**3. Post-fire monitoring using remote sensing**

This part of the chapter consists of three different sections. Section (3.1) provides information on field based post-fire vegetation monitoring, section (3.2) discusses the airborne and spaceborne sensors used in post-fire monitoring, and section (3.3) introduces

Advances in Remote Sensing of Post-Fire Vegetation Recovery Monitoring – A Review 147

for the upper position and increasing values when descending the slope. De Luís et al. (2001) investigated the combined effect of fire and rainstorm on short-term ecosystem response by simulating high intensity rainfall on burned field plots in a Mediterranean shrubland. They found that one-year seedling survival was lower in the plots affected by rainfall simulation than in the control plots. A higher mortality rate, as a consequence of rainfall, was observed in the most abundant species. Pre-fire conditions may also affect the heterogeneity of burn severity, creating a wide range of local and landscape effects (Ne'eman et al. 1999). The propagation of fires and recolonisation processes are events that

(Pausas et al. 1999; Belda and Meliá 2000; De

(Calvo et al. 1994; Ne'eman et al. 1999;

(Lloret and Vilà 1997; Díaz-Delgado and

(Thanos and Georghiou 1988; Skordilis and Thanos 1995; Daskalakou and Thanos 1996; Ferrandis et al. 1996; Herranz et al. 1999;

(Thanos et al. 1996; Daskalakou and Thanos 1997; Tsitsoni 1997; Martínez-Sánchez et al. 1999; Ne'eman et al. 1999; Pausas et al. 1999; Caturla et al. 2000; De Luis et al. 2001; Wahren et al. 2001; Bailey and Covington 2002; Gould et al. 2002; Kennard et al. 2002)

(Pausas et al. 2003; Perula et al. 2003;

(Santalla et al. 2002; Clemente et al. 2009)

(Broge and Leblanc 2000; Thenkabail et al. 2000; Thenkabail et al. 2002; Mitri and Gitas

Luis et al. 2001)

Mouillet et al. 2001)

Pons 2001)

Keeley 2000)

Kavgaci et al. 2010)

2010)

depend on the spatial organization of vegetation (Mouillet et al. 2001).

Variables assessed in the field Reference

Organic matter of the burned soil (Tsitsoni 1997)

Post-fire structural dynamics (Calvo et al. 1991)

high native species richness (Hunter et al. 2006)

Table 1. Field variables assessed to determine post-fire monitoring

Different environmental conditions (climatic zones, high intensity rainfall, aspect, and

Pre-fire conditions (i.e. spatial organisation

Seed banks and germination - Seed number contained in soil samples - Cone opening

Seedling germination, survival and growth in a plot and along a transect on which samples are taken of plant cover, tree cover,

Species richness patterns and vegetation diversity -density of seedlings – abundance

community type and data reduction - Visual

Non-native species cover correlated with

Permanent plot collection per plant

tree characteristics or the floristic composition and cover per species

Resprouting vigour (plant's anatomical features, and the characteristics of the individual before disturbance), intensity of disturbance, and the environmental

conditions after disturbance

and seed dispersal

of different age classes

cover of the plant species

Field spectrometry

lithology)

of vegetation)

the relative satellite image analysis techniques. The latter, provides a thoroughly description of well-known methods employed in post-fire monitoring and discuses studies related to the estimation of post-fire albedo and Land Surface Temperature. Subsection (3.3.6) deals with the use of SAR data to monitor the post-fire impact on forests. A summary table (Table 2) is also included.
