Burn severity, vegetation degradation, and carbon storage loss in the Belemedik forest fire: implications for protected area management and post-fire restoration

Purpose: This study evaluates the ecological impacts of the 9 September 2020 forest fire in the Kaleboynu area of Eskikonacık Neighborhood, Pozantı District, Adana Province, on the Çakıt Stream micro-watershed, which partially overlaps with Belemedik Nature Park. Using an integrated remote sensing approach, it assesses fire-induced changes in burn severity, vegetation structure, and carbon storage capacity to support post-fire restoration planning in a protected Mediterranean ecosystem.Methods: The study was conducted within the 9,783.06-ha Çakıt Stream micro-watershed. Cloud-free Sentinel-2A MSI Level-2A imagery acquired before (05.09.2020) and after the fire (15.09.2020) was used to calculate the Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR), Differenced NBR (dNBR), and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Carbon storage was estimated using a nonlinear regression model relating NDVI to pixel-level carbon content. Spatial analyses were performed in ArcGIS 10.8.Findings: dNBR analysis showed that 92.49% (9,049.16 ha) of the watershed remained unburned or unchanged, while 725.92 ha was affected to varying degrees. NDVI results revealed losses of 330.65 ha of tree cover and 96.09 ha of shrub/grassland vegetation, accompanied by a 426.74 ha increase in bare surfaces. Total carbon storage declined from 105,465.71 tC to 105,450.25 tC, representing a loss of 15.46 tC (56.69 t CO₂e), primarily concentrated on forested slopes surrounding the Çakıt Stream valley.Conclusions: Although the wildfire affected only a limited portion of the watershed, it caused substantial biomass losses, disrupted vegetation continuity, and reduced carbon sequestration capacity. The concentration of damage on steep slopes indicates increased risks of erosion and surface runoff. Erosion control, restoration with pioneer and fire-adapted native species, and long-term remote sensing monitoring are recommended to support ecosystem recovery, restore habitat connectivity, and sustain ecosystem services.