Evaluation of Fire Incidence in Spanish Forest Species

Mapping forest site quality at national level

Effects of fire on soil organic matter in a “cerrado sensu-stricto” from Southeast Brazil as revealed by changes in δ13C

Abstract. In heavily altered landscapes, where vegetation is not natural and where people are the main source of ignitions, relationships between fire occurrence and climate conditions may be unclear. The objective of this study was to evaluate to what extent territories with similar Potential Natural Vegetation (PNV) in peninsular Spain differ in their forest fire characteristics. From 1974 to 1994, more than 174 000 fires occurred. We used (1) the Spanish data base of forest fires, (2) a PNV map and (3) a land use map. Separate fire characteristics, based either on the number of fires occurred or the area burned, were obtained for each of the ca. 5000 grid‐cells (10 km × 10 km) into which peninsular Spain is divided in the UTM projection. Also, meteorological conditions at the time of fire ignition, cause of ignition and present forest cover were referred to the same grid‐cells as external factors potentially determinant of fire occurrence. The relationships between fire regime characteristics and PNV units were explored with Principal Components Analysis (PCA). The role of the three sets of external factors in the fire characteristics was evaluated with Redundancy Analysis (RDA). Groups of similar PNV types were clearly segregated, suggesting a gradient of fire characteristics. Higher fire incidence (higher frequencies and spatial incidence of fires, but lower proportions of grid‐cells affected by large fires) was associated with Atlantic, warm territories with deciduous forests as PNV. Intermediate fire frequency and rotation period, but with a higher relative incidence of medium and large fires occurred in Mediterranean PNV units, dominated by sclerophyllous oak forests. Low fire frequency and long rotation periods, with strong seasonal and yearly variability occurred for PNV units in the cold uplands (Fagus, Pinus, Abies, Juniperus) or in the semi‐arid, shrubby PNV units. The cause of ignition best explained the patterns of forest fire characteristics, followed by weather conditions.Our results indicate that, even in human influenced regions, climate and soil conditions exert control on the resulting forest fire characteristics, as indicated by the high segregation of the PNV types. However, the role of man was crucial in shifting the patterns of fire incidence. This was so that highest fire incidence occurred in regions that, otherwise, would be expected to have a much lower one, thus posing a serious threat for such areas. PNV maps, by providing a phytogeographical framework for characterizing forest fires, could be valuable tools for applying research results to forest fire management policies, taking properly into account the underlying determinant factors.

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In heavily altered landscapes, where vegetation is not natural and where people are the main source of ignitions, relationships between fire occurrence and climate conditions may be unclear. The objective of this study was to evaluate to what extent territories with similar Potential Natural Vegeta- tion (PNV) in peninsular Spain differ in their forest fire characteristics. From 1974 to 1994, more than 174 000 fires occurred. We used (1) the Spanish data base of forest fires, (2) a PNV map and (3) a land use map. Separate fire characteris- tics, based either on the number of fires occurred or the area burned, were obtained for each of the ca. 5000 grid-cells (10 km ∞ 10 km) into which peninsular Spain is divided in the UTM projection. Also, meteorological conditions at the time of fire ignition, cause of ignition and present forest cover were referred to the same grid-cells as external factors potentially determinant of fire occurrence. The relationships between fire regime characteristics and PNV units were explored with Principal Components Analysis (PCA). The role of the three sets of external factors in the fire characteristics was evaluated with Redundancy Analysis (RDA). Groups of similar PNV types were clearly segregated, suggesting a gradient of fire characteristics. Higher fire incidence (higher frequencies and spatial incidence of fires, but lower proportions of grid-cells affected by large fires) was associated with Atlantic, warm territories with deciduous forests as PNV. Intermediate fire frequency and rotation period, but with a higher relative inci- dence of medium and large fires occurred in Mediterranean PNV units, dominated by sclerophyllous oak forests. Low fire frequency and long rotation periods, with strong seasonal and yearly variability occurred for PNV units in the cold uplands (Fagus, Pinus, Abies, Juniperus) or in the semi-arid, shrubby PNV units. The cause of ignition best explained the patterns of forest fire characteristics, followed by weather conditions. Our results indicate that, even in human influenced re- gions, climate and soil conditions exert control on the result- ing forest fire characteristics, as indicated by the high segrega- tion of the PNV types. However, the role of man was crucial in shifting the patterns of fire incidence. This was so that highest fire incidence occurred in regions that, otherwise, would be expected to have a much lower one, thus posing a serious threat for such areas. PNV maps, by providing a phytogeo- graphical framework for characterizing forest fires, could be valuable tools for applying research results to forest fire man- agement policies, taking properly into account the underlying determinant factors.

