Canadian National Fire Database (CNFDB)

Coarse-Resolution Burned Area

The Canadian National Fire Database is a collection of forest fire data from various sources. Included in the database are annual burned area maps generated from coarse-resolution (1 km² pixel size) satellite imagery. The maps are produced using an algorithm developed by Fraser et al (2000) which uses satellite-detected active fire locations (hotspots) and vegetation characteristics to identify burned areas. Significant changes in vegetation can result from various disturbances including harvesting, insect infestation, and fire. Hotspot locations are used to select only those areas which were altered due to fire.

The coarse-resolution burned area maps are produced annually by the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing. Please note that these maps represent only an approximation of the actual burned areas and typically do not include small burns (less than 1000 hectares).

Reference

Fraser, R.H., Li, Z., and J. Cihlar. 2000. Hotspot and NDVI differencing synergy (HANDS): a new technique for burned area mapping over boreal forest. Remote Sensing of Environment 74:362-376. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0034-4257(00)00078-X