Cal Fire releases interactive fire severity tool showing the impact of wildfires on area vegetation
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) launched the California Vegetation Burn Severity Online Viewer, an interactive online tool displaying the impact of wildfires over 1,000 acres from 2015 to 2023.
Burn or fire severity is a measurement of how impactful a wildfire has been on the surrounding environment and allows firefighting organizations such as Cal Fire to verify potential risk factors for future fires in the same or nearby areas.
California's Fire Marshal is required to classify lands under Cal Fire authority using burn severity and Senate Bill 1101, passed last year and authored by State Senator Limón, requires that information be made available to the public through a publicly available online map.
The map features burn severity across all forms of land ownership, such as private property or federal lands, and will be updated annually detailed Cal Fire.
"This tool helps Californians see and understand how fire affects our landscapes," explained Chris Keithley, Assistant Deputy Director for Cal Fire's Fire and Resource Assessment Program. "It gives communities data to support efforts to plan prescribed burns, guide restoration work, and reduce future wildfire risk."
Your News Channel has covered how firefighters in Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo have shared the latest fire severity maps and more information about fire severity across the sate can be found here.
