Half of California's 33 million acres of forest are at risk of megafire and 350,000 Californians live in areas with high wildfire risk. The California Forest Observatory is a new monitoring system and interactive map designed to provide the latest information on wildfire hazard and forest health in California.
The new California Forest Observatory provides information not only on the current location of wildfires but also maps data that can help increase wildfire resilience in the state. The map uses data captured from satellite imagery and airborne LIDAR to provide information on forest structure, weather, topography & infrastructure. Information which is important for not only monitoring wildfire hazards but also for helping to prevent and/or manage future wildfires.
The map includes a number of different layers which can help to provide information on wildfire hazards. These layers include information on tree canopy density and height - information which can be used to predict the amount of fuel available to a wildfire. The Layers tab on the California Forest Observatory map also includes information on ladder fuel density and surface fuels - data useful in determining how surface fires can transition to canopy fires and how fires might spread.
Using the Trends tab you can view the latest wildfire information in California. This layer can show you the location of any wildfires currently active in the state. If you click on a location on the map you can access data on recent wildfire activity and a 3-day forecast of weather and wildfire exposure for the selected location.
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