{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,7]],"date-time":"2026-08-07T11:18:08Z","timestamp":1786101488898,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":31,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2014,2,27]],"date-time":"2014-02-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1393459200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/3.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.mdpi.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Remote Sensing"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Satellite-inferred burn severity data have become increasingly popular over the last decade for management and research purposes. These data typically quantify spectral change between pre-and post-fire satellite images (usually Landsat). There is an active debate regarding which of the two main equations, the delta normalized burn ratio (dNBR) and its relativized form (RdNBR), is most suitable for quantifying burn severity; each has its critics. In this study, we propose and evaluate a new Landsat-based burn severity metric, the relativized burn ratio (RBR), that provides an alternative to dNBR and RdNBR. For 18 fires in the western US, we compared the performance of RBR to both dNBR and RdNBR by evaluating the agreement of these metrics with field-based burn severity measurements. Specifically, we evaluated (1) the correspondence between each metric and a continuous measure of burn severity (the composite burn index) and (2) the overall accuracy of each metric when classifying into discrete burn severity classes (i.e., unchanged, low, moderate, and high). Results indicate that RBR corresponds better to field-based measurements (average R2 among 18 fires = 0.786) than both dNBR (R2 = 0.761) and RdNBR  (R2 = 0.766). Furthermore, the overall classification accuracy achieved with RBR (average among 18 fires = 70.5%) was higher than both dNBR (68.4%) and RdNBR (69.2%). Consequently, we recommend RBR as a robust alternative to both dNBR and RdNBR for measuring and classifying burn severity.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/rs6031827","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2014,2,27]],"date-time":"2014-02-27T11:05:59Z","timestamp":1393499159000},"page":"1827-1844","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":383,"title":["A New Metric for Quantifying Burn Severity: The Relativized Burn Ratio"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"6","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2982-5255","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sean","family":"Parks","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute, Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service, 790 East Beckwith, Missoula, MT 59801, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gregory","family":"Dillon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory, Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service, 5775 Hwy 10 W, Missoula, MT 59808, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carol","family":"Miller","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute, Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service, 790 East Beckwith, Missoula, MT 59801, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2014,2,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3","DOI":"10.4996\/fireecology.0301003","article-title":"A project for monitoring trends in burn severity","volume":"3","author":"Eidenshink","year":"2007","journal-title":"Fire Ecol"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"10743","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.0700229104","article-title":"Reburn severity in managed and unmanaged vegetation in a large wildfire","volume":"104","author":"Thompson","year":"2007","journal-title":"Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"607","DOI":"10.1007\/s10980-009-9443-8","article-title":"Effects of weather, fuel and terrain on fire severity in topographically diverse landscapes of south-eastern Australia","volume":"25","author":"Bradstock","year":"2010","journal-title":"Landscape Ecol"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Dillon, G.K., Holden, Z.A., Morgan, P., Crimmins, M.A., Heyerdahl, E.K., and Luce, C.H. (2011). Both topography and climate affected forest and woodland burn severity in two regions of the western US, 1984 to 2006. Ecosphere, 2, art130.","DOI":"10.1890\/ES11-00271.1"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1377","DOI":"10.1890\/08-1685.1","article-title":"Assessing fuel treatment effectiveness using satellite imagery and spatial statistics","volume":"19","author":"Wimberly","year":"2009","journal-title":"Ecol. Appl"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"174","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foreco.2012.04.002","article-title":"Pattern and process of prescribed fires influence effectiveness at reducing wildfire severity in dry coniferous forests","volume":"276","author":"Arkle","year":"2012","journal-title":"For. Ecol. Manage"},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"29","DOI":"10.1007\/s10021-013-9704-x","article-title":"Previous fires moderate burn severity of subsequent wildland fires in two large western US wilderness areas","volume":"17","author":"Parks","year":"2014","journal-title":"Ecosystems"},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"299","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-2427.2009.02275.x","article-title":"Fire, flow and dynamic equilibrium in stream macroinvertebrate communities","volume":"55","author":"Arkle","year":"2010","journal-title":"Freshwater Biol"},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Lutes, D., Keane, R.E., Caratti, J.F., Key, C.H., Benson, N.C., Sutherland, S., and Gangi, L. (2006). Landscape Assessment (LA): Sampling and Analysis Methods. . Firemon: Fire Effects Monitoring and Inventory System, Rocky Mountain Research Station, US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. RMRS-GTR-164;.","DOI":"10.2737\/RMRS-GTR-164"},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"66","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rse.2006.12.006","article-title":"Quantifying burn severity in a heterogeneous landscape with a relative version of the delta Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR)","volume":"109","author":"Miller","year":"2007","journal-title":"Remote Sens. Environ"},{"key":"ref_11","unstructured":"Zhu, Z., Key, C.H., Ohlen, D., and Benson, N.C. (2006). Evaluate Sensitivities of Burn-Severity Mapping Algorithms for Different Ecosystems and Fire Histories in the United States, Joint Fire Science Program. Final Report to the Joint Fire Sciences Program, JFSP 01-1-4-12;."