Epting, J. and D. Verbyla 2005.
Landscape Level Interactions of Pre-Fire Vegetation,
Burn Severity, and Post-Fire Vegetation over a 16-year Period in Interior Alaska.
Canadian Journal of Forest Research.  35:1367-1377.

---

Abstract.  Landsat imagery was used to study the relationship between a remotely sensed burn severity index with pre-fire vegetation, and post-fire vegetation response related to burn severity within 1986 burn in interior Alaska. Vegetation was classified prior to the fire and 16 years after the fire, and a chronosequence of a remotely sensed vegetation index values were analyzed as a surrogate of vegetation recovery. Remotely sensed burn severity varied by vegetation class, with needleleaf forest classes experiencing higher burn severity than broadleaf forest or broadleaf shrub classes. Burn severity varied by cover within needleaf classes. Elevation also had an influence on burn severity, presumably due to less fuel above treeline. Several large broadleaf areas at the fire perimeter appeared to act as fire breaks. A remotely sensed vegetation index peaked 8-14 years after the fire, and increase in the vegetation index was highest within the highest burn severity class. Self-replacement appeared to be the dominant successional pathway with pre-fire needleaf forest classes mostly succeeding to needleaf woodland, and pre-fire broadleaf forest mostly succeeding to broadleaf shrub. Since the remotely sensed indices were based on reflected solar radiation, they are likely indicative of surface properties such as canopy destruction and surface charring, rather than subsurface properties such as post-fire depth of organic soil.

---

Email: D.Verbyla@uaf.edu
Last updated: April 2005

---