Pre and Post Fire Vegetation Behavioral Trends from Satellite MODIS/NDVI Time Series in Semi-natural Areas

In this study, we analyzed the dynamics of semi-natural vegetation observed before and after fire occurrence. Investigations were carried out for two test areas located in Southern Italy using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from Terra MODIS data. The MOD09A1 (Level 3) was taken into consideration. It is an 8-day composite product available at a spatial resolution of 500 m. NDVI time series ranging from 2001 to 2009 have been analyzed using a physical-statistical method called Detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA). The same method has been previously adopted by the same authors group for analyzing VEGETATION/ NDVI time series recorder before and after fire for natural (i.e. unmanaged) vegetation covers. Results from this paper clearly pointed out the diverse vegetation behavior observed for natural and managed areas before and after fire occurrence.