Research Progress on Satellite Remote Sensing Monitoring and Early Warning of Forest Fires in China

Wildfires pose significant hazards to ecosystems and socioeconomic systems. The rapid growth of forest resources in China has led to an increase in fuel load, while the combined effects of climate change, human activities, and the impacts of cross-border wildfires have further heightened wildfire risks. Therefore, establishing efficient monitoring and early warning systems is of paramount importance. This study comprehensively reviews the research progress of satellite remote sensing-based wildfire monitoring and early warning in China, focusing on four core directions: fuel parameter estimation, smoke area identification and fire spot localization, dynamic tracking and monitoring of fire spots, and post-fire assessment. It emphasizes the analysis of the application of multi-source satellite data and multi-technology integration methods. The results indicate that the accuracy of active fire detection in China’s satellite-based wildfire monitoring system has been continuously improved. The application of GF-series satellites has effectively enhanced the precision of smoke area identification and fire spot detection, while multi-scale early warning models, dynamic monitoring technologies, and post-fire assessment technologies have demonstrated remarkable effectiveness in their application. However, current challenges include systematic deficiencies in key technologies, low efficiency in achievement transformation, and outdated operational systems. In the future, China needs to enhance the precise prevention and control capabilities for wildfires and safeguard forest ecological security by means of establishing space-air-ground integrated systems, strengthening technology R&D and transformation, and upgrading operational systems.