HR: 14:40h
AN: B13E-04    [Abstracts]
TI: Mapping Fine-Scale Fire Effects After Wildfires in Alaska's Boreal Forest
AU: * Lewis, S A
EM: sarahlewis@fs.fed.us
AF: USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, 1221 S. Main St., Moscow, ID 83843, United States
AU: Hudak, A T
EM: ahudak@fs.fed.us
AF: USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, 1221 S. Main St., Moscow, ID 83843, United States
AU: Lentile, L B
EM: lblentil@sewanee.edu
AF: University of the South, Department of Forestry and Geology, 735 University Ave., Sewanee, TN 37383, United States
AU: Robichaud, P R
EM: probichaud@fs.fed.us
AF: USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, 1221 S. Main St., Moscow, ID 83843, United States
AU: Morgan, P
EM: pmorgan@uidaho.edu
AF: University of Idaho, Department of Forest Resources, PO Box 441142, Moscow, ID 83844, United States
AB: In recent years, large, severe wildfires have burned in Alaska, which stands to continue as global climate trends continue to be warmer and drier. In 2004, 26,700 km2 (6.6 million acres) burned, and 19,000 km2 (4.7 million acres) in 2005. By these numbers, nearly 10% of Alaska's boreal forest burned in these two years. The boreal forest biome contains a significant percentage of the world's carbon stored as moss and in the highly organic soils. Thus, the extent and severity of fires in the boreal forests is important on a global scale due to the level of carbon emissions from a high amount of organic consumption. To investigate fine-scale fire effects on vegetation and soils, we collected airborne hyperspectral imagery on three interior Alaska wildfires in 2004. The interior area of Alaska is dominated by black spruce forests with dense mats of feather moss on the ground. We applied a five-endmember spectral unmixing model representing green feather moss, a green shrub species, charred feather moss, ash and rock to calibrated reflectance data. The result was fractional cover maps of each input cover type. Significant correlations between the field and remotely sensed data indicated the map was representative of the burned area. The pixel size of the hyperspectral data was 3 m on the ground, meaning the percent of charred and uncharred vegetation and exposed soil or rock was discernable at this scale. The ability to accurately map these biophysical cover fractions, especially fire effects on surface moss and organic soils, may indicate the degree or amount of consumption which can be related to carbon emissions.
DE: 0428 Carbon cycling (4806)
DE: 0439 Ecosystems, structure and dynamics (4815)
DE: 0480 Remote sensing
SC: Biogeosciences [B]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting