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COLORADO

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104°52'

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104°54'

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104°56'

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104°58'

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38°58' 38°58'

38°56' 38°56'

38°54' 38°54'

104°52'

104°52'

104°54'

104°54'

104°56'

104°56'

104°58'

104°58'

38°58' 38°58'

38°56' 38°56'

38°54' 38°54'

SCALE 1:25 000

0 0.25 0.5 1 1.5 2 MILES

0 0.25 0.5 1 1.5 2 KILOMETERS

© 2012 DigitalGlobe

NextView License

SCALE 1:25 000

0 0.25 0.5 1 1.5 2 MILES

0 0.25 0.5 1 1.5 2 KILOMETERS

Explanation

Waldo Canyon Fire perimeter

Vegetation cover decrease, July 2012–September 2013

Vegetation cover increase, July 2012–September 2013

© 2013 DigitalGlobe

NextView License

Explanation

Waldo Canyon Fire perimeter

1 Photograph location 1 Photograph location

Quarry Quarry

SUMMARY

The Waldo Canyon Fire of 2012 was one of the most destructive wildfire events in Colorado history. The fire burned a

total of 18,247 acres, claimed 2 lives, and destroyed 347 homes (Deam, 2013; Meyer, 2013). The Waldo Canyon Fire continues

to pose challenges to nearby communities. In a preliminary emergency assessment conducted in 2012, the U.S. Geological

Survey (USGS) concluded that drainage basins within and near the area affected by the Waldo Canyon Fire pose a risk for

future debris flow events (Verdin and others, 2012). Rainfall over burned, formerly vegetated surfaces resulted in

multiple flood and debris flow events that affected the cities of Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs in 2013. One fatality

resulted from a mudslide near Manitou Springs in August 2013 (Lackey, 2013). Federal, State, and local governments continue

to monitor these hazards and other post-fire effects, along with the region’s ecological recovery.

At the request of the Colorado Springs Office of Emergency Management, the USGS Special Applications Science Center

developed a geospatial product to identify vegetation cover changes following the 2012 Waldo Canyon Fire event. Vegetation

cover was derived from July 2012 WorldView-2 and September 2013 QuickBird multispectral imagery at a spatial resolution of

two meters. The 2012 image was collected after the fire had reached its maximum extent. Per-pixel increases and decreases in

vegetation cover were identified by measuring spectral changes that occurred between the 2012 and 2013 image dates. A

Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and Green-Near Infrared Index (GRNIR) were computed from each image.

These spectral indices are commonly used to characterize vegetation cover and health condition, due to their sensitivity to

detect foliar chlorophyll content. Vector polygons identifying surface-cover feature boundaries were derived from the 2013

imagery using image segmentation software. This geographic software groups similar image pixels into vector objects based

upon their spatial and spectral characteristics. The vector dataset was then populated with the per-pixel spectral change

information to provide an estimated percentage of vegetation increase or decrease of pixels within each polygon. Information

collected during a field visit to the Waldo Canyon burn scar in September 2013 was used to help validate this assessment (see

photographs 1–3). The numbers on the satellite images correspond to the location of the photographs.

For display purposes, the polygons shown on the map represent areas where significant decrease or increase in vegetation

cover occurred. Only polygons that held a 70 percent or greater cover change are shown on this map (a GIS dataset with

complete information is available upon request). A significant increase in vegetation cover was found in the burned area. This

increase is likely due to the growth of grasses and other herbaceous vegetation. Minimal vegetation cover decrease was

detected at this threshold. This product is meant to provide a broad survey of post-fire vegetation trends within the Waldo

Canyon burned area to Federal, State, and local officials. It is not designed to quantify species-level vegetation change at this

time.

REFERENCES CITED

Deam, Jenny, 2013, A year after Waldo Canyon fire, Colorado town contends with flooding: The Los Angeles Times, accessed 

on January 21, 2014, at http://articles.latimes.com/2013/aug/29/nation/la-na-manitou-springs-20130830. 

Lackey, Katherine, 2013, 1 dead, 3 missing in Colo. mudslide, flash floods: USA Today, accessed on January 3, 2014, at 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/08/10/manitou-springs-colorado-floods/2638419/.

Meyer, J. P., 2013, Waldo Canyon fire: A year later, life returning to normal: The Denver Post, accessed on January 21, 2014, at 

http://www.denverpost.com/wildfires/ci_23539749/waldo-canyon-fire-year-later-life-returning-normal.

Verdin, K.L., Dupree, J.A, and Elliott, J.G., 2012, Probability and volume of potential postwildfire debris flows in the 2012 

Waldo Canyon Burn Area near Colorado Springs, Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2012–1158, 8 p.

