Version 1
: Received: 7 March 2024 / Approved: 7 March 2024 / Online: 7 March 2024 (13:47:09 CET)
How to cite:
Rahimi, I.; Duarte, L.; Teodoro, A.C. Zagros Grass Index – a New Vegetation Index to Enhance Fire Fuel Mapping: Case Study in Zagros Mountains. Preprints2024, 2024030453. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202403.0453.v1
Rahimi, I.; Duarte, L.; Teodoro, A.C. Zagros Grass Index – a New Vegetation Index to Enhance Fire Fuel Mapping: Case Study in Zagros Mountains. Preprints 2024, 2024030453. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202403.0453.v1
Rahimi, I.; Duarte, L.; Teodoro, A.C. Zagros Grass Index – a New Vegetation Index to Enhance Fire Fuel Mapping: Case Study in Zagros Mountains. Preprints2024, 2024030453. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202403.0453.v1
APA Style
Rahimi, I., Duarte, L., & Teodoro, A.C. (2024). Zagros Grass Index – a New Vegetation Index to Enhance Fire Fuel Mapping: Case Study in Zagros Mountains. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202403.0453.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Rahimi, I., Lia Duarte and Ana Claudia Teodoro. 2024 "Zagros Grass Index – a New Vegetation Index to Enhance Fire Fuel Mapping: Case Study in Zagros Mountains" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202403.0453.v1
Abstract
Annually, the oak forests of the Zagros Mountain chains, in western Iran and northeastern Iraq, face recurring challenges posed by forest fires, particularly in the Kurdo-Zagrosian forests situated in western Iran and northeastern Iraq. Assessing fire susceptibility relies significantly on vegetation condition. Integrating in situ data, Remote Sensing (RS) data, alongside the integration of Geographical Information Systems (GIS), presents a cost-effective and precise approach to capturing environmental conditions before, during, and after fire events, minimizing the need for extensive fieldwork. This study refines and applies the Zagros Grass Index (ZGI), a local vegetation index tailored to discern between grass-covered surfaces from tree canopies in Zagros forests, identifying the grass masses as the most flammable fuel type. Utilizing Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) product as input, from 2013 to 2022, the ZGI aims to mitigate the influence of tree canopies, isolating NDVI values solely attributable to grass cover. By incorporating phenological characteristics of forest trees and grass species, the ZGI outperforms NDVI in mapping grass-covered areas that are crucial for fire susceptibility assessment in the study region. Results demonstrate a strong overlap between ZGI-based maps and recorded fire occurrences, validating the efficacy of the index in fire susceptibility estimation.
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
