Monitoring deforestation with MODIS Active Fires in Neotropical dry forests: An analysis of local-scale assessments in Mexico, Brazil and Bolivia

• Published in: Journal of arid environments 2013-10, Vol.97, p.150-159
• Main Authors: Portillo-Quintero, Carlos, Sanchez-Azofeifa, Arturo, Marcos do Espirito-Santo, Mario
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Bolivia; Brazil; Deforestation; dry forests; Fires; forest fires; Forestry; Forests; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General forest ecology; Generalities. Production, biomass. Quality of wood and forest products. General forest ecology; landscapes; moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer; MODIS; monitoring; remote sensing; Sampling; Synecology; TDF; Terrestrial ecosystems; time series analysis; Tropical dry forests; tropics
• ISSN: 0140-1963; 1095-922X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2013.06.002

The detection of vegetation fires using remote sensing has proven useful for highlighting areas undergoing rapid conversion in humid forests, but not in tropical dry forest (TDF). To further understand this relationship, we explored the correlation between MODIS Active Fires and forest cover change at local scales using 3 × 3 km sampling grids in three TDF landscapes in Bolivia; Mexico, and Brazil. Our analysis showed no single overall correlation among sites between the frequency of fires reported by the MODIS Active Fire Mapping product and forest cover change. Also, aggregated patterns of fire occurrence in Brazil and Bolivia did not correspond to areas with high percentage of forest loss, which indicates that the fire/deforestation relationship in TDF is not apparent in a simple fire frequency map. However, statistically significant correlations were found in sampling boxes with 50–60%, 50–70%, 50–95% forest cover at “initial state” of the time series in the Mexican site, Bolivian site and Brazilian site, respectively. Our findings suggest that complex interactions between anthropogenic fire-use, satellite-detected fires, and deforestation in highly fragmented TDF landscapes are difficult to describe at regional scales and might only be possible to analyze using finer resolution sampling grids. •Analysis showed no overall correlation between the frequency of fires and deforestation among sites.•Correlation between variables relies on the proportion of forest in sampling boxes at “initial state” of the time series.•Correlation between variables also relies on the extent of fire-use for vegetation removal at each site.•Analyses comparing MODIS fires and deforestation can be improved by using finer resolution sampling grids.