Type of Event: Other;
Date/Time of Event (UTC): 2022-08-06 00:00:00;
Activation Date/Time (UTC): 2023-05-02 00:00:00;
Dedicated Mechanism: Copernicus EMS (RRM);
Affected Country: Portugal;
Affected Area: Videmonte located in Serra da Estrela , Portugal;
Event Description:

See the activation results in the Activation Viewer.

In August 2022, a wild forest fire affected the Portuguese Serra da Estrela National Park for several days, with strong winds and high temperatures making it difficult for firefighters to control the flames. The Copernicus Emergency Management Service Rapid Mapping (EMSR618) was activated to respond to this event. The fire, the largest in 50 years, resulted in an affected area of about 25,000 hectares, forced the evacuation of several local communities, and caused significant damage to the natural environment, including forests and wildlife habitats. Unfortunately, the devastation did not end there as the wildfires triggered a series of catastrophic floods on 13 September, which further ravaged the region in the following weeks.

Several recovery efforts are being implemented to mitigate the effects of the wildfires in various domains. These efforts include the recovery of affected infrastructures such as forest fire defense networks, accessibility networks, and water availability spots. Measures are also being taken to control soil loss, reduce landslide risk, and minimize the risk of flash floods through slope stabilization, re-vegetation of affected areas, and other interventions.

The goal of the activation was to assess the current situation within the affected area of interest in terms of vegetation status, land use/land cover, vegetation recovery analysis, and accessibility of the road network. Additionally, the activation aimed to evaluate soil erosion risk, landslide risk, and soil loss by considering the post-fire situation as well as scenarios after the implementation of planned interventions. The following products were requested to support this assessment:

1. Current detailed vegetation status at a 1:2,500 scale: This product provides a classification of the current vegetation observed on the most recent aerial component acquisition data (23-26/02/2023). The classification is based on both morphology and height criteria. Photointerpretation keys (PIK) were developed to support the morphological classification. Additionally, a Canopy Height Model (CHM) was calculated from the available Digital Terrain Model (DTM) and Digital Surface Model (DSM) data to extract vegetation height.

2. Land-use Land-Cover at a 1:5,000 scale: This product offers an up-to-date land-use/land-cover layer based on the visual interpretation of the aerial component acquisition data (23-26/02/2023). The interpretation relies on the reference national Land Use-Land Cover (LULC) product COS2018, utilizing its level 4 data model.

3. Assessment of vegetation recovery: This product evaluates the vegetation recovery at the present date, following the wildfire event. It compares vegetation status using Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index values from satellite images captured in May 2022 (before the event), August 2022 (right after the wildfire), and March 2023. The analysis of vegetation dynamics allows for the assessment of whether vegetation has been eliminated, died, deteriorated, been affected, is recovering, has recovered, or is living.

4. Assessment and accessibility of the road network at a 1:5,000 scale: This product provides an accurate and complete road network, including an accessibility status.

5. Erosion risk, Landslide risk and Soil loss for different scenarios (actual post fire, future situation after implementation of planned mitigation actions).

Details, maps:
▸ [EMSN149] Monitoring areas damaged by forest fires in Serra da Estrela, Portugal
Activation Feed (GeoRSS):
▸ http://emergency.copernicus.eu/mapping/list-of-components/EMSN149/feed

Type of Event: Wildfire (Forest fire);
Date/Time of Event (UTC): 2023-03-14 01:00:00;
Activation Date/Time (UTC): 2023-05-04 14:12:00;
Dedicated Mechanism: Copernicus EMS (RRM);
Affected Country: Spain;
Affected Area: Tudela, Navarra (Spain);
Event Description:

See the activation results in the Activation Viewer.

During the evening of 14/03/2023, a forest fire started in the Natura 2000 area of La Balsa del Pulguer. The protected area of Balsa del Pulguer is home to valuable and threatened species and habitats, serving as a site for recreational activities. With the aim of quantifying and qualifying the effects of this forest fire, including loss estimations and changed risk assessment, the Copernicus Aerial Component was deployed providing ortho-rectified images RGB/NIR GSD 5 cm, photogrammetric point clouds, and DSM. These very high-resolution input data allowed a higher accurate damage assessment. The activation included the following products:

Product 1 - Fire delineation and grading

This product identifies the extent of the burned area and determines the effects of the fire by generating a damage grading. The extent was generated by comparing the NDVI of pre- and post-event images (dNDVI). VHR PlanetScope data were used for this analysis, considering their close proximity to the event date. The damage grading follows the IWG-SEM guidelines, classifying the dNDVI values into 4 classes ranging from slight damage to destroyed. Results indicate a high proportion of slight damage, although this is influenced by the spatial resolution and the tendency of NDVI to be underestimated in arid areas with grassland vegetation. Comparing the results of Product 1 to Product 3 provides a better understanding of the actual situation.

Product 2 - Impact assessment on land cover and habitats

Based on the results of Product 1, this product evaluates the impact on land cover and habitats, specifically identifying which biotopes and corresponding species have been affected or not directly affected. This assessment provides statistics to support stakeholders in further evaluation and measurement planning. The analysis focuses on the entire protected area, not just where the fire burned, to provide a comprehensive overview of Balsa del Pulguer.

Product 3 - Estimation of biomass loss

To estimate the loss of above-ground biomass, VHR pre- and post-event DSMs were compared. The post-event DSM was provided by the CEMS aerial component, offering a spatial resolution suitable for analysis. Vegetation in both DSMs was categorized into five classes based on height distribution. Forest metrics, such as mean canopy height and number of points per vegetation layer, were determined in 10m x 10m plots across the entire fire delineation area. The comparison revealed significant changes in vegetation cover, with all habitats showing a high degree of damage and vegetation being mostly completely burned by the wildfire.

Product 4 - Post-event soil erosion risk assessment

This product evaluates the risk of soil erosion using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) formula. Input factors were sourced from local and European datasets, considering both high and low spatial resolutions. The resulting soil erosion values were classified into five categories, ranging from Low to Extreme erosion risk. Larger areas with smoother topography were found to have a low erosion risk, while agricultural fields and drainage channels exhibited mid to high erosion risk.

Product 5 - Estimation of economic loss and impact on ecosystem services

This product assesses the economic loss resulting from the forest fire. Direct economic loss calculations consider factors such as the average price for melioration of natural environments, reconstruction period, severity of fire, and time-value of money. Prices were mapped onto the habitat map, and a qualitative assessment of the affected area was performed to estimate the deterioration of ecosystem services. The results were classified into five categories based on the proportion of the area affected by the fire.

 

Details, maps:
▸ [EMSN148] Forest fire impact assessment of the Natura 2000 site Balsa del Pulguer, Spain
Activation Feed (GeoRSS):
▸ http://emergency.copernicus.eu/mapping/list-of-components/EMSN148/feed