Wildfire Prevention Using Remote Sensing
One method to determine the risk of a fire in the boreal forest is to compare three different indexes. These indexes come from information that the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) sensor on board the Terra and Aqua satellites. The three basic factors we can look at are the surface temperate (Ts), the Normalized Multiband Drought Index (NMDI), and Temperature Vegetation Wetness Index (TVWI). By comparing the three of these information variables we can get a relativley accurate forecast of fire conditions. We cant predict when a fire will occur, but we can determine the risk of a fire occuring for specific areas. In one study they found that 92% of fires that occured fell in the "very high" category when comparing these three factors in a boreal forest in Canada. Further information can be found here.
Techniques for Dectecting FIre Prone Areas
Here you will find the different types of techniques used when identifying areas that are more susceptible to forest fires. Here you will also find how we use remote sensing to help fight fires and evacuation plans by looking at wind patterns and population density within the fires predicted path.
Another simple method used to help us in the battle against forest fires is comparing before and after images of the land. This was used in a Russian forest fire where they basically took NDVI images from before the fire and NDVI images previous to the fire and subtracted on from the other. This allowed them to find assess the level of damage to the forest and to detect burned stands of trees.
Another method used in this example of a Russian forest fire, was the amount of carbon emitted from this fire. They were able to calculate a accurate estimate of the carbon emissions using remote sensing information. They did this by looking at the total area burned, the intensity and type of the burn, the type and structure of forest material, and the fraction of flammable materials for each type of combustion. Additional information on these two methods can be found here
Different Methods to Help Fight Forest Fires Using Remote Sensing
This is a false color Landsat image of the Wallow Fire in Arizona. The photo on the left is the before image and the one on the right is the after image. This is the largest fire in Arizona's history. Additional information can be found here
Here is a burn severity map of the Wallow fire in Arizona. The more red the more severe of a burn occured.