California Wildfire Analysis -- 1992 - 2020

Photo credit: NASA Earth Observatory image by Joshua Stevens, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS/LANCE and GIBS/Worldview

This analysis explores wildfire patterns in the state of California, utilizing historical fire data sourced from the US Forest Service and subregional-scale watershed boundaries provided by the US Geological Survey. Through the integration of these critical datasets, the aim is to create two interactive plots that will illuminate the landscape of wildfires in the nation. The first plot will visually map the occurrence and maximum sizes of fires across different regions, providing insights into the spatial distribution of these events. The second plot, presented as a chloropleth map, will unveil the density.

The plots below exhibit the Fire Density (number of fires / watershed area) and Burn Ration (total area burned / watershed area) to view the difference between the number and size of fires on the subregional watershed areas. The data has been normalized so as to compare the two plots using the same scale.

This dynamic plot exhibits three varibles:

    1. Largest fire on record within watershed
    2. Total area burned in watershed
    3. Total number of fires that occured in watershed

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The Data

The Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) is an essential geographic database maintained by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). It comprises an extensive collection of official gaged watersheds throughout the United States. The WBD provides a comprehensive and standardized framework for delineating and defining these watershed boundaries, making it a crucial resource for hydrological and environmental studies. This dataset plays a vital role in the management and analysis of water resources, facilitating a better understanding of the nation's hydrography and helping to inform various water-related decision-making processes.

The fire dataset is a comprehensive spatial database of wildfires that occurred in the United States from 1992 to 2020. It was originally created to support the national Fire Program Analysis (FPA) system and includes records of wildfires reported by federal, state, and local fire organizations. This dataset, known as the Fire Program Analysis fire-occurrence database (FPA FOD), comprises approximately 2.3 million geo-referenced wildfire records, covering a total area of 180 million acres burned during the 29-year period.

United States Geological Survey. "Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD). 2023, https://www.usgs.gov/national-hydrography/watershed-boundary-dataset.

USDA Forest Service. "Wildfires in the United States (1992-2020) - Fire Program Analysis fire-occurrence database (FPA FOD)." Retrieved from https://www.fs.usda.gov/rds/archive/Catalog/RDS-2013-0009.6.