The potential productivity of forests is an important parameter in the evaluation of vegetation as a carbon sink. At the same time, potential productivity can be considered as an indicator of growth conditions and also as a measure of available fuel loads, which, in Mediterranean-type ecosystems, are a main factor of regional fire incidence. The present work deals with the relationship between an estimation of forest potential productivity and the fire incidence registered in peninsular Spain. Fire incidence was characterized by means of several fire regime variables. In order to contrast the patterns obtained, a similar analysis of the relationship between fire regime and human population density was also carried out. The results show that higher fire incidence was registered in more productive areas. Potential productivity was correlated to variables related to the number of fires and to the area burned, whereas the population density was also correlated to the number of fire variables and to the area burned, but with lower correlation coefficients. Although it is difficult to establish cause-and-effect relationships between complex phenomena that depend on a large number of factors, finding statistically significant relationships between fire incidence and the estimation of potential forest productivity used over a long time period is considered very relevant. These relationships make it necessary to take into account the fire regime when evaluating both forests and other terrestrial ecosystems as carbon sinks so as to meet the demands of the Kyoto Protocol.

Background: The forests in India and worldwide are threatened by many factors, one among them being the increasing frequency of forest fires. It damages the forest ecosystem and the environment thus altering the global climate. A proper monitoring and understanding of forest fires both spatially and temporally would assist in management of forest and help in protecting the biodiversity and wildlife habitat. Satellite remote sensing and GIS help in visualizing the extent and damage of forest fire at various scales and time periods. Objectives: To analyze the incidences of forest fires in Jharkhand state of India. Forest fire hotspot district were identified and analyzed. Methods/Statistical Analysis: The forest fire point data from the year 2005 to 2016 was analyzed in GIS domain for Jharkhand. The Landsat-8 data was utilized to obtain the forest cover of 2015 for Paschim Singhbhum district. The 2km*2km grid was generated to evaluate each grid with reference to forest fire incidence. Findings: Analysis of the datasets revealed that highest forest fire district of Jharkhand state is Paschim Singhbhum, it retain 30% of total forest fire whereas it contain approximately 17 % of the state forest cover. The study reveals very high frequency of forest fire grids in Paschim Singhbhum district falls in north-west of Pansuan dam of Porhat forest division. It provides a spatial view of forest fire occurrence, spread over duration of time which can be incorporated in management objectives to deal with the adverse effect of forest fire. Application/Improvements: Appropriate measures can focus on the particular very high to medium forest fire grid to minimize the effect of forest fire impact.

Long-term impacts of prescribed burning on regional extent and incidence of wildfires—Evidence from 50 years of active fire management in SW Australian forests

Fires in urban areas can cause significant economic, physical and psychological damage. Despite this, there has been a comparative lack of research into the spatial and temporal analysis of fire incidence in urban contexts. In this paper, we redress this gap through an exploration of the association of fire incidence to weather, calendar events and socio-economic characteristics in South-East Queensland, Australia using innovative technique termed the quad plot. Analysing trends in five fire incident types, including malicious false alarms (hoax calls), residential buildings, secondary (outdoor), vehicle and suspicious fires, results suggest that risk associated with all is greatly increased during school holidays and during long weekends. For all fire types the lowest risk of incidence was found to occur between one and six a.m. It was also found that there was a higher fire incidence in socially disadvantaged neighbourhoods and there was some evidence to suggest that there may be a compounding impact of high temperatures in such areas. We suggest that these findings may be used to guide the operations of fire services through spatial and temporal targeting to better utilise finite resources, help mitigate risk and reduce casualties.

