Mapping post fire recovery in Bakchar bog with Landsat time series data

Abstract

The aim of this research was to assess the pyrogenic load and recovery processes after the fire event of 2016 within the drained site of Bakchar bog. Satellite remote sensing data and field data were collected for this study. The specific objectives of this study were: 1) to conduct field studies in key sites with different pyrogenic load keys in order to assess projective cover and species composition of the vegetation cover and 2) to compare field data with satellite image data using the vegetation index and perform spatial assessment of vegetation post-pyrogenic recovery in the first three years after the fire. The area of fire spread was 5.54 km2, including 4.44 km2 within the mire. The intensity and character of the vegetation recovery are differed between sites pyrogenic load classes. The first and second classes of the pyrogenic load are characteristic by the most intensive recovery process. These classes occupy 78 % of the burned area. NDVI values in three years after the fire become close and even exceed the values characteristic for drained pine-dwarf shrubs-sphagnum bogs mainly due to the intensive renewal of dwarf shrub layer. The emergence of deciduous trees will lead to a significant increase in the vegetation index in subsequent years.