Central Washington Initiative: Potential Operational Delineations terrestrial laser scan data, 2024

This data publication contains remotely sensed (terrestrial laser scanning [TLS]) data collected to characterize forest fuels within the Central Washington Initiative (CWI) along Potential Operational Delineation (POD) boundaries. A total of 304 TLS scans, were collected during the summer of 2024 with a Leica BLK 360 (Gen 2) sensor. Two study areas within the CWI were established, one in the north (near the Methow Valley, dominated by dry-mixed conifer forest) and one in the south (near Cle Elm and Teanaway, characterized by a moist-mixed conifer forest). Each of the 304 plots were placed within 300 meters of a POD boundary across a distribution that matched the forest structure of each region, as determined from existing available airborne laser scanning data. This package also includes a file that lists each CWI plot and details such as plot location and date of scan.When POD boundaries were created and potential control locations (PCLs) defined, nationally available data from the LANDFIRE (Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools) Project were used. Fuel models were created using 30 x 30 meter Landsat satellite imagery to define potential control features along the landscape. At the time the LANDFIRE Project was created, Landsat imagery was the best option for obtaining remotely sensed data. However, within recent years, the advancement of higher resolution remote sensing products have become available, allowing for improvements to fuel characterization at a more localized level. The use of TLS provides an efficient mode for fuels sampling across large areas, allowing scientists and land managers to update fuel maps on a regular basis.For more information on Potential Operational Delineations (PODs), see Thompson et al. (2022), Thompson et al. (2016), and https://research.fs.usda.gov/rmrs/projects/pods#resources.