April 3, 2021 - Prescribed Burns across Arkansas and Oklahoma

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   Fires in Arkansas, Oklahoma
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   Multiple fires were burning in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas and
   Oklahoma in the opening days of April 2021. The Moderate Resolution
   Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite
   acquired a true-color image of the fires on April 1.

   Each red “hot spot” marks an area where the thermal bands on the MODIS
   instrument detected high temperatures. When accompanied by typical
   smoke—as in most of the hot spots in this image—they are diagnostic for
   actively burning fire. The heaviest smoke pours from three fires in
   Arkansas (east) and substantial smoke also rises from two hot spots in
   Oklahoma (west). Multiple smaller hot spots dot the landscape of
   Oklahoma.

   While the MODIS instrument can easily detect fires, satellite imagery
   can’t disclose the cause of a fire. In these locations and in this time
   of year, fires are frequently set deliberately and managed to improve
   private or corporate farmland (agricultural fire) or public
   forests/grasslands (prescribed burns). Wildfires, which are accidental
   and unmanaged fires, may also occur in the spring but are more frequent
   in the summer and autumn or after a drought.

   According to InciWeb Incident Information System, no large wildfires
   were reported in either Oklahoma or Arkansas on April 2. The Oklahoma
   Department of Forestry reported dry conditions but only minimal
   wildfire activity in a report published on-line on April 1. Only two
   notable fires burned in the southeast, including one escaped debris
   fire and one incendiary. There were 2 large wildfires reported in the
   state and one was 80 percent contained and the other was 100 percent
   contained. On the other hand, Oklahoma reported prescribed fires
   treating 82 acres. On April 2, the Arkansas Forestry Commission noted
   several dozen active prescribed burns across the state.

   Given the lack of reporting of large or widespread wildfire activity
   and the confirmation active prescribed burning, it is relatively safe
   to assume that the fires visible in this image are prescribed burns.
   According to the Ouachita National Forest “Since the beginning of time,
   fires have burned in the forests of Arkansas and Oklahoma, playing a
   vital role in keeping the land healthy. Fire reduces dead vegetation,
   replenishes nutrients in the soil, stimulates new growth, and maintains
   biological diversity.”

   Image Facts
   Satellite:  Aqua
   Date Acquired: 4/1/2021
   Resolutions:  1km (164.2 KB),  500m (111.5 KB),  250m (416.3
   KB)
   Bands Used: 1,4,3
   Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2021-04-03
 
