Transect Data from the 2022 Department of Defense Wildland Fire Science Initiative Fort Stewart Campaign

To characterize fine-scale variations in vegetation structure, quantify heterogeneity, and capture fuel estimation and consumption, transects were utilized to sample coarse woody debris, fuel types, and fuelbed heights across the F units. This dataset provides transect data collected before (February 2022) and after (March 2022) the prescribed burns.

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Last Updated July 4, 2025, 09:33 (UTC)
Created July 4, 2025, 09:33 (UTC)
Source https://wfsi-data.org/view/doi%3A10.60594/W45P4Q
associated_parties Gregg Chapman, USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Clemson, SC, contributor | Irenee Payne, USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Athens GA, contributor | Derek Wallace, Tall Timbers Research Station, Tallahassee, FL, contributor | Wade Ross, Tall Timbers Research Station, Tallahassee, FL, contributor | Jacob Ney, Tall Timbers Research Station, Tallahassee, FL, contributor | Vanessa Niemczyk, Tall Timbers Research Station, Tallahassee, FL, contributor | Nuria Sanchez-Lopez, University of Idaho, Department of Forest, Rangeland and Fire Sciences, contributor
award Object-based aggregation of fuel structures, physics-based fire behavior and self-organizing smoke plumes for improved fuel, fire, and smoke management on military lands.
creators Eva Louise Loudermilk, eva.l.loudermilk@usda.gov, USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8191-8670 | Chad Hoffman, c.hoffman@colostate.edu, Colorado State University, Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship , https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8715-937X | Andrew Hudak, andrew.hudak@usda.gov, USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7480-1458 | Christie Hawley, christie.m.hawley@usda.gov, USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9105-2065 | Scott Pokswinski, spokswinski@newmexicoconsortium.org, New Mexico Consortium, Center for Applied Fire and Ecosystems Science, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5753-4132
doi doi:10.60594/W45P4Q
encoding utf8
funder U. S. Department of Defense (DoD), Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) , http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100013316
harvest_object_id f3d86704-edb7-4a61-ac2f-b477e0291b87
harvest_source_id a2637971-af12-457f-ae4a-831d2202a539
harvest_source_title WIFIRE Commons
maintainor Christie Hawley, christie.m.hawley@usda.gov
method Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield is in Hinesville, Georgia, approximately 30 miles west of Savannah. Of the 273,000 acres, 228,511 were prescribed burned across Fiscal Years 2019-2021. In 2022, E16.2 (254 hectares), E16.3 (257 hectares), F6.3 (260 hectares), F6.4 (397 hectares) were available for prescribed burning. Located in the western half of Fort Stewart, F6.3 and F6.4 (F units) are located just below Salem Cemetery and E16.2 and E16.3 (E units) are bisected by Taylors Creek. The E units were last burned as one unit on February 28, 2019. F6.3 was last burned on April 13, 2019. F6.4 was last burned on April 14, 2019. In 2022, the research burns occurred on March 2nd (F6.4), 3rd (F6.3), and 5th (E units). In February 2022, 40 macroplots were randomly established in each burn unit for a total of 120 macroplots. In each burn unit, the macroplots were distributed across the dominant forest types—wetland edge (10 plots), burn unit edge (10 plots), and upland pine which includes flatwoods and remnant plantation (20 plots). The interior wetlands were not sampled as they are often inundated with water and typically do not ignite or contribute to fire spread. Before the prescribed burns, cross-hair transect sampling was conducted at the 80 macroplots in F6.3 and F6.4. Two perpendicular 20 meter transects were established to collect fuel point intercept, coarse woody debris, fuelbed depth, and O horizon (Oi, Oe, and Oa) depth. Fuel point intercept data was collected starting 0.5 meter from a transect terminal end and then at 1-meter intervals for a total of 20 sample points per transect. Using a planar intercept method, coarse woody debris was tallied along the length of each transect. At 9.5 meters from the macroplot center, along each transect, the fuelbed and O horizon depths were collected using the point intercept method for a total of 4 sample points. After the prescribed burns, the cross-hair transect sampling was repeated at 29 macroplots in F6.3 and 27 macroplots in F6.4. See Pokswinski et al 2021 for detailed methodology. NOTE: Transects were not established or collected in the E units. Pokswinski, S.; Gallagher, M.R.; Skowronski, N.S.; Loudermilk, E.L.; Hawley, C.; Wallace, D.; Everland, A.; Wallace, J.; Hiers, J.K. A simplified and affordable approach to forest monitoring using single terrestrial laser scans and transect sampling. MethodsX 2021, 8, 101484. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mex.2021.101484
project Funding Awards RC20-1346 and RC19-1119 for DoD Wildland Fire Science Initiative (WFSI)
spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-81.717107, 32.043835], [-81.746122, 32.043835], [-81.746122, 32.078577], [-81.717107, 32.078577], [-81.717107, 32.043835]]]}
temporal {"endTime": "2022-03-06", "startTime": "2022-02-15"}