Communities At Risk From Wildland Fire of Idaho

Communities At Risk From Wildland Fire of Idaho

Frequently-asked questions:


What does this data set describe?

Title:
Communities At Risk From Wildland Fire of Idaho

Abstract:
Idaho communities at risk from wildfire, as listed in the Federal  Register (August 17,2001).

Supplemental information:
The original  Federal Register Notice used as the basis of this data set is located at
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2001_register&docid=01-20592-filed.pdf

Idaho BLM State Office identified 6 additional communities that would benefit from fuels hazard reduction programs that were not listed in the Federal  Register (August 17,2001):  Michaud, Alpine, Copperville, Fraser,  Hidden Valley, Henry's Lake. 
Multiple References found for 4 communities:  Dixie, Eagle, Granite, Pinehurst

Two communities listed in the Idaho section of the Federal Register were located in Washington, near Idaho State line:  Albeni, Bearpaw

No areas were located  for 4 communities listed  Federal Register:  Bluebell, Kleinschmidt, Coeur d' Alene Subagency, or Priest Lake.  Note - a populated area near Rathdrum called Coeur d'Alene Junction and multiple areas around Priest Lake identified, but not added.

As a result of the severity of wildfires in 2000, identifying communities at risk became a National mandate. Pursuant to fiscal 2001 appropriations, collaborative interagency groups identified wildland-urban interface communities, including developments which are at risk from wildfire. Many communities submitted by States were omitted from the Federal Register due to specific direction from Congress limiting communities to those "in the vicinity of federal lands." This data set includes those communities listed in the Federal Register (August 17,2001) as well as additional areas identified by States, Tribes, federal agencies, and local partners. Idaho identified all "communities" at being at risk from wildfire. The Federal Register directed States to update the list as needed, but there are no plans to publish subsequent lists in the Federal Register. The website for the Federal Register is: http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/publications/about_the_federal_register.html
"Commmuities at Risk" data layer will be updated as needed.

  1. How should this data set be cited?

    Bureau of Land Management, United States Forest Service, Idaho Department of Lands, 200301, Communities At Risk From Wildland Fire of Idaho: U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) , Boise, Idaho, USA .

    Online links:
    Other citation details:
    This dataset was used in the "Idaho Interagency Assessment of Wildland Fire Risk to Communities, 2006". Other datasets used in this analysis: Potential Vegetation Type Current Vegetation Fire Behavior (Fuel Model) Fuel Hazard (Rate-of -Spread, Fireline Intensity, Crowning Potential) Relative Fuel Moisture (Aspect derived from DEM) Relative Wildfire Intensity (Slope derived from DEM) Wildland Urban Interface Population Intensity (2000 Census) At-Risk-Communities (Federal Register) Relative Wildfire Risk Potential Fire Weather (max temp, Humidity, Wind effect on ROS) Ignition Probability (Fire starts) Rate-of-Spread Relative Risk to Communities from Wildfire, summarized to huc6 watershed

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

    Bounding coordinates:
    West: -117.123875
    East: -110.344376
    North: 49.000695
    South: 41.923660

  3. What does it look like?

    Thumbnail image:

  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?

    Calendar date: 2003
    Currentness reference:
    ground condition

  5. What is the general form of this data set?

    Geospatial data presentation form: map

  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?

    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?

    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?

  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?

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Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)

    • Bureau of Land Management, United States Forest Service, Idaho Department of Lands

  2. Who also contributed to the data set?

    BLM Idaho State Office

  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?

    U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Idaho State Office
    Geographic Sciences
    1387 S. Vinnell Way
    Boise, Idaho 83709
    USA

    (208) 373-4000 (voice)
    Hours of Service: 7:45 AM - 4:30 PM M-F
    Contact Instructions:
    Ask for GIS Staff or Fire Staff
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Why was the data set created?

Assist land managers in prioritizing areas that would benefit from hazardous fuels reduction and community assistance programs. Listing is intended to focus management on priority areas, but does not determine whether a particular community  receives funding.

This dataset was used in the "Idaho Interagency Assessment of Wildland Fire Risk to Communities, 2006".  It has also been used in other BLM planning efforts such as Resource Management Plans, Fire Management Plans, and NEPA analysis.

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How was the data set created?

