* Metric Name: Canopy Layer Count * Tier: 1 * Data Vintage: Summer 2020 * Unit Of Measure: Count This layer represents the number of distinct vertical canopy layers of trees. Vertical layer count is a proxy for leaf area index, and maps canopy complexity. Since LANDFIRE doesn’t support a NoData value, all NoData pixels in canopy fuel metrics were set to 0 in the Landscape files. (e.g., canopy cover was set to 0 in all NoData locations). Topographic data and surface fuel model remain unaltered. * Creation Method: Each forest structure metric was derived directly from airborne lidar data, hosted by the USGS 3D Elevation Program. However, these data are only available for a small fraction of California’s 423,970 km² area. To overcome this, we trained deep learning models—a form of pattern recognition—to identify these forest structure patterns in satellite imagery, then mapped each metric statewide. These algorithms are of the U-net family of neural network architectures that perform pixel-wise regression and classification tasks. The satellite data includes imagery from Sentinel-1 C-band radar sensors and Sentinel-2 multispectral sensors at 10 m spatial resolution, collected in Fall 2019. Future versions will include imagery from PlanetScope multispectral sensors at 3 m resolution. Downloaded from [California Forest Observatory - Organizations - WIFIRE Commons Data Catalog (sdsc.edu)](https://wifire- data.sdsc.edu/organization/california-forest-observatory). For more information, go to * Credits: California Forest Observatory (Salo Sciences), 2020