| Stratum |
Category |
Subcategory |
FCCS Input variable |
Natural Fuels
Photo Series Data |
|
Canopy |
Tree |
|
Total canopy cover |
Crown closure (%)
in the Stand Information table |
|
Overstory, Midstory & Understory |
|
You can break out
the size class data (<= 4", 4-9", 9-16", > 16")
of the Sapling and Tree (or Overstory) table into the overstory, midstory and understory
subcategories however you like. Notes that your forest type may not
have all three layers. |
| Percent cover (%) |
You will need to
estimate percent cover based on a site observations and/or portion of
total canopy cover. |
| Height (ft) |
Live tree avg. height (ft)
in Sapling and Trees table by size class. |
| Height to live
crown (ft) |
Live tree avg height to live
crown (ft) in Sapling and Trees table by size class. |
| Live foliar
moisture content (%) |
You will need to
estimate or accept the FCCS fuelbed default. |
| Density (# /acre) |
Live tree density
(stems/ac) in Sapling and Trees table by size class. |
| Diameter at breast
height (inches) |
Live tree avg DBH (in) in
Sapling and Trees table by size class. |
| Tree species
scientific name and relative cover (%) |
Species listed by
size class (you may wish to use percent of stems as a proxy for relative
cover or estimate relative cover in a site visit). |
|
Snag |
Class 1 snag with
foliage, Class 1 snag with foliage, Class 2 snag, Class 3 snag |
|
Dead trees are
listed in the Saplings and Trees (or Overstory) table, but you will need to
make your own assessment of snag decay class subcategories. |
| Density (#/acre) |
Dead tree density
(stems/ac) in Sapling and Tree table by size class. |
| Diameter (in) |
Dead tree avg DBH
(in) in Sapling and Trees table by size class. |
| Height (ft) |
Dead tree avg
height (ft) in Sapling and Trees table by size class. |
| Ladder fuels |
|
Min, Max height
and ladder fuel type (arboreal lichens & moss, climbing ferns &
other epiphytes, dead branches, leaning snags, string or fuzzy bark, tree
regeneration, vines-liana) |
Not supported by
the photo series with the exception of tree regeneration (you might use
the Sapling and Trees table to estimate min and max height of tree
regeneration). |
| Shrub |
Primary and
secondary layers |
|
|
FCCS allows for
primary and secondary layers for fuelbeds that have 2 shrub layers.
If you have a single shrub layer, you can simply enter it in the primary
shrub layer. |
| Percent cover (%) |
Shrub coverage (%)
is listed in the Understory Vegetation table of some photo series volumes. |
| Height (ft) |
Shrub avg height
(ft) is listed in the Understory Vegetation table of some photo series
volumes. |
| Percent live (%) |
You will need to
estimate or accept the FCCS fuelbed default. |
| Live foliar
moisture content (%) |
You will need to
estimate or accept the FCCS fuelbed default. |
Species
(%
relative cover) |
"Most common
species" names are listed in the Understory Vegetation table.
