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Background <p>Archaeological attributes important for determining cultural affiliation, site age, or artifact origin can be damaged or destroyed by wildfires. Satellite-derived fire severity products are used in post-fire rapid response to prioritize and guide stabilization and preservation activities, but their ability to predict archaeological fire effects has not yet been tested. We compared the severity of fire from Burned Area Reflectance Classification (BARC) maps with ground-based observations of fire severity (“archaeological fire severity”) and fire-induced changes to architecture, features, or artifacts (“archaeological fire effects”) for 904 archaeological sites within three wildfires in the Jemez Mountains of north-central New Mexico, U.S. Results from this unique study inform archaeological preservation in the context of wildfires and fire management.</p> Results <p>We found a statistically significant, moderately strong association between BARC and archaeological fire severity and a high likelihood that sites with a low BARC fire severity also had a low archaeological fire severity designation. Sites burned at moderate or high BARC severity were less likely to have a matching severity classification in post-fire assessments, and BARC maps tended to identify as unburned areas where archaeologists determined that sites were burned at low severity. Archaeological fire effects were associated with all BARC fire severity classes, with an increasing proportion of effects observed for moderate versus low severity. Archaeological fire effects were also observed at sites classified by BARC as unburned.</p> Conclusions <p>Generally, BARC maps provide good assessment of the severity of fire and its effects on archaeological resources, particularly for areas burned at low severity. In areas of moderate or high fire severity, BARC maps may not consistently identify sites with a high need for assessment, and archaeological fire effects can also be present at sites classified by BARC as unburned. Adoption of standardized post-fire archaeological assessments across wildfires and regions, exploration of alternative fire mapping products, and continued research on the fire environments that produce archaeological fire effects can enhance archaeological preservation and post-fire response.</p>

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Relationship of satellite-derived fire severity to archaeological fire severity and fire effects in the Jemez Mountains, New Mexico, USA

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月25日

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  • Rachel A. Loehman,
  • Megan M. Friggens,
  • Connie I. Constan,
  • Anastasia Steffen

摘要

Background

Archaeological attributes important for determining cultural affiliation, site age, or artifact origin can be damaged or destroyed by wildfires. Satellite-derived fire severity products are used in post-fire rapid response to prioritize and guide stabilization and preservation activities, but their ability to predict archaeological fire effects has not yet been tested. We compared the severity of fire from Burned Area Reflectance Classification (BARC) maps with ground-based observations of fire severity (“archaeological fire severity”) and fire-induced changes to architecture, features, or artifacts (“archaeological fire effects”) for 904 archaeological sites within three wildfires in the Jemez Mountains of north-central New Mexico, U.S. Results from this unique study inform archaeological preservation in the context of wildfires and fire management.

Results

We found a statistically significant, moderately strong association between BARC and archaeological fire severity and a high likelihood that sites with a low BARC fire severity also had a low archaeological fire severity designation. Sites burned at moderate or high BARC severity were less likely to have a matching severity classification in post-fire assessments, and BARC maps tended to identify as unburned areas where archaeologists determined that sites were burned at low severity. Archaeological fire effects were associated with all BARC fire severity classes, with an increasing proportion of effects observed for moderate versus low severity. Archaeological fire effects were also observed at sites classified by BARC as unburned.

Conclusions

Generally, BARC maps provide good assessment of the severity of fire and its effects on archaeological resources, particularly for areas burned at low severity. In areas of moderate or high fire severity, BARC maps may not consistently identify sites with a high need for assessment, and archaeological fire effects can also be present at sites classified by BARC as unburned. Adoption of standardized post-fire archaeological assessments across wildfires and regions, exploration of alternative fire mapping products, and continued research on the fire environments that produce archaeological fire effects can enhance archaeological preservation and post-fire response.