LANDFIRE

LANDFIRE BpS Models and Descriptions

What Are They?

A Biophysical Setting (BpS) is a concept that represents the vegetation that may have been dominant on the landscape prior to European colonization of North America and is based on both the current biophysical environment and an approximation of the historical disturbance regime. LANDFIRE collaborated with experts around the country to create a description and model for every BpS it mapped across the US.

The following two components represent a LANDFIRE BpS model and description:

1. a quantitative state-and-transition simulation model that quantifies the rate of growth and the probability of disturbances for a BpS.
2. a description document that describes how ecosystems looked and functioned prior to European colonization of North America.

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A state-and-transition model is a conceptual representation of the dynamics of a system. In this example, the dynamics of a sagebrush ecosystem are represented by the four discrete states shown here.

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Transitions between states are used to represent how vegetation changes over time. Transitions can represent growth and other changes such as disturbances or management activities. Important natural disturbances that impact sagebrush ecosystems include fire and drought.

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A state-and-transition model can simulate landscape change using stochastic software when its states and transitions are defined quantitatively. We refer to this as a state-and-transition simulation model. Age ranges define the duration each state can last before transitioning to the next state, and probabilities specify how likely disturbances may occur.

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Software, such as SyncroSim, can then simulate the dynamics of the system over time.

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Results include the amount of each state.

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Results can also include the area affected by transitions over time.

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Why integrate BpS into your work?

These products were developed by LANDFIRE to support objectives related to mapping historical vegetation patterns and fire regimes, and for evaluating landscape conditions through a vegetation departure metric. Beyond LANDFIRE, the BpS models and descriptions have been used to:

1. Understand and communicate vegetation dynamics to landscape stakeholders.
2. Evaluate current landscape conditions.
3. Compare management scenarios.
4. Investigate and compare the costs and benefits of management scenarios.

Overview of BpS Models and Descriptions