Fire Weather Conditions in Plantation Areas in Northern Sumatra, Indonesia

Abstract

Peatland fires in Indonesia tend to be more active during El Niño-related droughts, with the exception of fires in North Sumatra. As North Sumatra is located north of the equator and is affected by the winter and summer monsoons, fires tend to be more active not only during the dry main season from January to March, but also in June and August due to short-term droughts. Due to these complex fire trends, no appropriate fire-related indices have been found in North Sumatra. In this paper, 20 years of fire (hotspot (HS) data from 2003 to 2022, weather data (hourly and daily), and various satellite data were used to analyze fire weather conditions in Dumai plantation areas. Analysis results of 20 fire incidents (largest fires (HSs) of each year) showed the following fire weather conditions: high wind speeds (>19 km h−1), high temperatures (>33 °C), and low relative humidity (<50%). Based on the results of fire and weather analyses, several fire-related indices selected from various satellite-measured data were examined. Precipitable water vapor has the highest negative correlation with fires. It is hoped that this new fire index will be used for fire prevention not only Sumatra but also in other areas in Indonesia.