Classifying fuels with aerial photography in East Texas

National Fire Danger Rating System fuel models were predicted from 1:80,000 scale aerial photographs with a greater than 90% accuracy using combinatio ns of three variables: pine composition, pine basal area and total crown cl osure. These variables were measured from aerial photos and field checked u sing techniques common to forest and natural resource management. Graphical presentation from discriminate function analysis indicated good group sepa ration. Misclassification of stands requiring field checking represented 3. 3% of the total stand classification. The common use of both the fuel model s and aerial photos make the procedures described in this study an easy met hod for classifying fuel models in the pine and pine-hardwood forests of Ea st Texas.