Monitoring Wildfires and Assessing Damage from Space

Rezatec’s geospatial data analytics service is helping foresters to salvage timber after devastating wildfires.

Not a day goes by without a wildfire burning in some part of the world. Fires are spreading across larger areas and burning more severely than ever before in modern times. Forest fires have occurred naturally for millions of years and play an important role in the long-term health of forest ecosystems; however, they also threaten lives and property, and leave many dying trees in their wake that act as kindling for yet more fires in the future.

Except for all but the most severely damaged, most trees can retain much of their commercial value directly after a fire. For the trees that survive, the resulting stress weakens them and makes them more vulnerable to disease, rot and moisture – meaning salvage is a very time-sensitive operation.

Satellite data analytics provide foresters with the information to locate, date and assess the extent of the damage accurately and quickly, allowing them to make informed and rapid salvage decisions.

Leading geospatial AI company, Rezatec, has produced a free guide ‘Assessing Forest Wildfire Damage from Space’ which outlines some of the key benefits of using satellite data to assess wildfire damage and plan salvage operations.

Tim Vallings, Vice President of Global Resources at Rezatec commented “With a complete and accurate picture of damage in hand, foresters are better prepared to make informed decisions on all timber salvage operations, resulting in both improved decision-making over which trees to salvage, and a higher resulting commercial return on salvage than would have otherwise been the case.”

Rezatec has produced a number of other guides relating to the application of satellite data for effective forest management including: Tree species identification form space and the early identification and mitigation of Spruce Beetle.

To learn more about how regularly updated satellite data could help you to better manage your forest or woodland, email info@rezatec.com or call +44 (0)1865 817500.