Study of Forest Fire Severity through Normalized Burn Ratio Analysis using Remote Sensing

Abstract

Forest fires are a type of natural catastrophe that poses a risk to the vegetation and fauna of the hill stations. Due to the presence of vast enormous areas of land adorned with aged trees, vegetation, and wild life, safeguarding the ecosystem is both critical and arduous. A Geographic Information System and Remote Sensing assist in resolving this issue through the continuous monitoring of the forest using satellite, aerial, and drone-based imagery gathered from a variety of sources in India and Abroad. Landsat8 series Band 4, Band 5, Band 6 and Band 7 is used for the study. Following the correction and analysis of reflectance values for pre-fire and post-fire imagery, the Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR) is computed and processed. Finally, the difference in NBR based on the pre-fire event and post-fire event for the Yercaud hill station is analyzed and the severity level is classified for the chosen area of interest.