Landscape & meteorological drivers of burn severity in the southern Rockies

The increasing occurrence and severity of wildfires in the Southern Rockies Ecoregion over recent decades requires a comprehensive assessment of the drivers of burn severity. This study uses Random Forest models to analyze the relative importance of landscape and meteorological variables in determining burn severity across the Southern Rockies Ecoregion from 2001 to 2020. Key landscape variables and parameters included latitude, elevation, fire behavior fuel model, and northness, while important weather and meteorological variables included minimum temperature, precipitation as snow, July/August precipitation, and maximum temperature. The model indicates that landscape variables were stronger predictors of burn severity, but the inclusion of weather and meteorological data improved model performance. This highlights the complex dynamics between terrain, vegetation, and weather/meteorology. This interdisciplinary approach provides insights for fire management strategies and emphasized the need for detailed landscape and meteorological data to predict and mitigate wildfire impacts in the Southern Rockies Ecoregion.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (M.S.)

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Ecosystem Science and Sustainability

Grantor dc:publisher

Colorado State University. Libraries

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Authors dc:creator

• Reuland, Jack, author
• Fassnacht, Steven, advisor
• Barnard, Dave, advisor
• Kampf, Stephanie, committee member
• McGrath, Dan, committee member

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.

Language dc:language.iso

eng, English

Identifier URI

https://doi.org/10.25675/3.02333

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:mountainscholar.org:10217/240919