Evaluating the Aster Sensor for Mapping and Characterizing Forest Fire Fuels in Northern Idaho

Land managers need cost-effective methods for mapping and characterizing fire fuels quickly and accurately. The advent of sensors with increased spatial resolution may improve the accuracy and reduce the cost of fuels mapping. The objective of this research is to evaluate the accuracy and utility of imagery from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) satellite and gradient modeling for mapping fuel layers for fire behavior modeling within FARSITE and FLAMMAP. Empirical models, based upon field data and spectral information from an ASTER image, were employed to test the efficacy of ASTER for mapping and characterizing canopy closure and crown bulk density. Surface fuel models (NFFL 1-13) were mapped using a classification tree based upon three gradient layers; potential vegetation type, cover type, and structural stage. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND Wildland fire is an important issue facing local and regional land managers in the United States. Fires occurring in many parts of the western United States today are far more severe than fires that occurred before the suppression era (Arno and Brown, 1989; Hessburg et al. 2000). Increased fire size and severity coupled with an increase in the number of people living in the wildland-urban interface has resulted in millions of dollars of damage to property and loss of life throughout the western United States in recent years. In 2002, federal agencies spent an estimated $1.6 billion on fire suppression (National Interagency Fire Center, 2003). As human populations move closer to the edges of wildlands, their lives and property become increasingly threatened by wildfire. In order to reduce fire risk to people and their homes, land managers must prioritize areas for fire mitigation and hazardous fuels reduction. In 2000, the US Department of Agriculture teamed with the Department of Interior and the National Association of State Foresters to develop the National Fire Plan (www.fireplan.gov). Initiatives such as the national fire plan Recent federal initiatives provide funding to state and local governments that develop plans for identifying and mitigating hazards associated with wildland fire in the urban interface. Along with post-fire rehabilitation and maintaining firefighting preparedness, the goals of the National Fire Plan include reducing fuels in at-risk areas, particularly in and around the wildland urban interface (Bisson et al., 2003). Each year, the National Fire Plan provides funds to local fire districts to increase fire suppression capabilities and implement fuels reduction projects (USDA, 2000). In order to utilize monies from the National Fire Plan efficiently, land managers need cost-effective methods for mapping and characterizing fire fuels quickly and accurately. Some of the most potentially useful approaches for accomplishing this involve the integration of remote sensing (RS), Geographic Information System’s (GIS), field data and gradient modeling. Such analyses could provide consistent maps of fire fuel conditions across a diversity of land ownerships. Rocky Mountain Research Station Publications RMRS Online Publication Journal Articles, External Publications, and Special Reports Electronic Publish Date: January 19, 2006