Burn Severity – The degree that a site has been altered or disrupted by fire, loosely a product of fire intensity and residence time. Data developed by the MTBS project are intended to primarily characterize fire effects in above-ground biomass.
Composite Burn Index (CBI) – A numerical, synoptic rating calculated from a field-based estimate of fire effects on individual strata within a plot or site in a burned area. Estimates the overall impact to a site based on post-fire conditions averaged across the burnable portion of the site.
Current MTBS Fires – MTBS fires occurring in the 2004-2010 time period. These fires are mapped annually for the entire MTBS project duration.
Fire Atlas – A compendium of geospatial layers, maps, and tabular information that illustrate fire activity at the individual fire level for a given geographic area and/or period of time.
Fire Effects – The physical, biological, and ecological impacts of fire on the Environment (NWCG 2005).
Fire Effects, First Order – Those effects manifested on the biophysical components or systems that existed at the time of the fire. First order fire effects are the direct result of the combustion processes, including plant injury and death, fuel consumption, and smoke production (Reinhardt and others 2001).
Historic MTBS Fires – MTBS fire occurring from 1984 to 2003 time period. These fires are mapped by MTBS mapping zone periodically during the MTBS project duration.
Historical MTBS Data – MTBS data that are available for the entire reporting period back to 1984. When the MTBS project is completed in 2011, historical and nationwide MTBS data will be combined to create one summary database.
Landsat Imagery – Thematic Mapper (TM) and Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM) image data from the Landsat 5 and Landsat 7 satellites, respectively. Image scenes have a footprint area of approximately 34,000 square kilometers and a pixel resolution of 30 meters. Spectral information is contained in seven bands representing distinct wavelengths in the visible, infrared, and thermal portions of the electromagnetic spectrum.
MTBS Fire Occurrence Database (FOD) – Relevant spatial and aspatial fire occurrence data description elements for each fire mapped by the MTBS project. Data elements include the latitude/longitude of the centroid of the MTBS fire perimeter centroid.
Nationwide MTBS Data – MTBS data in a year where all fires across CONUS were mapped. When the MTBS project is completed in 2011, historical and nationwide MTBS data will be combined to create one summary database.
Prescribed Fire – Any fire ignited by management actions to meet specific objectives (NWCG 2005).
Remote Sensing Index – A mathematical calculation derived from two or more image bands. Typically used to enhance the spectral properties of a feature or condition of interest on the ground, i.e., burn scars.
Spatial Resolution – The areal extent of the smallest unit, pixel, or feature that can be resolved on an image, map, or surface. Typically expressed as a measure of distance, i.e., 30 meter pixel, but can also be expressed as a unit of area.
Thematic Resolution – The finest level of content for a given map or thematic layer attribute.
Wildfire – An unplanned, unwanted wildland fire including unauthorized human-caused fires, escaped wildland fire use events, escaped prescribed fire projects, and all other wildland firest where the objective is to put the fire out (NWCG 2005).
Wildland Fire – Any non-structure fire that occurs in the wildland. Three distinct types of wildland fire have been defined and include wildfire, wildland fire use, and prescribed fire (NWCG 2005).
Wildland Fire Use – The application of the appropriate management response to naturally-ignited wildland fires to accomplish specific resource management objectives in predefined designated areas outlined in Fire Management Plans (NWCG 2005).