diff --git a/NEWS.md b/NEWS.md
index 91acc87..cf78c1f 100644
--- a/NEWS.md
+++ b/NEWS.md
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 # fireSense_dataPrepPredict (development version)
 
+- `studyArea` is now a declared input. `.inputObjects` used it to mask the fire polygons, land cover and stand age it
+  makes, but an undeclared object is not visible there, so it was always `NULL` and nothing was masked. It also made
+  an unset `.studyAreaName` come from the extent of `rasterToMatch` in `.inputObjects` but from `studyArea` in `Init`.
+  That `rasterToMatch` fallback is removed: without a `studyArea`, an unset `.studyAreaName` stays `NA`.
 - New parameter `.studyAreaName` (default `NA`). The module already read `P(sim)$.studyAreaName` without defining it,
   so it was always `NULL`, whatever the user set. Left `NA`, it becomes a hash of `studyArea` (or of the extent of
   `rasterToMatch`), as in Biomass_borealDataPrep. It names the study area in the landcover file
diff --git a/fireSense_dataPrepPredict.R b/fireSense_dataPrepPredict.R
index adb573a..084cc50 100644
--- a/fireSense_dataPrepPredict.R
+++ b/fireSense_dataPrepPredict.R
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ defineModule(sim, list(
     person("Alex M", "Chubaty", role = "ctb", email = "achubaty@for-cast.ca")
   ),
   childModules = character(0),
-  version = list(fireSense_dataPrepPredict = "1.0.4.9002"),
+  version = list(fireSense_dataPrepPredict = "1.0.4.9003"),
   timeframe = as.POSIXlt(c(NA, NA)),
   timeunit = "year",
   citation = list("citation.bib"),
@@ -133,6 +133,9 @@ defineModule(sim, list(
       desc = "Table of LandR species equivalencies; must have columns `sppEquivCol` and `fuelClassCol`."),
     expectsInput("standAgeMap", "SpatRaster", sourceURL = NA,
       desc = "Stand age (years) at `start(sim)`."),
+    expectsInput("studyArea", "SpatVector", sourceURL = NA,
+      desc = paste("Polygon of the study area. The fire polygons, land cover and stand age made in",
+                   "`.inputObjects` are masked to it.")),
     expectsInput("landcoverDT", "data.table", sourceURL = NA,
       desc = paste(
         "`pixelID` plus one binary column per non-forest landcover group, for flammable pixels,",
@@ -576,20 +579,6 @@ unionLCCGroups <- function(fuelSets) {
 #' @param sim A `simList`.
 #'
 #' @return The `simList`, invisibly.
-## An NA `.studyAreaName` becomes a hash of the study area (as in Biomass_borealDataPrep), so NA never
-## reaches a file name or cache tag. Without `studyArea`, the extent of `rasterToMatch` stands in for it.
-resolveStudyAreaName <- function(sim) {
-  if (is.na(P(sim)$.studyAreaName)) {
-    sa <- sim$studyArea
-    if (is.null(sa))
-      sa <- terra::as.polygons(terra::ext(sim$rasterToMatch), crs = terra::crs(sim$rasterToMatch))
-    params(sim)[[currentModule(sim)]][[".studyAreaName"]] <- reproducible::studyAreaName(sa)
-    message("The .studyAreaName is not supplied; derived name from the study area: ",
-            params(sim)[[currentModule(sim)]][[".studyAreaName"]])
-  }
-  sim
-}
-
 .inputObjects <- function(sim) {
   cacheTags <- c(currentModule(sim), "otherFunctions:.inputObjects")
   dPath <- asPath(inputPath(sim), 1)
@@ -661,3 +650,14 @@ resolveStudyAreaName <- function(sim) {
 
   return(invisible(sim))
 }
+
+## An NA `.studyAreaName` becomes a hash of `studyArea`, as in Biomass_borealDataPrep. Without a
+## `studyArea` it stays NA (see PredictiveEcology/LandR#246).
+resolveStudyAreaName <- function(sim) {
+  if (is.na(P(sim)$.studyAreaName) && !is.null(sim$studyArea)) {
+    params(sim)[[currentModule(sim)]][[".studyAreaName"]] <- reproducible::studyAreaName(sim$studyArea)
+    message("The .studyAreaName is not supplied; derived name from the study area: ",
+            params(sim)[[currentModule(sim)]][[".studyAreaName"]])
+  }
+  sim
+}
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-metadata.R b/tests/testthat/test-metadata.R
index aeae8d4..1ef1f1a 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-metadata.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-metadata.R
@@ -36,7 +36,8 @@ test_that("inputs are the expected names and classes", {
       rstLCCs                  = "list",
       sppEquiv                 = "data.table",
       sppEquivs                = "list",
-      standAgeMap              = "SpatRaster")
+      standAgeMap              = "SpatRaster",
+      studyArea                = "SpatVector")
   )
 })
 
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-studyAreaName.R b/tests/testthat/test-studyAreaName.R
index 309079d..6c890c3 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-studyAreaName.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-studyAreaName.R
@@ -9,13 +9,11 @@ test_that("an unset .studyAreaName becomes a hash of the study area", {
   expect_identical(nm, reproducible::studyAreaName(objs$studyArea))
 })
 
-test_that("without studyArea, the extent of rasterToMatch names it", {
+test_that("without studyArea, an unset .studyAreaName stays NA", {
   objs <- toyObjects()
   objs$studyArea <- NULL
   sim <- SpaDES.core::spades(toyPrepSim(objs), events = "init", debug = FALSE)
-  nm <- SpaDES.core::P(sim, module = moduleName)$.studyAreaName
-  expect_false(is.na(nm))
-  expect_type(nm, "character")
+  expect_true(is.na(SpaDES.core::P(sim, module = moduleName)$.studyAreaName))
 })
 
 test_that("a supplied .studyAreaName is kept", {