Data: Vegetation and fuel
About
The type, structure and arrangement of fuels across a landscape influence fire behaviour characteristics, such as rate of fire spread and fire intensity. The mapping of fundamental vegetation structural attributes, such as canopy height, tree foliage cover and grass cover, allows for broad fuel structural type maps to be generated.
Using this bottom-up approach, the National Bushfire Intelligence Capability (NBIC) has developed a map that describes Australian fuel type classes using the Bushfire Fuel Classification or BFC framework 1,2.
The Bushfire Fuel Classification is a hierarchical, structure-based classification system for fuel complexes, enabling distinct fuel extents and characterisations to be mapped directly to fire behaviour models used in Australia.
The Bushfire Fuels Classification dataset advances the science of fuel mapping in Australia, particularly in terms of currency, consistency, and the ability to automate mapping updates. These factors mean relying heavily on satellite data from which vegetation structural data can be generated.
The Bushfire Fuel Classification fuel type map (v1.0) integrates multiple spatial and temporal resolution datasets, ranging from 30 to 500 metres.
The map has been generated using nationally consistent, open-source datasets, predominantly derived from satellite data.
Data
Australia-wide fuel types generated using the Bushfire Fuel Classification fuel typology. This shows the simplified top-tier BFC fuel types.
A table that shows different colours associated with different canopy heights and foliage cover that make up the Bushfire Fuels Classification fuel type dataset.
Australia-wide fuel types generated using the Bushfire Fuel Classification fuel typology. This shows the simplified top-tier BFC fuel types.
The Bushfire Fuel Classification top-tier fuel types.
Methodology
Fuel types have been created primarily by combining satellite-derived vegetation height data and grass and tree foliage cover data.
Classes follow the Bushfire Fuels Classification framework. Vegetation types associated with particular land uses, such as plantations and crops, or specific vegetation types that are difficult to map from satellite, such as sedgelands, come from pre-existing national lands use and vegetation maps.
Measures of bare ground, water coverage, spinifex hummock extents, and building footprints have also been derived from multiple satellite sources.
The spatial resolution of input data range between 10 and 500 m but are presented at 90 m resolution.
A journal paper is available that outlines the method in more detail.
Use cases
Forthcoming
References
Journal paper
Joshi Rakesh C., Cruz Miguel G., Donohue Randall J. (2025) Nationally consistent mapping of wildland fuel types across Australia using satellite-derived vegetation structural data. International Journal of Wildland Fire 34, WF24224. https://doi.org/10.1071/WF24224
Data collection
Joshi, Rakesh; Gomes Da Cruz, Miguel; Donohue, Randall; Opie, Kimberley; & Sarker, Chandrama (2025): Bushfire fuel classification fuel types map. v5. CSIRO. Data Collection. https://doi.org/10.25919/vnma-0j64
Footnotes
- Cruz, M. G., Gould, J. S., Hollis, J. J., & McCaw, W. L. (2018). A Hierarchical Classification of Wildland Fire Fuels for Australian Vegetation Types. Fire, 1(1), 13. https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6255/1/1/13 ↩︎
- Hollis, J. J., Gould, J. S., Cruz, M. G., & Lachlan McCaw, W. (2015). Framework for an Australian fuel classification to support bushfire management. Australian Forestry, 78(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1080/00049158.2014.999186 ↩︎