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Author(s):
Eva C. Karau, Pamela G. Sikkink, Robert E. Keane, Gregory K. Dillon
Year Published:

Cataloging Information

Topic(s):
Fire Ecology
Fire Effects
Ecological - First Order
Effects Monitoring
Fire Regime
Fire Intensity / Burn Severity
Ecosystem(s):
Subalpine wet spruce-fir forest, Subalpine dry spruce-fir forest, Montane wet mixed-conifer forest, Montane dry mixed-conifer forest

NRFSN number: 12957
FRAMES RCS number: 17582
Record updated:

Both satellite imagery and spatial fire effects models are valuable tools for generating burn severity maps that are useful to fire scientists and resource managers. The purpose of this study was to test a new mapping approach that integrates imagery and modeling to create more accurate burn severity maps. We developed and assessed a statistical model that combines the Relative differenced Normalized Burn Ratio, a satellite image-based change detection procedure commonly used to map burn severity, with output from the Fire Hazard and Risk Model, a simulation model that estimates fire effects at a landscape scale. Using 285 Composite Burn Index (CBI) plots in Washington and Montana as ground reference, we found that an integrated model explained more variability in CBI (R 2 = 0.47) and had lower mean squared error (MSE = 0.28) than image (R 2 = 0.42 and MSE = 0.30) or simulation-based models (R 2 = 0.07 and MSE = 0.49) alone. Overall map accuracy was also highest for maps created with the Integrated Model (63 %). We suspect that Simulation Model performance would greatly improve with higher quality and more accurate spatial input data. Results of this study indicate the potential benefit of combining satellite image-based methods with a fire effects simulation model to create improved burn severity maps.

Citation

Karau, Eva C.; Sikkink, Pamela G.; Keane, Robert E.; Dillon, Gregory K. 2014. Integrating satellite imagery with simulation modeling to improve burn severity mapping. Environmental Management 54(1):98-111.

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