Multi-index remote sensing for post-fire damage assessment: accuracy, carbon loss, and conservation implications
This study advances environmental management practices by developing a comprehensive multi-index remote sensing methodology for rapid and accurate forest fire impact assessment in protected areas. Applied to the 2021 Yushan National Park fire in Taiwan, the approach integrates three complementary ve...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Forests and Global Change |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2025.1577612/full |
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| author | Chih-Lin Liu You-Ren Wang You-Ren Wang Wan-Yu Liu Wan-Yu Liu |
| author_facet | Chih-Lin Liu You-Ren Wang You-Ren Wang Wan-Yu Liu Wan-Yu Liu |
| author_sort | Chih-Lin Liu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study advances environmental management practices by developing a comprehensive multi-index remote sensing methodology for rapid and accurate forest fire impact assessment in protected areas. Applied to the 2021 Yushan National Park fire in Taiwan, the approach integrates three complementary vegetation indices—Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR), Burned Area Index (BAI), and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)—to evaluate pre-fire and post-fire conditions across forest compartments No. 51 and No. 52. The methodology demonstrates significant advantages for protected area management where recreational activities intersect with conservation priorities. The NBR analysis identified 68.89 hectares of burned area with 97.1% accuracy compared to official reports, establishing the method’s reliability for rapid damage assessment. NDVI and BAI analyses provided complementary insights, with NDVI effectively detecting 27.99 hectares of completely destroyed vegetation and BAI identifying 17.80 hectares of severely charred areas, both showing statistical significance when validated against ground observations. Through carbon storage analysis, we quantified a loss ranging from 7 to 18,000 metric tons, demonstrating the approach’s capability for environmental impact quantification. The multi-index methodology reveals varying degrees of burn severity across different forest compartments, enabling precise mapping of ecosystem damage patterns. This framework offers a cost-effective, reproducible approach for both immediate impact evaluation and long-term monitoring of forest recovery, supporting evidence-based management decisions in protected areas globally, though local calibration may be required for optimal performance. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5e1359529bf54b1f8e50cabcc2d7865a |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2624-893X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Forests and Global Change |
| spelling | doaj-art-5e1359529bf54b1f8e50cabcc2d7865a2025-08-20T03:45:14ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Forests and Global Change2624-893X2025-06-01810.3389/ffgc.2025.15776121577612Multi-index remote sensing for post-fire damage assessment: accuracy, carbon loss, and conservation implicationsChih-Lin Liu0You-Ren Wang1You-Ren Wang2Wan-Yu Liu3Wan-Yu Liu4Department of Forestry, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, TaiwanDepartment of Marine Environment and Engineering, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, TaiwanAerosol Science Research Center, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, TaiwanDepartment of Forestry, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, TaiwanInnovation and Development Center of Sustainable Agriculture, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, TaiwanThis study advances environmental management practices by developing a comprehensive multi-index remote sensing methodology for rapid and accurate forest fire impact assessment in protected areas. Applied to the 2021 Yushan National Park fire in Taiwan, the approach integrates three complementary vegetation indices—Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR), Burned Area Index (BAI), and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)—to evaluate pre-fire and post-fire conditions across forest compartments No. 51 and No. 52. The methodology demonstrates significant advantages for protected area management where recreational activities intersect with conservation priorities. The NBR analysis identified 68.89 hectares of burned area with 97.1% accuracy compared to official reports, establishing the method’s reliability for rapid damage assessment. NDVI and BAI analyses provided complementary insights, with NDVI effectively detecting 27.99 hectares of completely destroyed vegetation and BAI identifying 17.80 hectares of severely charred areas, both showing statistical significance when validated against ground observations. Through carbon storage analysis, we quantified a loss ranging from 7 to 18,000 metric tons, demonstrating the approach’s capability for environmental impact quantification. The multi-index methodology reveals varying degrees of burn severity across different forest compartments, enabling precise mapping of ecosystem damage patterns. This framework offers a cost-effective, reproducible approach for both immediate impact evaluation and long-term monitoring of forest recovery, supporting evidence-based management decisions in protected areas globally, though local calibration may be required for optimal performance.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2025.1577612/fullremote sensingforest fire impact assessmentburn severity mappingcarbon loss estimationprotected areas |
| spellingShingle | Chih-Lin Liu You-Ren Wang You-Ren Wang Wan-Yu Liu Wan-Yu Liu Multi-index remote sensing for post-fire damage assessment: accuracy, carbon loss, and conservation implications Frontiers in Forests and Global Change remote sensing forest fire impact assessment burn severity mapping carbon loss estimation protected areas |
| title | Multi-index remote sensing for post-fire damage assessment: accuracy, carbon loss, and conservation implications |
| title_full | Multi-index remote sensing for post-fire damage assessment: accuracy, carbon loss, and conservation implications |
| title_fullStr | Multi-index remote sensing for post-fire damage assessment: accuracy, carbon loss, and conservation implications |
| title_full_unstemmed | Multi-index remote sensing for post-fire damage assessment: accuracy, carbon loss, and conservation implications |
| title_short | Multi-index remote sensing for post-fire damage assessment: accuracy, carbon loss, and conservation implications |
| title_sort | multi index remote sensing for post fire damage assessment accuracy carbon loss and conservation implications |
| topic | remote sensing forest fire impact assessment burn severity mapping carbon loss estimation protected areas |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2025.1577612/full |
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