Burn severity evaluation in black pine forests with topographical factors using Sentinel-2 in Kastamonu, Turkiye

Genç, Çiğdem Özer; Küçük, Ömer; Keleş, Seray Özden; Ünal, Sabri

doi:10.1590/01047760202329013230

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Forest Management • CERNE 29 • 2023 • https://doi.org/10.1590/01047760202329013230 copy

Burn severity evaluation in black pine forests with topographical factors using Sentinel-2 in Kastamonu, Turkiye

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

ABSTRACT

Background:

Forest fires are one of the most important natural disasters all over the world in terms of the damage they cause to the ecosystem. Turkey is also exposed to wildfires damaging large areas of forests every year. Wildfires endanger the sustainability of forest resources and cause significant biological and ecological damage to the forests. It is crucial to estimate fire behaviour characteristics to take effective interventions in the fire events. Obtaining data based on terrestrial measurements is very expensive and very time-consuming to predict fire behaviour characteristics. The use of remote sensing technologies is therefore very useful since the satellite images will be faster, more sensitive, and economical to determine the burning severity and burning areas.

Results:

In this study, the forest fire that occurred in the Kastamonu-Taşköprü district was analyzed with remote sensing techniques. The fire occurred in 2020 (06.09.2020). The fire satellite image was thus taken from the pre-fire period (26.08.2020) and post-fire period (13.10.2020). First of all, pre-fire and post-fire Sentinel-2 images of fire areas were used to determine the burned area using NBR (Normalized Burn Ratio) and dNBR (Differenced Normalized Burn Ratio) indices. Also, burned area rate and burn severity were evaluated depending on the altitude, aspect, and slope factors.

Conclusion:

The total burned area was 1504.9 ha. The maps showed that the burned areas were covered by moderate- and high-severity classes. The forest fire was more severe in the altitude range from 1170 to 1370m, at 20-33% slope and northerly aspects in the burned area. The existence of extreme meteorological factors and the horizontal and vertical continuity of the forest fuels have been the main factors in the effect of the fire on large areas. Estimation of forest fire risk, taking into account extreme meteorological conditions and fuel properties, will have an important place in forest ecology and management.

Keywords:
Forest fire; Sentinel-2; Burn severity; Topographic factors; Black pine forests

HIGHLIGHTS

The forest fire was more severe in the altitude ranges from 1170 to 1370 m, at 20-33% slope and northerly aspects in our study site. Understanding how topographical factors influence burn severity will provide good knowledge of the fires in the Black Sea region and can guide decision-makers.

Band Number	Name	Central Wavelength (nm)	Spatial Resolution (m)
1	Coastal Aerosol	443	60
2	Blue	490	10
3	Green	560	10
4	Red	665	10
5	Vegetation Red Edge	705	20
6	Vegetation Red Edge	740	20
7	Vegetation Red Edge	783	20
8	NIR	842	10
8a	NIR narrow	865	20
9	Water vapor	945	60
10	SWIR- Cirrus	1375	60
11	SWIR 1	1610	20
12	SWIR 2	2190	20

Class Definition	Class Definition
Unburned	Fire has not spread to the ground or the crown.
Low	The surface fire that burned all or part of ground vegetation (moss, shrubs, seedlings, etc.) or the organic matter (slash, litter, etc.). In forested stands, less than 50% of tree crowns are affected (brown or charred).
Moderate	Surface fire or intermittent crown fire. At least 50% of tree crowns were partly or entirely affected by fire (brown or charred) and crowns of more than 50% of these affected trees are brown.
High	Continuous or intermittent crown fire. At least 50% of tree crowns were partly or entirely affected by fire (brown or charred) and for more than 50% of these affected trees, fire consumed the leaves and blackened the stems.

dNBR value	Burn severity
-0.1 < dNBR < 0.1	Unburned
0.1< dNBR < 0.27	Low severity
0.27 < dNBR < / 0.44	Moderate low severity
0.44< dNBR < 0.66	Moderate high severity
>0.66	High severity

Burn severity level	Burned area (ha)	Burned area (%)
Unburned (Fire has not spread to the ground or the crown)	149.8	9.9
Low severity (The surface fire that burned all or part of ground vegetation (moss, shrubs, seedlings, etc.) or the organic matter (slash, litter, etc.). In forested stands, less than 50% of tree crowns are affected (brown or charred))	269.1	17.8
Moderate low severity (Surface fire or intermittent crown fire. At least 50% of tree crowns were partly or entirely affected by fire (brown or charred) and crowns of more than 50% of these affected trees are brown)	289.2	19.2
Moderate high severity (Surface fire or intermittent crown fire. At least 50% of tree crowns were partly or entirely affected by fire (brown or charred) and crowns of more than 50% of these affected trees are brown)	351.2	23.3
High severity (Continuous or intermittent crown fire. At least 50% of tree crowns were partly or entirely affected by fire (brown or charred) and for more than 50% of these affected trees, fire consumed the leaves and blackened the stems)	445.5	29.6
Total	1504.9	100

UFLA - Universidade Federal de Lavras Universidade Federal de Lavras - Departamento de Ciências Florestais - Cx. P. 3037, 37200-000 Lavras - MG Brasil, Tel.: (55 35) 3829-1706, Fax: (55 35) 3829-1411 - Lavras - MG - Brazil
E-mail: cerne@dcf.ufla.br

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[1] ^✤Corresponding author: cozer@kastamonu.edu.tr