A novel framework for identifying causes of forest fire events using environmental and temporal characteristics of the ignition point in fire footprint

The dynamic changes in the regimes of forest fires are due to the severity of climate and weather factors. The aim of the study was to examine the trend of forest fires and to evaluate their relationship with climate parameters for the state of Telangana in India. The climate and forest fire data were used and uploaded to the GIS platform in a specified vector grid (spacing: 0.3° x 0.3°). The data were evaluated spatially and statistical methods were applied to examine any relationships. The study revealed that there was a 78% incidence of forest fires in the months of February and March. The overall forest fire hotspot analysis (January to June) of grids revealed that the seven highest forest fire grids retain fire events greater than 600 were found in the north east of Warangal, east of Khammam and south east of Mahbubnagar districts. The forest fire analysis significantly followed the month wise pattern in grid format. Ten grids (in count) showed a fire frequency greater than 240 in the month of March and of these, three grids (in count) were found to be common where the forest fire frequency was highest in the preceding month. Rapid seasonal climate/weather changes were observed which significantly enhanced the forest fire events in the month of February onwards. The solar radiation increased to 159% in the month of March when compared with the preceding month whereas the relative humidity decreased to 47% in the same month. Furthermore, the wind velocity was found to be highest (3.5 meter/sec.) in the month of February and precipitation was found to be lowest (2.9 mm) in the same month. The analysis of Cramer V coefficient (CVC) values for wind velocity, maximum temperature, solar radiation, relative humidity and precipitation with respect to fire incidence were found to be in increasing order and were in the range of 0.280 to 0.715. The CVC value for precipitation was found to be highest and equivalent to 0.715 and showed its strongest association/relationship with fire events. The significant increase in precipitation not only enhances the moisture in the soil but also in the dry fuel load lying on the forest floor which greatly reduces the fuel burning capacity of the forest. The predicted (2050) temperature anomalies data (RCP-6) for the month of February and March also showed a significant increase in temperature over those areas where forest fire events are found to be notably high in the present scenario which will certainly impact adversely on the future forest fire regime. Findings from this study have their own significance because such analyses/relationships have never be examined at the state level, therefore, it can help to fulfill the knowledge gap for the scientific community and the state forest department, and support fire prevention and control activities. There is a need to replicate this study in future by taking more climate variables which will certainly give a better understanding of forest fire events and their relationships with various parameters. The satellite remote sensing data and GIS have a strong potential to analyze various thematic datasets and in the visualization of spatial/temporal paradigms and thus significantly support the policy making framework.

This review paper presents the extent and magnitude of forest fires and adaptation responses to deepen our understanding of the dynamics of forest fires in the eastern Himalayan region. We used a narrative scooping review approach to narrate the present state of forest fires and resilient adaptation responses to guide the development of climate resilient adaptation pathways in the future. Our review concludes that forest fires (total mean fire incidence = 3,158.5) continue to destroy overwhelming areas of forests every year (mean area destroyed = 658,778.4 hectares), presenting significant threat to ecological integrity, human wellbeing, and global effort to fight climate change. Fire incidences are highest during and post dry winter months which quickly declines at the onset of monsoon. Adaptation and responding to ever growing size and frequency of forest fires are limited by lack of awareness, training on fire management, firefighting infrastructure, technology, and adequate policy and financial support. In addition, there is acute lack of scientific studies to understand forest fire dynamics in the eastern Himalayan region. Based on the forest fire literature we argue that policy makers and communities must quickly adopt policy strategies that support smart responses to forest fire management including allocating adequate funds to support capacity building and research. Such decision must be based on research into potentials for climate resilient pathways for adaptation response.

