Effects of Burn Severity on Tree Attributes in Mediterranean Mixed Conifer Stands: Evidence from the Gazipaşa 2025 Wildfire

Aim of study: Burn severity in Mediterranean forests is increasing. However, the effects of burn severity on tree attributes in steep, elevation‑stratified mixed conifer forests have not been sufficiently studied. This work was conducted to examine the spatial distribution of burn severity in the Gazipaşa 2025 fire using the delta Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR), to assess its consistency with ground indicators at the tree‑attribute level, and to analyze how tree attributes vary across burn‑severity classes. Area of study: The study area comprises the area affected by wildfire that occurred in Gazipaşa (Antalya, Türkiye) in 2025. Material and Methods: The Gazipaşa 2025 fire was examined by integrating Sentinel‑2 dNBR with measurements of tree attributes. In the field, the following were measured: bole scorch height (BSH), crown damage (CRD), crown base height (CBH), diameter at breast height (DBH), and cambium damage (CD). The field study was conducted across nine plots (three burn‑severity classes × three conifer species: Pinus brutia, Pinus nigra, Abies cilicica; n=90 trees). Main results: Burn‑severity mapping revealed a mosaic dominated by low severity (62.9%), with moderate‑low (27.2%) and moderate‑high (9.8%) classes; high severity was negligible (0.04%). Mean burn severity was highest in mixed P. nigra–A. cilicica stands, followed by pure/mixed P. brutia stands. The burn severity-CRD relationship was found to be significant (r=0.633, p<0.01), confirming that the burn‑severity mapping was consistent with tree‑level indicators. Tree attributes varied according to burn severity: BSH and CRD increased from low to moderate‑high, whereas CBH did not show significant difference among burn‑severity classes. Nevertheless, CBH was higher in trees with living cambium than in dead trees. Highlights: The integration of field measurements and remote sensing techniques provides validated, scalable metrics for measuring burn severity and identifying tree‑level impacts in Mediterranean mixed conifer forests. This finding contributes to determining how burn severity, across severity classes, affects tree stem and crown damage during wildfires.