ABoVE: Synthesis of Burned and Unburned Forest Site Data, AK and Canada, 1983-2016

This dataset is a synthesis of field plot characterization data, derived above-ground and below-ground combusted carbon, and acquired Fire Weather Index (FWI) System components for burned boreal forest sites across Alaska, USA, the Northwest Territories, and Saskatchewan, Canada from 1983-2016. Unburned plot data are also included. Compiled plot-level characterization data include stand age, disturbance history, tree density, and tree biophysical measurements for calculation of the above-ground (ag) and below-ground (bg) biomass/carbon pools, pre-fire and residual post-fire soil organic layer (SOL) depths and estimates of combustion of tree structural classes. The measured slope and aspect for each site and an assigned moisture class based on topography are also provided. Data from 1019 burned and 152 unburned sites are included. From the estimates of combusted ag and bg carbon pools and SOL losses, the total carbon combusted, the proportion of pre-fire carbon combusted, and the proportion of total carbon combusted were calculated for each plot. FWI System components including moisture and drought codes and indices of fire danger were obtained for each plot from existing data sources based on the plot location, year of burn, and a dynamic start-up date (day of burn, DOB) from the global fire weather database. Data for soil characteristics are included in a separate file.

This data was collected to provide a synthesis of field plot characterization data, derived above-ground and below-ground combusted carbon, and acquired Fire Weather Index (FWI) System components for burned boreal forest sites across Alaska, USA, the Northwest Territories, and Saskatchewan, Canada from 1983-2016.

Dataset:
Walker, X.J., J.L. Baltzer, L.L. Bourgeau-Chavez, N.J. Day, W.J. De groot, C. Dieleman, E.E. Hoy, J.F. Johnstone, E.S. Kane, M.A. Parisien, S. Potter, B.M. Rogers, M.R. Turetsky, S. Veraverbeke, E. Whitman, and M.C. Mack. 2019. ABoVE: Synthesis of Burned and Unburned Forest Site Data, AK and Canada, 1983-2016. ORNL DAAC, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. https://doi.org/10.3334/ORNLDAAC/1744

Journal Articles:

Dieleman, C.M., B.M. Rogers, S. Potter, S. Veraverbeke, J.F. Johnstone, J. Laflamme, K. Solvik, X.J. Walker, M.C. Mack, and M.R. Turetsky. 2020. Wildfire combustion and carbon stocks in the southern Canadian boreal forest: Implications for a warming world. Global Change Biology. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15158

Walker, X.J., B.M. Rogers, S. Veraverbeke, J.F. Johnstone, J.L. Baltzer, K. Barrett, L. Bourgeau-Chavez, N.J. Day, W.J. de Groot, C.M. Dieleman, S. Goetz, E. Hoy, L.K. Jenkins, E.S. Kane, M.A. Parisien, S. Potter, E.A.G. Schuur, M. Turetsky, E. Whitman, and M.C. Mack. 2020. Fuel availability not fire weather controls boreal wildfire severity and carbon emissions. Nature Climate Change. 10(12):1130-1136. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-020-00920-8

This dataset is openly shared, without restriction, in accordance with the EOSDIS Data Use Policy (https://earthdata.nasa.gov/earth-observation-data/data-use-policy).

https://daac.ornl.gov/cgi-bin/dsviewer.pl?ds_id=1744