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"64","DOI":"10.4996\/fireecology.0301064","article-title":"The relationship of multispectral satellite imagery to immediate fire effects","volume":"3","author":"Hudak","year":"2007","journal-title":"Fire Ecol"},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"16","DOI":"10.1007\/s10021-008-9201-9","article-title":"Quantitative evidence for increasing forest fire severity in the Sierra Nevada and southern Cascade Mountains, California and Nevada, USA","volume":"12","author":"Miller","year":"2009","journal-title":"Ecosystems"},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"397","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rse.2003.12.015","article-title":"Comparison of AVIRIS and Landsat ETM+ detection capabilities for burn severity","volume":"92","author":"Root","year":"2004","journal-title":"Remote Sens. Environ"},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"189","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rse.2006.03.019","article-title":"Assessment of fire severity and species diversity in the southern Appalachians using Landsat TM and ETM plus imagery","volume":"108","author":"Wimberly","year":"2007","journal-title":"Remote Sens. Environ"},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2399","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foreco.2009.08.017","article-title":"A predictive model of burn severity based on 20-year satellite-inferred burn severity data in a large southwestern US wilderness area","volume":"258","author":"Holden","year":"2009","journal-title":"For. Ecol. Manage"},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"34","DOI":"10.4996\/fireecology.0202034","article-title":"Ecological and sampling constraints on defining landscape fire severity","volume":"2","author":"Key","year":"2006","journal-title":"Fire Ecol"},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Miller, J. (2012). Personal communication.","DOI":"10.1145\/2129230.2141511"},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1896","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rse.2010.03.013","article-title":"Estimating burn severity from Landsat dNBR and RdNBR indices across western Canada","volume":"114","author":"Soverel","year":"2010","journal-title":"Remote Sens. Environ"},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"863","DOI":"10.1139\/x11-011","article-title":"Estimating burn severity at the regional level using optically based indices","volume":"41","author":"Tanase","year":"2010","journal-title":"Can. J. For. Res"},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"456","DOI":"10.3390\/rs4020456","article-title":"How robust are burn severity indices when applied in a new region? Evaluation of alternate field-based and remote-sensing methods","volume":"4","author":"Cansler","year":"2012","journal-title":"Remote Sens"},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"235","DOI":"10.1071\/WF08088","article-title":"LANDFIRE: A nationally consistent vegetation, wildland fire, and fuel assessment","volume":"18","author":"Rollins","year":"2009","journal-title":"Int. J. Wildland Fire"},{"key":"ref_23","unstructured":"Cansler, C.A. (2011). Drivers of Burn Severity in the Northern Cascade Range, Washington, University of Washington. M.Sc. Thesis,."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"129","DOI":"10.1007\/s10584-010-9858-x","article-title":"Forest ecosystems, disturbance, and climatic change in Washington state, USA","volume":"102","author":"Littell","year":"2010","journal-title":"Clim. Change"},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"13165","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1110199108","article-title":"Continued warming could transform Greater Yellowstone fire regimes by mid-21st century","volume":"108","author":"Westerling","year":"2011","journal-title":"Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA"},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"305","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rse.2006.08.006","article-title":"Characterization of post-fire surface cover, soils, and burn severity at the Cerro Grande Fire, New Mexico, using hyperspectral and multispectral remote sensing","volume":"106","author":"Kokaly","year":"2007","journal-title":"Remote Sens. Environ"},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"594","DOI":"10.1071\/WF07091","article-title":"Remote sensing for prediction of 1-year post-fire ecosystem condition","volume":"18","author":"Lentile","year":"2009","journal-title":"Int. J. Wildland Fire"},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"72","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rse.2012.02.025","article-title":"An alternative spectral index for rapid fire severity assessments","volume":"123","author":"Veraverbeke","year":"2012","journal-title":"Remote Sens. Environ"},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"976","DOI":"10.1071\/WF09057","article-title":"Spectral analysis of charcoal on soils: Implications for wildland fire severity mapping methods","volume":"19","author":"Smith","year":"2010","journal-title":"Int. J. Wildland Fire"},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"328","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rse.2005.03.002","article-title":"Evaluation of remotely sensed indices for assessing burn severity in interior Alaska using Landsat TM and ETM+","volume":"96","author":"Epting","year":"2005","journal-title":"Remote Sens. Environ"},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"453","DOI":"10.1071\/WF10013","article-title":"Validation of remote sensing of burn severity in south-eastern US ecosystems","volume":"20","author":"Picotte","year":"2011","journal-title":"Int. J. Wildland Fire"}],"updated-by":[{"DOI":"10.3390\/rs61212509","type":"correction","label":"Correction","source":"publisher","updated":{"date-parts":[[2014,2,27]],"date-time":"2014-02-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1393459200000}}],"container-title":["Remote Sensing"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2072-4292\/6\/3\/1827\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,4]],"date-time":"2025-08-04T07:53:34Z","timestamp":1754294014000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2072-4292\/6\/3\/1827"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2014,2,27]]},"references-count":31,"journal-issue":{"issue":"3","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2014,3]]}},"alternative-id":["rs6031827"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/rs6031827","relation":{"correction":[{"id-type":"doi","id":"10.3390\/rs61212509","asserted-by":"object"}]},"ISSN":["2072-4292"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2072-4292","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2014,2,27]]}}}