New research to capture fire damage under the canopy

A new Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC Tactical Research Fund project will survey an area burnt in the 2019 Tasmanian bushfires to determine if lasers can significantly improve and enhance current approaches to fire severity mapping. The same area was previously mapped using high resolution LiDAR in 2014, representing a globally unique opportunity to survey the same area again post-fire.

The ecological impact of a fire is difficult to assess remotely, as undamaged dense forest canopies render the impacts invisible to satellite imagery and aerial photography. This new study Using pre and post fire LiDAR to assess the severity of the 2019 Tasmanian Bushfires will LiDAR – a remote sensing technology that uses pulsed lasers – to generate three dimensional maps of fire impacts by capturing what happens beneath the unburnt canopy.

The research will provide insights into the effectiveness of LiDAR in creating high resolution maps of fire severity and its usefulness for monitoring post-fire recovery.

The work will produce a fire severity map of the Warra study area, detailing the ecological impact of recent fires. The map based on LiDAR ground surveys will be compared with commonly used methods based on satellite data. Then, a method will be developed to use LiDAR to calibrate satellite data to produce more accurate severity mapping. Recommendations will be made for incorporating LiDAR data into operational severity mapping.

The research will be led by Prof David Bowman from the University of Tasmania. The project is a collaboration between the CRC, the University of Tasmania, the University of Idaho, the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment, the Tasmania Fire Service, the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service, and Sustainable Timber Tasmania.