Application of a Satellite Model of Forest Flammability

Principal Investigator:

This project focuses on the development of a model of tropical forest flammability in the Bolivian Amazon based on the fundamental concepts employed in the U.S. Forest Sevice (USFS) fire danger rating system. The model is driven by satellite observations of land surface variables relavent to forest flammability, including maps of precipitation, surface temperature, relative humidity, insolation and canopy closure. These data drive a model of sub-canopy climate and moisture content of dead fuels of different size classes, the single most important variable for predicting forest flammability. The model is calibrated with field measurements and by relating driving variables to the observed patterns of forest fires observed by the NOAA, TRMM and MODIS satellites. Products for distribution are estimates of surface environmental parameters, drought indices, and a fuel moisture model that can be run by in-country institutes.