MAPPING THE LOCATION OF WILDFIRES IN ALASKAN BOREAL FORESTS USING AVHRR IMAGERY

The results of a study using satellite imagery to map boreal forest fi res in Alaska in 1990 and 1991 are presented. Composite AVHRR data was found to detect more than 80% of fires greater than 2,000 ha in size. Additionally, using a two season method, 78% of the area of all borea l forest fires in Alaska was mapped. This technique is considered by t he authors to be an accurate way to detect forest fire scars and estim ate area burned throughout the boreal forests, and could be very impor tant in those regions where wildfire data are presently difficult or n ot possible to gather.