Regional bark beetle windthrow and snow breakage disturbance predisposition maps

Description

Regional disturbance predisposition maps for windthrow, bark beetle and snow breakage. The maps are created using spatially explicit data of classified forest structure and site factor parameters. The classified input parameters were weighted according to their effect on windthrow, bark beetle and snow breakage predisposition using an expert-based model. The predisposition raster maps (10 x 10 m) represent the sum of expert-weighted effects on the predisposition and are provided as raw values (sum of the effects on predisposition) and as classified layers. Classified predisposition maps are encoded as follows: 1: low predisposition (<50% quantile based on raw predisposition values) 2: increased predisposition (50–75% quantile) 3: high predisposition (>75–95% quantile) 4: extreme predisposition (>95% quantile) Also included are the derived forest structure maps for development stage, dominant stand height, number of stems and canopy cover used for the predisposition mapping, as well as the R scripts and example data to re-create these parameters. Forest structure parameters are based on a data set of individual trees detected using a high-resolution vegetation height model. Further included are ArcPy scripts and example data to re-create the predisposition maps. Running the ArcPy scripts requires a valid ArcGis license including the extensions "SpatialAnalyst", "ImageAnalyst" and "3D". The example data provided here is assembled from different sources; please check the related publication Bührle et al. (in review) for data sources and further information about the processing, the expert-based model, the forest structure derivation and the predisposition mapping. Also consider reviewing the related datasets and publications Bast et al. (2025) for more information about canopy layering derivation and individual tree detection (ITD).