  1. Where did the data come from?

    GNIS, BLM (source 1 of 1)
    Type of source media: Geograghic Names Information System, USGS 7 1/2 Minute DRGs, Idaho Department of Water Resources City point layer (1999 ?)
    Source scale denominator: 1:100000 or smaller

  2. What changes have been made?

    Date: Unknown (change 1 of 2)
    Original points selected from "City" data set was possibly acquired from the Idaho Department of Water Resources and from the Geographic Names Information System. Updates were made with "Heads-up" digitizing using USGS DRGs and DOQs as backdrops. A column "IN_FED_REG" (Yes/No) was added to identify those communities listed in the Federal Register. Original data was provided in UTM 11 NAD 27 and projected to IDTM NAD27 (Idaho Department of Lands common projection for the State).

    Date: Unknown (change 2 of 2)
    Attributes tracking BLM's edit changes were removed.

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How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?

  1. How well have the observations been checked?

    No formal test performed. Visual comparison was made with Federal Register. Slight variations in spelling were found and resolved using USGS DRGs and/or GNIS.

  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?

    No formal test performed. Visual comparison was made with the Idaho Tax Comission Incorporated City Boundary Layer. Several of the community points fell outside the official boundaries. Many of the communities are not incorporated, boundaries were available for less than half of the communities. Multiple references were found for four communities. Since the Federal Register did not indicate which one it was referencing, all locations are in the data set.
    
    At a future date there are plans to move points inside the Idaho Tax Commission City Boundaries for those communities with official boundaries.

  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?

  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?

    Limitations of data:
    Intended as a point reference for identifying communities/places of development. Does not depict Wildland Urban Interface as described in the January 2001 update to the 1995 Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy "the line, area, or zone where structures and other human development meet or intermingle with undeveloped wildland or vegetative fuels"
     Listed Communities not in database:
    As of 01/10/2003  four  communities listed in the Federal Register are not included in the data set, because their locations were unknown:
    1)  Kleinschmidt - no reference found  in Geographic Names Information Systems, United States Geologic Survey
    2)  Coeur d' Alene Subagency - no reference found  in Geographic Names Information Systems, United States Geologic Survey.
    3)  Bluebell - no location suggesting developments found
    4) Priest Lake  - precise location not identified for Priest Lake area.
    
    Two communities fell just outside the Idaho State Line (Albeni and Bearpaw Washington).
    
    Multiple locations were found for  Dixie( Elmore and Idaho County), Eagle(Ada and Shoshone County), and Granite (2 locations in Bonner County, about 13 miles apart, and one location in Boise County).
    
    Additions to the Federal Register Listing:
    Six communities not listed in the Federal Register were  identified by the Idaho Bureau of Land Management State Office and added in 2002: Michaud, Alpine, Copperville, Fraser, Hidden Valley, and Henrys Lake.

  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?

    No formal test were performed for spatial or attribute accuracy. Data set was compared with the community list in  the Federal Register for completeness. Not all communities listed in the Federal Register were included in the data set.    Several communities have been added since the listing.  Multiple references single listings in the Federal Register were found. See discussion under attribute and positional accuracy.

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How can someone get a copy of the data set?

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?

Access constraints: Public. Released on Inside Idaho Data Clearinghouse http://inside.uidaho.edu/
Use constraints:
No warranty is made by the Bureau of Land Management. The accuracy, reliability, or completeness of these data for individual use or aggregate use with other data is not guaranteed.

Distributor 1 of 1

  1. Who distributes the data set?

    Bruce Godfrey
    Idaho Geospatial Data Clearinghouse
    GIS Specialist
    Box 442350
    Moscow, ID 83844-2350

    208.262.2076 (voice)
    bgodfrey@uidaho.edu

  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?

    Static Maps

  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

    Although these data have been processed successfully on a computer system at the Idaho Geospatial Data Clearinghouse, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made regarding the utility of the data on any other system, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. 

  4. How can I download or order the data?

  5. Is there some other way to get the data?

  6. What hardware or software do I need in order to use the data set?

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Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 20070816

Metadata author:
Bureau of Land Management, Idaho State Office
1387 South Vinnell way
Boise, Idaho 83709

(208) 373-4000 (voice)
Hours of Service: 8-4:30 M-F MST

Metadata standard:
FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata(FGDC-STD-001-1998)

Metadata extensions used:
  • http://www.esri.com/metadata/esriprof80.html

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