Analyzing long-term post-fire vegetation recovery in relation to fire severity in the Mediterranean region: A case study in Türki̇ye and Spain


Tezin Türü: Yüksek Lisans

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Karadeniz Teknik Üniversitesi, Orman Fakültesi, Orman Mühendisliği, Türkiye

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2024

Tezin Dili: İngilizce

Öğrenci: SADIQ ZEYNALOV

Danışman: Kadir Alperen Coşkuner

Özet:

This thesis investigates the impact of burn severity and climatic factors on post-fire vegetation development in Mediterranean ecosystems. The post-fire vegetation recovery and moisture changes in areas affected by the 1994 Moratalla fire in Spain and the 1996 Marmaris-Çetibeli fire in Türkiye were analyzed using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the Normalized Difference Moisture Index (NDMI). Satellite images were utilized to assess vegetation recovery from the time of the fires until 2023. The results indicate that vegetation in areas with high burn severity generally showed faster recovery, with average NDVI values in the Çetibeli site reaching pre-fire levels after 17 years, and in the Moratalla site after 15 years. A significant positive correlation was found between NDVI and NDMI values in both study areas. The relationship between post-fire vegetation development and climatic factors was also examined. The findings reveal a significant positive correlation between post-fire NDVI values and the amount of precipitation during the growing season (March-August) following the Moratalla fire, which occurred in the semi-arid region of Spain. These results highlight the crucial role that precipitation plays in the recovery of vegetation in semi-arid regions.