Note: The fireshed area boundaries data contained within this feature layer are a derivative and subset of the Fireshed Registry, a public map service showing Fireshed Registry Data by Crisis Strategy.  Analysis on this layer was limited to all National Forest System Lands in the Western United States for the purposes of the Secretary's Memo.

Purpose:

Section 2a1 of the June 2022 Secretary’s Memorandum 1077-004 on Climate Resilience and Carbon Stewardship of America’s National Forests and Grasslands directed the Forest Service to spatially identify risks to ecosystem values to inform decision making by updating the fireshed risk map to include additional ecosystem and equity layers. 

Overview:

The Secretary’s Memo Section 2a1 Updated Fireshed Map (Beta) is a set of web-based mapping tools designed to enable data exploration of the various datasets identified by all the contributing 2a1 sub team members for the Western United States. In this Story Map, the View Layers tab shows ecosystem and equity layers alongside other social and environmental characteristics, summarized at the fireshed level. Use this map to explore patterns and relationships on National Forest lands in the Western United States. This viewer also contains individual layers showing the composite infrastructure density, building and watershed exposure, and risk indices by fireshed. However, it is difficult to visualize these layers separately in relation to one another. For this purpose, a second map viewer was developed to allow for this more advanced analysis. The Model Layers tab (aka suitability modeler viewer) contains tools for aggregation and summarization of the data themes to understand the interactions of these complex data at the fireshed scale. This map provides a set of tools for filtering and querying on the fireshed data and creating suitability models in which density, exposure, and risk indices can be combined and given different weights of importance so multiple data values can be evaluated at once. An additional feature layer has been added to the map to show the IRA, or Inflation Reduction Act mapping screens, published by the WRRIT team. This feature layer uses 6 values to identify high risk firesheds that contain presence of those values within the firesheds. Those values are then totaled to see which firesheds have the most values at risk. The 6 values are wildland urban interface, infrastructure density, tribal lands, municipal supply watersheds, wildlife species habitat, and CEJST disadvantaged tracts. The Data Summary tab allows users to explore data sources and methodology for the various data themes used in the ecosystem and equity layers map. This tab also describes the new data layers that were added and how they were incorporated into the risk maps and decision-making process. 

The Updated Fireshed Map Methodology Document discusses the methodology used to derive the density, exposure, and risk indices at the fireshed scale. The Suitability Modeler User Guide contains detailed help on how to use the Model Layers tab.