortality is expressed as the amount of AGC stored in trees killed by disturbance (Mg carbon per km2). The dataset also includes annual uncertainty maps that were generated using a Monte Carlo approach in which tree biomass, biomass carbon content, and disturbance severity were iteratively varied by their uncertainty.
The data used in the research were from a variety of sources. Tree AGC was estimated using three tree above-ground biomass (AGB) geospatial datasets together with information on the fraction of dry biomass that is carbon. Forest fire data were from annual maps of fire severity from 2003-2012 produced by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (MTBS) project. Bark beetle data were from annual maps depicting the areal extent of tree canopy mortality due to 12 bark beetle species produced from aerial surveys, forest inventory measurements, and high-resolution satellite imagery.
Recommended Citation
Berner, L. T.; Law, B. E.; Meddens, A. J.; and Hicke, J. A., "Tree Mortality from Fires and Bark Beetles at 1-km Resolution, Western USA, 2003-2012" (2019). The Bark Beetles, Fuels, and Fire Bibliography. Paper 486.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/barkbeetles/486