Monitoring the Effects of Forest Restoration Treatments on Post-Fire Vegetation Recovery with MODIS Multitemporal Data
<p>General location of the study area in Arizona and the position of the Rodeo-Chediski burn perimeter</p> ">
<p>General location of the study area in Arizona and the position of the Rodeo-Chediski burn perimeter</p> ">
<p>General location of the study area in Arizona and the position of the Rodeo-Chediski burn perimeter</p> ">
<p>General location of the study area in Arizona and the position of the Rodeo-Chediski burn perimeter</p> ">
<p>MODIS NDVI difference from long term NDVI average times series data for all composite periods of 2000-2007. The NDVI for the Rodeo-Chediski (RC) area and untreated area drop the most, while the reference site show little variation around the mean. Most extreme variation in this metric occurs during winter time, suggesting that sub-pixel clouds and snow covered pixels have not been compensated for completely.</p> ">
<p>MODIS NDVI difference from long term NDVI average times series data for all composite periods of 2000-2007. The NDVI for the Rodeo-Chediski (RC) area and untreated area drop the most, while the reference site show little variation around the mean. Most extreme variation in this metric occurs during winter time, suggesting that sub-pixel clouds and snow covered pixels have not been compensated for completely.</p> ">
<p>MODIS NDVI difference from long term NDVI average times series data for all composite periods of 2000-2007. The NDVI for the Rodeo-Chediski (RC) area and untreated area drop the most, while the reference site show little variation around the mean. Most extreme variation in this metric occurs during winter time, suggesting that sub-pixel clouds and snow covered pixels have not been compensated for completely.</p> ">
<p>Annual mean cumulative spring (Jan.-June) and monsoon (July-Dec.) precipitation data showing the drop in precipitation in 2002.</p> ">
<p>Study sites and land cover classification map based on SWReGAP [<a href="#b35-sensors-08-02017" class="html-bibr">35</a>].The study sites are dominated by Ponderosa pine and some Madrean pine oak.</p> ">
<p>MODIS NDVI time series imagery for the selected study sites are shown for August (2001) and June (2002) before the Rodeo-Chediski fire showing relatively high NDVI values for the study sites. Low NDVI values are observed for the August (2002) right after the fire, with the NDVI gradually increasing in the August images for 2003, 2005 and 2007.</p> ">
<p>An example of the phenological metrics that are retrieved based on time series (blue curve) of 16-day composites of MODIS NDVI data for <span class="html-italic">Ponderosa pine</span> land cover and TIMESAT software [<a href="#b33-sensors-08-02017" class="html-bibr">33</a>]. The brown line is the fitted curve with the brown circles indicating the start and end of the growing seasons.</p> ">
<p>Pre- and post-fire RGB (ETM bands 7, 4, and 3) color composites for June 5, 2002 and July 7, 2002, respectively. The Rodeo-Chediski fire was on June 18, 2002. The selected sites and fire perimeter are indicated as well. Some clouds and their shadows are visible in the Northeast side of the burn perimeter in the post-fire scene.</p> ">
<p>Examples of the effect of low severity (left) and high severity (right) fires on sites inside Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. Fuel reduction treatments (thinning) were applied at the site displayed in the picture to the left. Pictures taken in May, 2004.</p> ">
<p>Locations of the 1999 and 2001 prescribed fire treatments on Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest lands reveal that the fire mostly avoided the two treatment areas. Burn severity for the entire study area, including the reference site and Rodeo–Chediski fire area, was classified based on the ΔNBR that was derived from the pre-fire image acquired on 5 June 2002, and the post-fire image acquired on 7 July 2002. Values of ΔNBR were classified into five fire severity categories (adapted from [<a href="#b37-sensors-08-02017" class="html-bibr">37</a>]) based on ΔNBR ranges that correspond with visible indications of fire damage to understory and tree foliage and crowns: Regrowth (ΔNBR <-100, Unburned (-100≤ΔNBR <100), Low severity (100≤ΔNBR <270, ground fire; foliage still green), Moderate severity (270≤ΔNBR <550, green and brown foliage with significant foliage consumed by fire), and High severity (ΔNBR >550, crown fire; complete consumption of foliage). Fire severity was reduced greatly within treatment units (outlined with light green and blue polygons;.</p> ">
<p>MODIS NDVI times series data for all composite periods of 2000-2007. Seasonality and an abrupt decrease in the NDVI are seen for all sites except the unburned reference site. The NDVI for the complete Rodeo-Chediski (RC) area drops the most. The results of the post-fire linear regression vegetation recovery model are shown for years 2003 through 2007.</p> ">
Abstract
:1. Introduction
1.1 Vegetation Trends, Seasonality, Disturbance, Anomalies and Noise
1.2 Post-wildfire vegetation recovery research objectives
- Examine how pre-fire fuel reduction treatments impact fire severity and vegetation recovery trajectories.