Use of Satellite Imagery to Identify Vegetation Cover Changes Following the Waldo Canyon Fire Event, Colorado, 2012–2013

By

Christopher J. Cole, Beverly A. Friesen, and Earl M. Wilson

2014

Images produced from © DigitalGlobe July 4, 2012 WorldView-2 and 

September 25, 2013 QuickBird data.

These datasets have been orthorectified using USGS 10-m NED DEM 

information to improve spatial accuracy.

Multispectral Red (Band 3), Green (Band 2) and Blue (Band 1) shown

UTM projection, Zone 13N, World Geodetic System of 1984 (WGS84)

Satellite image of Waldo Canyon burn scar near the conclusion of the fire event, collected July 2012 Satellite image of Waldo Canyon burn scar (post-fire), collected September 2013

Publishing support provided by:

Denver Publishing Service Center

Manuscript approved for publication April 14, 2014.

This report is available at:

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2014/1078

Suggested citation: Cole, C.J., Friesen, B.A., and Wilson, E.M., 2014, 

Use of satellite imagery to identify vegetation cover changes following the 

Waldo Canyon Fire event, Colorado, 2012–2013: U.S. Geological Survey 

Open-File Report 2014–1078, 1 sheet, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ofr20141078.

ISSN 2331-1258 (online)

http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ofr20141078

Rampart Range Road Rampart Range Road Rampart Range Road

Rampart 

Reservoir

Rampart 

Reservoir

Northfield

Reservoir

Northfield

Reservoir

Eagle

Lake

Eagle

Lake

Eagle

Lake

Eagle

Lake

Stanley

Reservoir

Stanley

Reservoir

Glen Eyrie

Reservoir

Glen Eyrie

Reservoir

Glen Eyrie

Reservoir

Glen Eyrie

Reservoir

Garden 

of the 

Gods

Garden 

Gods

Garden 

Gods

West Colorado Springs West Colorado Springs

Rampart Range Road Rampart Range Road

Rampart 

Reservoir

Rampart 

Reservoir

Rampart 

Reservoir

Rampart 

Reservoir

Nichols

Reservoir

Nichols

Reservoir

Nichols

Reservoir

Nichols

Reservoir

Northfield

Reservoir

Northfield

Reservoir

Northfield

Reservoir

Northfield

Reservoir

Eagle

Lake

Eagle

Lake

Eagle

Lake

Eagle

Lake

Stanley

Reservoir

Stanley

Reservoir

Stanley

Reservoir

Stanley

Reservoir

Glen Eyrie

Reservoir

Glen Eyrie

Reservoir

Glen Eyrie

Reservoir

Garden 

of the 

Gods

Garden 

Gods

Garden 

Gods

West Colorado Springs West Colorado Springs

Cascade Cascade Cascade Cascade Cascade

© 2012 and © 2013 DigitalGlobe, Inc., Longmont, Colo., USA, 80503 

DigitalGlobe and the DigitalGlobe logos are trademarks of DigitalGlobe, Inc. The use and/or 

dissemination of this data and/or and product in any way derived there from are restricted. 

Unauthorized use and/or dissemination is prohibited.

Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply 

endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also may 

contain copyrighted materials as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted 

items must be secured from the copyright owner.

To learn about the USGS and its information products visit

http://www.usgs.gov/

1-800-ASK-USGS

For more information concerning this publication, contact:

Director, Special Applications Science Center

U.S. Geological Survey 

Box 25046, Mail Stop 520

Denver, CO 80225

(303) 236–1464

Nichols

Reservoir

Nichols

Reservoir

Nichols

Reservoir

Nichols

Reservoir

White areas located within the Waldo Canyon Fire perimeter represent exposed, highly reflective 

(bright) bare soil and rock. Vegetation cover in these areas were consumed during the fire event. It 

is "brighter" in this image (compared to the left) because much of the charred overstory material has 

been removed. These areas do not have a colored polygon because either (1) the threshold criteria 

for “vegetation cover decrease” (70 percent) was not met on the image or (2) vegetation cover did 

not positively or negatively change between the two images.

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Photograph 2. Understory vegetation regrowth near Eagle Lake. Numerous post-fire mitigation measures were 

enacted by Eagle Lake Camp officials at this site, including reseeding and installing log erosion barriers for flood 

control. Photograph taken by Chris Cole, September 2013.

Photograph 3. View of Rampart Range from Rampart Range Road (looking northeast) showing slopes 

that have not undergone significant vegetation regrowth. Post-fire erosion has been confirmed in this area using 

high-resolution remotely sensed imagery and field observations. Photograph taken by Chris Cole, September 2013.

Photograph 1. Understory vegetation regrowth near the Flying W Ranch. A sediment detention basin constructed 

by the Flying W Ranch and the city of Colorado Springs to minimize flood effects is visible in the foreground. 

Photograph taken by Chris Cole, September 2013.

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Open-File Report 2014–1078