In August 1990 some of the subwatersheds of the Real Collobrier research and experimental basin (Var-France) were totally or partially burnt by a forest fire. The concerned catchments provide an interesting case study of the hydrological consequences of a fire. Thus, since 1990, a research program has been developed to better understand the effect of vegetation on runoff genesis during the post-fire years. This program combines yearly vegetation surveys on experimental plots, remote sensing images (SPOT images) and hydrological information. The methodology developed is based on a comparative analysis of post-fire hydrological behaviors of subcatchments, and yearly mapping of post-fire vegetation recovery by using remote sensed data. This paper presents the results obtained after 4 years of observation (1990-1994). The effect of the vegetation destruction and recovery is clearly put in evidence. First attempts to analyze, in terms of process, the post-fire hydrological behaviors of the burnt subcatchments are presented.

Date Published: 24 November 1995
PDF: 11 pages
Proc. SPIE 2585, Remote Sensing for Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resources, (24 November 1995); doi: 10.1117/12.227182

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 2585:
Remote Sensing for Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resources
Edwin T. Engman; Gerard Guyot; Carlo M. Marino, Editor(s)