Wildland Fires

Landsat’s Role in Managing Wildland Fires

Worldwide, fire plays a critical role in maintaining healthy forests, but fire can also be damaging. Homes are destroyed and the effects on air quality can be felt for miles. Forest fires are occurring more often and with greater intensity than in years past, and Landsat plays a critical role in understanding the impact. Landsat data enables land managers and scientists to assess the severity and extent of large fires as they plan recovery efforts; to improve safety and prevent damage to life, property and natural resources; to estimate how much pollution burning releases into the air; and to monitor the post-fire recovery of burned areas. Landsat satellites have been collecting information about forest fires since the 1970s. Landsat plays an important role in assessing the impact of fires on forest ecosystems and human society. Landsat satellites document the location and extent of burned areas, how severely fires burn, and the subsequent regrowth of the land after a forest fire. All this information helps land managers better manage our forests and other natural resources in the context of fire.

Two researchers standing in a forest in British Columbia after a wildfire. There are burned trees on the landscape and short vegetation.

Understanding Forests After Fire With Landsat and LiDAR

Wildfires have been increasing in frequency and size across North America in recent years. British Columbia is no exception to that trend; more than 4% of the heavily-forested province has burned since 2017. In 2023, Canada saw its worst wildfire season in recorded history. These high intensity fires affect ecosystem health and local economies, as timber is a major industry in BC.

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Image credit: Joshua Stevens, NASA Earth Observatory

Drought is Driving Fires to Burn Overnight

A new study tracks the shifting dynamics of wildfires in western North America. Using Landsat-derived datasets and active fire information from geostationary satellites, researchers found that fires are burning through the night more often—and drought is partially to blame.

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