Post-Fire Monitoring of Forest Ecosystems Using Multi-Temporal Satellite Data and Spectral Indices

Remote Sensing for Environmental Monitoring

Authors

First and Last Name Academic degree E-mail Affiliation
Diana Duisenova No workw7833 [at] gmail.com S. Seifullin Kazak Agro-technical Research University
Almaty, Kazakhstan
Nazym Shogelova Ph.D. nazymshogelova [at] gmail.com Kazakh Automobile and Road Institute named after L.B. Goncharov
Almaty, Kazakhstan

I and my co-authors (if any) authorize the use of the Paper in accordance with the Creative Commons CC BY license

First published on this website: 22.08.2025 - 10:42
Abstract 

In the context of increasing frequency and intensity of forest fires, the study of fire impact on ecosystems is becoming increasingly important. This work presents a post-fire monitoring analysis of the Batpaevskoe forestry ecosystem (Abay Region, Kazakhstan) using multi-temporal satellite data and spectral indices NDVI, NBR, dNBR, and NDMI. The research is based on the analysis of Landsat data for the periods before the fire, immediately after the fire, and one year later, which allowed us to assess the dynamics of vegetation degradation and recovery. The dNBR index was used to map areas of varying burn severity, while the decrease in NDVI and NDMI values indicated a significant loss of biomass and moisture within the ecosystem. A comparative analysis was conducted between remote sensing data and the results of the state forest inventory performed in 2024, which enabled verification of the obtained results and identification of discrepancies between satellite-based assessments and ground observations. The study revealed that the highest degree of degradation was recorded in the central and southwestern parts of the forestry, where NBR and NDMI values decreased by more than 80% compared to the pre-fire period, while vegetation recovery one year after the fire was found to be fragmentary. The findings demonstrate the high efficiency of using multi-temporal satellite data and spectral indices for assessing wildfire impacts and planning measures for forest ecosystem restoration.

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