- Evaluate if simple NDVI time-series metrics such as difference from average and cross site seasonality ratios are useful to characterize the effectiveness of fuel reduction treatments on vegetation recovery.
- Characterize pre- and post-wildfire seasonal vegetation dynamics using seasonal and interannual remotely sensed phenological signatures and metrics.
2. Study area
3. Data and Methods
3.1 Fuel reduction treatment, burned and reference site selection
3.2 Landsat data
3.3 MODIS data
3.4 Vegetation phenology
3.5 Time series analysis
4. Results and Discussion
4.1. Landsat Derived ΔNBR for the study sites
4.2 Trends and Seasonality of Vegetation Recovery
4.3 Phenological characterization of vegetation trends and seasonality
5. Conclusions
Acknowledgments
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Site | Recovery rate (a) | Intercept (b) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Slope | p-value | Intercept | p-value | |
RC-area | 0.00086599 | 1.70565E-10 | 0.2666 | 7.96301E-32 |
No-treatment | 0.00114690 | 6.79382E-13 | 0.2099 | 4.49369E-20 |
1999 treatment | 0.00067454 | 8.09505E-08 | 0.4022 | 6.25667E-49 |
2001 treatment | 0.00069845 | 3.04318E-05 | 0.4355 | 1.35798E-39 |
Reference | 0.00010719 | 0.424174251 | 0.5447 | 2.74426E-56 |
Site | Pre-fire | Post-fire Recovery Rate (a) | Post-fire Intercept (b) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NDVIbase | a (NDVIbase) | p-value | b (NDVIbase) | p-value | R2 | |
RC-area | 0.3637 | 0.0008513 | 2.336E-06 | 0.2878 | 0.002934 | 0.98 |
No-treatment | 0.3465 | 0.0009486 | 1.12E-05 | 0.2398 | 0.000700 | 0.99 |
1999 treatment | 0.4209 | 0.0006022 | 0.000173 | 0.4080 | 0.011312 | 0.80 |
2001 treatment | 0.4005 | 0.0007014 | 0.000291 | 0.4111 | 0.018388 | 0.66 |
Reference | 0.5145 | 9.48752E-05 | 6.55E-05 | 0.4864 | 0.004171 | 0.41 |
NDVIpeak | a (NDVIpeak) | p-value | b (NDVIpeak) | p-value | R2 | |
RC-area | 0.6357 | 0.0012731 | 0.009922 | 0.3816 | 0.000142 | 0.92 |
No-treatment | 0.6795 | 0.0017886 | 0.000277 | 0.3313 | 0.019513 | 0.93 |
1999 treatment | 0.6341 | 0.0001507 | 0.000274 | 0.5573 | 0.019967 | 0.09 |
2001 treatment | 0.7028 | 0.0006086 | 0.000318 | 0.5675 | 0.022653 | 0.55 |
Reference | 0.6764 | -0.0004613 | 0.000201 | 0.6610 | 0.014631 | 0.64 |
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Van Leeuwen, W.J.D. Monitoring the Effects of Forest Restoration Treatments on Post-Fire Vegetation Recovery with MODIS Multitemporal Data. Sensors 2008, 8, 2017-2042. https://doi.org/10.3390/s8032017
Van Leeuwen WJD. Monitoring the Effects of Forest Restoration Treatments on Post-Fire Vegetation Recovery with MODIS Multitemporal Data. Sensors. 2008; 8(3):2017-2042. https://doi.org/10.3390/s8032017
Chicago/Turabian StyleVan Leeuwen, Willem J. D. 2008. "Monitoring the Effects of Forest Restoration Treatments on Post-Fire Vegetation Recovery with MODIS Multitemporal Data" Sensors 8, no. 3: 2017-2042. https://doi.org/10.3390/s8032017