TrueTrees: A Scalable Workflow for the Integration of Airborne LiDAR Scanning Data into Fuel Models for Prescribed Fire Simulations

Long-standing fire suppression policies, global warming and human influence at the urban-wildland interface are fueling a global wildfire crisis. Prescribed burns are increasingly being recognized as an essential procedure to reduce fuel (biomass) overgrowth and mitigate the size and severity of uncontrolled wildfires. Next-generation three-dimensional (3D) fire behavior simulations, which can help land managers to identify risks and improve planning for successful prescribed burns, depend on accurate 3D fuel structure models. We introduce TrueTrees, a workflow that integrates tree-level observations from airborne lidar surveys into FastFuels 3D fuel models. The workflow is optimized and distributed to allow processing of point cloud data for typical burn units within minutes. TrueTrees is implemented into a prototype of BurnPro3D, a user-friendly science-driven decision support platform for prescribed burn planners.