You will need to estimate the % relative cover of each shrub species. |
| Nonwoody
Fuels |
Primary and
secondary layers |
|
|
Nonwoody fuels
refer to herbaceous vegetation. FCCS allows for primary and
secondary layers for fuelbeds that have 2 nonwoody layers (i.e., forb and
graminoid). If you have a single nonwoody layer, you can simply
enter it in the primary nonwoody layer. |
| Percent cover (%) |
Forb and graminoid
coverage (%) is listed in the Understory Vegetation table of some photo
series volumes. |
| Height (ft) |
Forb and graminoid
height (ft) is listed in the Understory Vegetation table in some photo
series volumes. |
| Percent live (%) |
You will need to
estimate or accept the FCCS fuelbed default. |
| Live foliar
moisture content (%) |
You will need to
estimate or accept the FCCS fuelbed default. |
| Loading
(tons/acre) |
Loading (lbs/ac)
is listed in the Understory Vegetation table of most photo series volumes. |
Species
(%
relative
cover) |
"Most common
species" names are listed in the Understory Vegetation table. You
will need to estimate the % relative cover of each nonwoody vegetation
species. |
| Woody
Fuels |
All downed and
dead woody fuel |
|
Depth (in) |
Not supported by
the photo series; you will need to estimate this value by envisioning all
fuels uniformly spread throughout your field site. |
| Total percent
cover (%) |
Not supported by
the photo series; you will need to estimate the total percent cover of all
woody fuels. |
| Sound wood |
|
0 - 1/4 inch
diameter (tons/acre) |
<= 0.25 sound
loading (tons/acre) in the Woody Material table. |
| 1/4 - 1 inch
diameter (tons/acre) |
0.26-1.0 sound
loading (tons/acre) in the Woody Material table. |
| 1 - 3 inch
diameter (tons/acre) |
1.1 - 3.0 sound
loading (tons/acre) in the Woody Material table. |
| 3 - 9 inch
diameter (tons/acre) |
3.1 - 9.0 sound
loading (tons/acre) in the Woody Material table. |
| 9 - 20 inch
diameter (tons/acre) |
9.1 - 20.0 sound
loading (tons/acre) in the Woody Material table. |
| > 20.0 inch
diameter (tons/acre) |
> 20.0 sound
loading (tons/acre) in the Woody Material table. |
| Species (and
relative cover) |
|
| Rotten wood |
|
3 - 9 inch
diameter (tons/acre) |
3.1 - 9.0 rotten
loading (tons/acre) in the Woody Material table. |
| 9 - 20 inch
diameter (tons/acre) |
9.1 - 20.0 rotten
loading (tons/acre) in the Woody Material table. |
| > 20.0 inch
diameter (tons/acre) |
> 20.0 rotten
loading (tons/acre) in the Woody Material table. |
| Stumps |
Sound,
rotten, and lightered stumps |
Inputs include
stump density (#/acre), diameter (in), height (ft), and species (%
relative cover). |
Not supported by
the photo series; you will need to take stump measurements. |
| Woody Fuel
Accumulations |
Piles,
jackpots and windrows |
Inputs include
type (pile, jackpot or windrow), width (ft), length (ft), height (ft), and
density (#/acre). |
Not supported by
the photo series; you will need to take woody fuel accumulation
measurements. |
| Litter-Lichen-Moss |
Ground Lichen |
|
Depth (in) |
Depth (in) listed
under Lichen in Alaska photo series volumes. |
| Percent cover (%) |
Constancy (%)
listed under Lichen in Alaska photo series volumes. |
|
Moss |
|
Depth (in) |
Depth (in) listed
under Cryptogams or Moss in select photo series. |
| Percent cover (%) |
Constancy (%)
listed under Cryptogams or Moss in select photo series. |
| Type (spaghnum or
other moss) |
You must specify
type based on your field observations. |
| Litter |
|
Depth (in) |
Depth (in) listed
under Litter. |
| Percent cover (%) |
Constancy (%)
listed under Litter in select photo series. |
| Arrangement
(normal, fluffy, or perched) |
You must specify
an arrangement based on your field observations. |
| Type (% cover of
applicable types) |
Generally not
specified in the photo series; you must specify based types and the
relative cover of each type based on your field observations. |
| Ground
Fuels |
Duff |
|
Percent rotten (%) |
Not supplied by
the photo series; you will need to estimate the percentage of rotten wood
in the duff. |
| Upper duff or
Lower duff |
|
These
subcategories are specified in Alaska photo series volumes. If your
site has two distinct duff layers and is not covered by an Alaska photo
series, you will need to take your own measurements. |
| Depth (in) |
Depth (in) listed
under Duff. |
| Percent cover (%) |
Constancy (%)
listed under Duff in select photo series. |
| Derivation (dead
moss and litter and fibric peat for upper duff layer, humus or muck or
humus peat for lower duff layer) |
You must specify a
derivation based on your own field observations. |
| Squirrel middens |
|
Inputs include
depth (in), radius (ft), and density (#/acre) |
Not supported by
the photo series; you will need to take squirrel midden measurements. |
| Basal accumulation |
|
Inputs include
depth (in), radius (ft), and percent affected (% of trees) |
Not supported by
the photo series; you will need to take basal accumulation measurements. |
