BOHR International Journal of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science 2024, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 12–20 DOI: 10.54646/bijcees.2024.15 www.bohrpub.com RESEARCH Burned area assessment using Sentinel-2A satellite imagery and DNBR spectral index (Case study: forest areas on the anticline in the Khaiz region, Iran) Rezaei Moghadam M. H. 1 , Farhadvand A. 2 , Moein Z. 3 and Pourmorad S. 4 * 1 Department of Geomorphology, Tabriz University, Tabriz, Iran 2 Faculty of Planning and Environmental Sciences, Tabriz University, Tabriz, Iran 3 Department of Remote Sensing, Shahid Chamran University, Ahvaz, Iran 4 Department of Geography and Tourism, Centre of Studies in Geography and Spatial Planning (CEGOT), FLUC, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal *Correspondence: Pourmorad S., omid2red@gmail.com Received: 24 July 2023; Accepted: 17 October 2023; Published: 06 March 2024 The main advantage of incorporating remote sensing techniques into wildfire management is their ability to provide real-time data. This study aimed to investigate the extent of forest fires in southwestern Iran using remote sensing data. Sentinel-2A data with a resolution of 20 meters were used to conduct this study. It is worth noting that the spectral bands selected in this study, namely spectral band 8A (red edge 4) and band 12 (SWIR 2), have proved their suitability for fire intensity classification. In this study, 1NBR (Normalized Burn Ratio) values within the study area ranged from -0.096 to 0.81. These values were categorized based on the United States Geological Survey classification table. The study area covered 4,758.915 hectares, with approximately 32.41% (1,542.284 hectares) having calculated 1NBR values. Of the total area, 60.97% (2,901.675 hectares) was burned at low intensity, while approximately 6.62% (314.956 hectares) was burned at medium intensity. Unfortunately, due to the limited extent of the study area, regions with moderate to high fire intensity and high intensity were not included in the classification. The research results indicate that the studied index has satisfactory efficiency. The application of this index to regions with characteristics similar to those of the Khaiz anticline is likely to provide valuable and reliable results. Keywords: remote sensing, dNBR index, sentinel-2A imagery, Khaiz mountain range 1. Introduction Fires a central role in triggering environmental change and have both local and regional impacts (1). Whether triggered by anthropogenic activities or natural factors, wildfires can have profound and catastrophic consequences for ecosystems (2). Destroying these critical stands of trees, which are essential to our well-being, has negative impacts such as landslides, erosion, and igniting desertification, all of which are triggered by conflagration(1). Fires cause seismic disturbances in the soil structure and alter landscape topography, reshaping ecosystem functions (Rosa et al. 2018). Such changes also disrupt moisture levels, as fires often lead to biomass decomposition and carbon emissions, causing shifts in native climate (2). The effects of these fires include partial or complete loss of vegetation cover, which affects physical properties of the soil, reduces biological vitality, increases surface runoff, and allows uncontrolled runoff downstream (1). In addition, these fires cause sudden flooding and make the soil more susceptible to water erosion, increasing sediment accumulation (Rosa et al. 2018). The total destruction of vegetation has serious and permanent consequences, such as the darkening of tree canopies and the impairment of root systems (2). 12