Abstract
China's forest cover has increased by approximately 10% as a result of sustainable forest management since the late 1970s. The forest ecosystem area affected by fire is increasing at an alarming rate of approximately 600,000 ha per year. The northeastern part of China, with a forest cover of 41.6%, has the greatest percentage of acres affected by forest fires. This study combines field and satellite weather data to determine factors that influence dead fuel moisture content (FMC). It assesses the use of the Canadian forest fire weather index to determine the daily forest fire danger in a typical temperate forest in Northeastern China during autumn. Based on the Wilcoxon test for paired samples, the observed and predicted values of FMC showed similar variation in eight of eleven sampling sites (72.7%), with a p value > 0.05. Three sampling plots presented lower predicted values of FMC than observed values (27.3%), with a p value < 0.05. The calculation of fire risk using the Canadian Forest Fire Weather Rating System (CFFDRS) in Maoer Mountain forest ecosystems presented low, medium or high risk; thus, the CFFDRS is suitable for determining fire danger in our study region. Along with these results, this study served to compare the use of FMC-metre field data and China Weather Station data to evaluate fire danger. The results of this study led us to suggest the multiplication of meteorological stations in fire-prone regions.
Highlights
Forest fires are the most widespread and critical disturbance in boreal and temperate forest ecosystems (Ying et al 2018)
In 2020, the results in Fig. 3a–f show that the predicted (FMC metre and China Weather Station (CWS)) fuel moisture content (FMC) varied at the same rate as the measured FMC, a rapid increase in FMC was observed after the rain on October 20
This study evaluated the ability of the Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index to estimate fire danger in typical temperate forest stands in Northeastern China
Summary
Forest fires are the most widespread and critical disturbance in boreal and temperate forest ecosystems (Ying et al 2018). While China’s forest cover has increased by approximately 10% as a result of sustainable forest management since the late 1970s (Nöchel and Svennin 2017), the forest area ecosystems affected by fire are increasing at an alarming rate of approximately 600 thousand hectares per year (Yang et al 2010). The northeastern part of China (Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning provinces), with a forest cover of 41.59%, has the greatest percentage of acres affected by forest fires. A high priority for forest protection in China is required (Thomas 1990), and there is an imperative need for China to develop its national forest fire danger rating system (Yang and Di 2011)
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