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(fire crackling)

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- [Narrator] Wildfires,

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one of nature's most powerful forces,

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capable of reshaping entire
landscapes in a matter of hours.

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From the arid hills of California

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to the dense eucalyptus
forests of Australia,

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these intense blazes leave
a trail of destruction,

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challenging firefighters,
communities, and ecosystems alike.

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But wildfires aren't just about flames.

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They're about the cycle of
growth, destruction, and renewal.

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Though a natural part of many ecosystems,

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climate change has amplified
their frequency and intensity

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the world over, emphasizing more than ever

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the importance of better understanding

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and managing wildfires.

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For over 50 years,

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Landsat satellites have been
capturing invaluable data,

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allowing us to track the
health of vegetation,

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map burned area, and monitor
recovery in burned regions.

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So let's explore the
ways our guardian Landsat

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is used to monitor wildfires

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from before the very first spark

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to years after the flames have died out.

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At the core of each Landsat satellite

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are its onboard sensors,

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the instruments that give them the ability

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to continuously scan Earth's
surface for wildfire activity.

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Landsats 8 and 9, currently in orbit,

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are both equipped with the
Operational Land Imager, or OLI,

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and the Thermal Infrared Sensor, or TIRS.

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OLI captures detailed data
across visible near-infrared

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and shortwave-infrared wavelengths,

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helping scientists assess
the distribution, abundance,

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and health of vegetation and
track changes in land cover,

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four factors crucial to
understanding wildfire risk.

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Healthy hydrated vegetation
is less likely to burn,

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whereas dry stressed vegetation

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is essentially fuel waiting for a spark.

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While OLI gives us a bird's eye view

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of land cover and vegetation health

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TIRS measures surface temperatures

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critical for detecting heat anomalies,

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which can help spot fires as they start.

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It's this combination
of OLI's vegetation data

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and TIRS' heat detection

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that allow Landsat to
be such a powerful tool

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for wildfire management.

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Landsat satellite's onboard instruments

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coupled with their ability to revisit

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the same location every eight days,

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provide consistent and reliable data,

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giving scientists tools to
characterize the fire lifecycle

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beginning before they ignite

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to well after they've
been successfully snuffed.

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One of the most effective
ways to manage wildfires

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is by understanding and
controlling the vegetation

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or fuel that powers them.

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Vegetation that becomes dry or
overgrown can act as tinder,

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intensifying fires when they ignite.

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Landsat satellites play a crucial role

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in monitoring these fuel loads

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and helping fire managers reduce the risk

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of large uncontrollable wildfires.

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Fuel management strategies
rely on accurate data

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about vegetation health,
moisture levels, and structure,

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which can be gathered from
Landsat's onboard sensors.

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Landsat's multi-spectral capabilities

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allow scientists to assess

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various characteristics of
vegetation across vast areas.

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With this data, they
can classify vegetation

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into different fuel types,

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each with a different
likelihood of burning.

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And Landsat imagery can show

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how vegetation changes over time,

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detecting areas that are
becoming drier or denser,

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providing information
that can guide actions,

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such as controlled burns
or mechanical thinning.

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As climate change continues to influence

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the behavior of wildfires,

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Landsat's long-term consistent data

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offers fire managers the crucial tools

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needed to safeguard forests,
communities, and ecosystems

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from their destructive force.

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Once a wildfire ignites,

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tracking its progression is critical

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for understanding its impact
on ecosystems and landscapes.

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Landsat's ability to map burned areas

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has been a game changer,

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allowing scientists to
assess fire patterns

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more accurately than ever before.

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A new approach developed by researchers

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uses dense time-series data from Landsat

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to create highly detailed
maps of burned areas.

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This method goes beyond
simply spotting active fires.

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It reveals the true extent of burned land

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even after the flames
have been extinguished.

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The key to this innovation
is an advanced algorithm

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that uses data from Landsat's visible,

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infrared, and thermal bands

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to identify areas that have been burned.

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By comparing images from
before and after the fire,

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the algorithm can detect
changes in vegetation,

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soil, and surface heat,

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giving a precise picture
of where the fire spread.

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The result?

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A more accurate estimate
of the total area burned,

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identifying 36% more burned
area than previous methods

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in key regions like the western US

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where fires are most common.

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Landsat's detailed burned area maps

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not only help researchers understand

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how fires affect the landscape,

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but they also support long-term monitoring

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of fire prone ecosystems,
providing invaluable data

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for improving wildfire response strategies

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and protecting both natural
and human environments.

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The story doesn't end

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once a wildfire's flames
have been quenched.

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In fact, it's just the beginning.

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Despite the charred landscapes

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left behind in a wildfire's path,

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nature has a remarkable ability to recover

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if we give it the chance.

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This is where Landsat's
long-term data record

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really pays off,

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helping scientists monitor
this recovery process

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by providing detailed, consistent imagery

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that tracks how forests and ecosystems

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rebound from fire damage.

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In 2019, a team of researchers
used Landsat imagery

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to study the recovery of
forests damaged by wildfire

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in western North America.

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The study looked at 12 wildfires

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that occurred between 2000 and 2007

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across three different forest types:

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ponderosa pine, mixed conifer,
and conifer-oak-chaparral.

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Using LandTrendr, a Landsat-based tool

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for analyzing changes
in land cover over time,

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the researchers analyzed
decades of Landsat imagery

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to track how these burned
areas changed over time.

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They focused on something called
the normalized burn ratio,

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or NBR, an index calculated
from Landsat's infrared bands

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sensitive to both burn severity
and vegetation regrowth.

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By observing how NBR
changed year after year,

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the team could measure
forest recovery rates.

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The results showed

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that although forests
are remarkably resilient,

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recovery takes time.

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On average, five years after a fire,

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forests had recovered about 30 to 44%

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of their pre-fire vegetation cover.

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After 10 years, this
increased to 47 to 72%,

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and by 13 years post-fire,
recovery ranged from 54 to 77%.

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As wildfires become
more frequent and severe

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due to climate change,

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studies like this one are
more important than ever,

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helping us understand how our forests

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might change in the future

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and how we can better manage and protect

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these vital ecosystems,

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all made possible by the
continuous reliable data

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provided by the Landsat program.

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While the current generation
of Landsat satellites

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has revolutionized our
ability to monitor wildfires,

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the future holds even more promise.

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Landsat Next, scheduled to
launch in the coming years,

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will push the boundaries

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of satellite technology even further.

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With improved spatial
and temporal resolution,

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Landsat Next will provide
more frequent observations

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of wildfire-prone regions.

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And Landsat Next enhanced
thermal imaging capabilities

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will allow for more precise
temperature readings

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and be able to detect
even smaller hotspots,

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possibly providing earlier
warnings for potential wildfires.

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Landsat Next will also feature
additional spectral bands,

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allowing for even more detailed analysis

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of vegetation health and fire damage.

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Whether it's predicting fire
risk or monitoring recovery,

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Landsat Next promises to be a game changer

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in wildfire management.

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Wildfires are an inevitable
part of many ecosystems,

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but with the right tools,

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we can better manage and
mitigate their impacts.

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For decades, the Landsat
program has given us the power

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to monitor the Earth from above,

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providing critical data on fire risk,

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detection, and recovery.

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As climate change evolves

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and wildfires become an
increasingly pressing global issue,

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the insights gained from Landsat

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will be more important than ever.

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From predicting where
the next fire might spark

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to watching nature's
incredible recovery unfold,

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helping us better understand
and protect our world.