Wilson and Company collected and processed multi-spectral (red, green, blue, near-infrared) digital aerial imagery of the Las Conchas Fire that burned in the Santa Fe National Forest in the Jemez Mountains of central New Mexico in the summer of 2011. The Area of Interest (AOI) is 632,000 acres and is larger than the actual burn acreage of approximately 150,000 acres that lies within the AOI. Aerial imagery was collected with a frame - based Z/I Digital Mapping Camera at an average of elevation of 4,500 feet above ground; generating an average ground sample distance (gsd) of 0.45 feet. This aerial imagery will be used to create natural color and false color infrared digital orthophotos of the AOI at a re-sampled gsd of .3 meters. The imagery will support the Forest Service Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) program that addresses landscape damage due to the fire, with the goal of protecting life, property, water quality, and deteriorated ecosystems from further damage now that the fire is out. While many wildfires cause little damage to the land and pose few threats to fish, wildlife and people downstream, the fires of 2011 has in this case created situations that require special efforts to prevent further problems after the fire. Loss of vegetation exposes soil to erosion; runoff may increase and cause flooding, sediments may move downstream and damage houses or fill reservoirs, and put endangered species and community water supplies at risk. The imagery will support the Forest Service Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) program that addresses these situations with the goal of protecting life, property, water quality, and deteriorated ecosystems from further damage after the fire is out. In addition, other federal, tribal, state, and local governments will be participating in similar program along with Universities in the region.
2011 Las Conchas Post Fire, e535106_nw_nw, CIR