Washington, SANA-The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), part of the U.S. National Science Foundation, has announced the development of a new low-cost method that leverages satellite data to evaluate post-wildfire forest recovery—a move that could reshape strategies for land management and wildfire response.
Data Integration from Two NASA Satellites
According to a statement published on the center’s official website, the new approach relies on combining imagery from two NASA satellites with land classification data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS). This allows researchers to assess vegetation recovery and compare regeneration rates across different categories of protected areas.
Remote Sensing Offers a Faster, Cheaper Alternative
The statement highlighted that forest recovery assessments have traditionally depended on labor-intensive field surveys. The new remote sensing-based technique offers a more rapid and cost-effective alternative for evaluating post-fire ecosystem conditions.
Prioritizing Investment in High-Impact Areas
Researcher Shaimaa Shams explained that “this new framework enables fire and land managers to identify effective ecosystem recovery efforts following wildfires.” She emphasized that the methodology helps direct funding and investment toward high-priority areas to maximize impact.
Etemad/Manar Salamah
