Niveles de LAI/fPAR en superficies afectadas por incendios forestales en Aragón. Análisis mediante el producto MCD15A2 DE MODIS

The Leaf area index (LAI) and the Fractional Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fPAR) are variables related to the structure of the plant canopy that can provide new keys for the understanding of post-fire vegetation processes. In this context, the objective of this work is to characterize different burned areas in Aragon using the MDC15A2 (LAI/fPAR) product from MODIS. There are two different types of analysis: (1) static analysis of LAI/ fPAR values from the compound of 2010; (2) multi-year follow-up in 6 large fires occurred in the 2000s, representa difetive of different environmental conditions. The methodological process is based on the selection of 18 forest fires (> 500 ha, occurred between 1975-2010) with digital cartography available; and the download of the product MCD13A2 MODIS (seasonal compounds of 8 days, first week of May and September). A temporal pattern of recovery in the values of LAI has been identified. Fires occurred more than 35 years ago have average LAI values > 1 (1.13/1.40, in September and May respectively), and low values of fPAR (~ 0.5). Meanwhile, a year after the fire LAI/fPAR average values do not exceed 0.20/0.40, respectively. On the other hand, a few months after the fire average LAI values < 0.25 have been observed. In general terms, the MODIS MDC15A2 (LAI/ fPAR) product features an enormous potential in the cartographic analysis of the biological processes of burned areas, despite the problems of interpretation derived from the spatial resolution of the product.