Changes in the spectral features of fuel layers of an Australian dry sclerophyll forest in response to prescribed burning

Prescribed burning is a landscape management tool often used for asset protection and ecological maintenance. Accordingly, there is a need to understand the effects fire has on the landscape and how these changes might be measured. Remote sensing pre- and post-burn has the potential to inform decisions about burn severity and ecosystem sensitivity to fire. The aim of this research was to identify changes in the electromagnetic radiation (EMR) following a prescribed burn in the fuel layers of an Australian dry sclerophyll forest using a hyperspectral radiometer (HSR). Results indicated three major changes in spectral features (1) absence of the green reflectance peak (550 nm), (2) flattening or absence of red edge (680-750 nm) and (3) disappearance of water absorption feature (970 nm). The greatest difference in the intensity and shape of spectral signatures from pre-burn levels for all the targets occurred within the first 2 weeks post-burn. The trend of a return to the pre-burn spectral signature was seen to occur from week 5 onwards for most targets. These findings have important implications for identifying suitable remote sensing parameters for monitoring the effects of fire on vegetation.