• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.35 no.6_2
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• pp.1083-1093
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to detect the burned area change by direct burning of tree canopies and post-fire mortality of trees via analyzing satellite imageries from the Korea multi-purpose satellite-2 and -3 (KOMPSAT-2 and -3) for two large-fires over the Goseong-Sokcho and Gangneung-Donghae regions in April 2019. For each case, the burned area was compared between two dates: the day when the fire occurred and 15-18 days after it. As the results, within these two dates, there was no substantial difference in burned area of sites whose severities were marked as "Extreme", but sites with "High" and "Low" severities showed significant differences in burned area between the two dates. These differences were resulted from the lagged post-fire browning of canopies which was detected by images from in-situ observation,satellite, and the unmanned aerial vehicle. The post-fire browning started after 3-4 days and became apparent after 10-15 days. This study offers information about the timing to quantify the burned area by large fire and about the mechanism of post-fire mortality. Also, the findings can support policy makers in planning the restoration of the damaged areas.