Forest fire is a recurring environmental problem in Indonesia. In 2019 there were extensive fires in Indonesia, affecting parts of Jambi and South Sumatra. Therefore, the government tries to continue making efforts to inventory the area of the fires using satellite remote sensing data. This study used the Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2 optical satellites and the Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites to inventory the fire area. This study aims to identify the burned area using these three sensors with their respective advantages and disadvantages. The data used in this study are limited to May-July 2019 for the time before the fire incident, August-September 2019 for the time of the fire, and October-December 2019 for the time after the fire incident. From the existing timeframe, there are 14 scene data before the fire incident and 11 scene data after the fire incident for Landsat-8, 112 scene data before the fire incident and, 109 scene data after the fire incident for Sentinel-2, 14 scene data before the fire incident and 16 post-fire scene data for Sentinel-1. The method used to identify fires in optical sensors is the delta Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR). Whereas for SAR, the changes in vegetation structure were seen using VH polarization between before and after the incident. The burned area can be analyzed using Google Earth Engine (GEE) in this study. This study indicates that the fire detected by Landsat-8 is 14201.12 hectares with an overall accuracy of 95.83%, Sentinel-2 is 62540.57 hectares with an overall accuracy of 96.19%, and Sentinel-1 is 79689.95 hectares with an overall accuracy of 83.33%.

Climate and natural vegetation dynamics are key drivers of global vegetation fire, but anthropogenic burning now prevails over vast areas of the planet. Fire regime classification and mapping may contribute towards improved understanding of relationships between those fire drivers. We used 15 years of daily active fire data from the MODIS fire product (MCD14ML, collection 6) to create global maps of six fire descriptors (incidence, size inequality, season length, interannual variability, intensity, and fire season modality). Using multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) and hierarchical agglomerative clustering, we identified three fire macroregimes: Wild, Tamed, and Domesticated, each of which splitting into prototypical and transitional regimes. Interpretation of the six fire regimes in terms of their main drivers relied on the global maps of anthromes and Köppen climate types. The analysis yielded a two-dimensional space where the principal dimension of variability is primarily defined by interannual variability in fire activity and fire season length, and the secondary axis is based mainly on fire incidence. The Wild fire macroregime occurs mostly in cold wildlands, where burning is sporadic and fire seasons are short. Tamed fires predominate in seasonally dry tropical rangelands and croplands with high fire incidence. Domesticated fires are characteristic of humid, warm temperate and tropical croplands and villages with low fire incidence. The Tamed and Domesticated fire macroregimes, representing managed burning, account for 86% of all active fires in our dataset and for 70% of the global burnable area. Fourteen percent of active fires were found in the cold wildlands, and in the rangelands and forests of steppe and desert climates of the Wild macroregime. These results highlight the extent of human control over global pyrogeography in the Anthropocene.

Wildfires are uncontrolled and unwanted fires that usually occur in forested/rural areas and burn forests, agricultural areas, and wildlands. Land abandonment, with the consequent growth of the rural–urban interface, increases the exposure and vulnerability of fire-prone regions around the World. In the last two decades, Europe experienced a high number of wildfires causing large burnt areas mainly concentrated in the Mediterranean Basin. This high fire incidence seems to be the result of human activities including land use/land cover changes, but also of climate variability and change. In the present study, we analyse the current situation in Portugal, which is the European country with the highest total number of wildfires and the second-highest total burnt area. The spatial and temporal variability of the wildfires within the country is very heterogeneous, due to the human and biophysical drivers. In this regard, four main aspects are considered and discussed: (1) the spatial and temporal distribution of wildfires in mainland Portugal; (2) the main human and biophysical fire drivers; (3) socioeconomic impacts; and (4) the main strategies for fire risk mapping and management. The main results indicate high spatial heterogeneity of the fire incidence, with higher fire activity in the northern region than the southern region, mainly promoted by a higher irregular topography and significantly different types of climate and land use/land cover characteristics. We highlight how fire incidence is strongly dependent on many biophysical and human factors/drivers and the direct and indirect socioeconomic impacts of wildfires. Methodologies and indexes developed by Portuguese authorities to map fire risk and assess fire danger are described. The elements discussed in this chapter result from research and lessons learned in recent years on the fire regime in Portugal and Europe. These findings can contribute to improving forest, landscape, and fire management, in Mediterranean European countries which share similar characteristics.