Year of Award
2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
Master of Science (MS)
Degree Name
Forestry
Department or School/College
W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation
Committee Chair
Carl Seielstad
Commitee Members
Solomon Dobrowski, K. Arthur Endsley
Keywords
prescribed fire, remote sensing, burned area, burn records
Subject Categories
Forest Management
Abstract
Prescribed burning is an emerging tool for land management, but burns are not centrally tracked and perimeter and fire effects data are not consistently available. Federal burn databases are useful, but they exclude private and state agency burning. Satellite-based burned area, severity, and active fire datasets can complement local and federal prescribed burn records but the strengths and limitations of these data for prescribed fire monitoring are poorly understood, particularly in Western fuel types. This study examines patterns in burn size and timing using two prescribed burn databases available in Montana and Idaho for the years 2004-2022. Then, it assesses the Landsat Burned Area (BA) burn probability for mapping prescribed burns when a point is the only reported geospatial data. The detection rate of prescribed burns in MODIS and VIIRS active fire products is evaluated across burn size class, season, and land cover type. Finally, burn severity is predicted for prescribed burns using a composite index approach and patterns in burn severity for prescribed burns in Montana and Idaho are described. Intercomparison of burn records with Landsat BA-generated burned polygons shows that burns are inconsistently mapped while remote-sensing products miss many burns, particularly smaller ones. Burn records show that while small burns are most common, large burns account for most annual prescribed burn area. Larger burns were detected at higher rates in Landsat BA and had higher predicted burn severity than smaller burns. Larger burns were also detected more consistently by MODIS and VIIRS active fire products, although detection in BA and active fire detection were found not to be related. Automating production of prescribed burn perimeters and severity indices from remote sensing shows promise for fires smaller than the threshold for Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (MTBS) in the Western US. Increasing the availability of detailed prescribed burn data will enable study of trends in prescribed burning over time beyond “acres treated.” Although many burns will remain impossible to map using only conventional satellite-based methods, they may be a more accurate source of spatial information than burn reporting systems due to inconsistency in reporting quality.
Recommended Citation
Laubach, Eva Catherine, "CHARACTERIZING PRESCRIBED BURNING IN MONTANA AND IDAHO FROM BURN RECORDS AND REMOTE SENSING DATA" (2026). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 12724.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/12724
© Copyright 2026 Eva Catherine Laubach