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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 17(4)

Using Landsat data to assess fire and burn severity in the North American boreal forest region: an overview and summary of results

Nancy H. F. French A G , Eric S. Kasischke B , Ronald J. Hall C , Karen A. Murphy D , David L. Verbyla E , Elizabeth E. Hoy B and Jennifer L. Allen F
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Michigan Tech Research Institute, Michigan Technological University, 3600 Green Court, Suite 100, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA.

B Department of Geography, University of Maryland, 2181 LeFrak Hall, College Park, MD 20742, USA.

C Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, 5320 122nd Street, Edmonton, AB, T6H 3S5, Canada.

D US Fish and Wildlife Service, National Wildlife Refuge System, 1011 E Tudor Road MS221, Anchorage, AK 99503, USA.

E Department of Forest Science, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA.

F National Park Service, Fairbanks Administrative Office, 4175 Geist Road, Fairbanks, AK 99709, USA.

G Corresponding author. Email: nancy.french@mtu.edu

International Journal of Wildland Fire 17(4) 443-462 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF08007
Submitted: 18 January 2008  Accepted: 9 July 2008   Published: 6 August 2008

Abstract

There has been considerable interest in the recent literature regarding the assessment of post-fire effects on forested areas within the North American boreal forest. Assessing the physical and ecological effects of fire in boreal forests has far-reaching implications for a variety of ecosystem processes – such as post-fire forest succession – and land management decisions. The present paper reviews past assessments and the studies presented in this special issue that have largely been based on the Composite Burn Index and differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR). Results from relating and mapping fire/burn severity within the boreal region have been variable, and are likely attributed, in part, to the wide variability in vegetation and terrain conditions that are characteristic of the region. Satellite remote sensing of post-fire effects alone without proper field calibration should be avoided. A sampling approach combining field and image values of burn condition is necessary for successful mapping of fire/burn severity. Satellite-based assessments of fire/burn severity, and in particular dNBR and related indices, need to be used judiciously and assessed for appropriateness based on the users’ need. Issues unique to high latitudes also need to be considered when using satellite-derived information in the boreal forest region.


Acknowledgements

Dr French was supported under grant NNG04GR24G from the NASA New Investigator Program. Other authors were supported with funding provided by the Bonanza Creek Long-term Ecological Research Program (funded jointly by National Science Foundation (NSF) grant DEB-0423442 and USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station grant PNW01-JV11261952–231), by NASA through grants NNG04GD25G and NNG04GR24G, the Joint Fire Science Program, and by the Canadian Space Agency, which funded the Canadian burn severity activity. Review comments by J. Freeburn, Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, on an earlier version of this manuscript and additions suggested by two anonymous reviewers are greatly appreciated.


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