Relationship between Forest Fuel Moisture Contents and Weather Factors During the Forest Fires Danger Season in Chuncheon, Gangwon

Abstract

The amount of moisture contained in fallen leaves in the forest is closely related to the possibility of the ignition and spread of a forest fire. This moisture content is an important fundamental component of the forest fire danger rating system, as well as an essential parameter in forest fire management. This study examined the relationship between the moisture content of fuel in the forests and weather information obtained from HOBO data loggers installed in forests during the forest fire seasons of 2018 and 2020. The moisture content of the forest fuel was divided into two slopes (south and north), and the fallen leaves used were broad-leaved (Prunus serrulate and Quercus dentata) and coniferous (Pinus densiflora and Pinus koraiensis). The temperature (mean, minimum, and maximum) and relative humidity (mean and minimum) data obtained from the weather measuring devices installed in the forests were used to correlate weather factors with fuel moisture content. During the spring forest fire period, the temperature (mean, minimum, and maximum) and relative humidity (mean and minimum) of each slope and tree species were significant, while the average temperature and relative humidity were significant during the autumn. According to the correlations between the fuel moisture content and weather, factors with high significance were selected, and multiple regression analyses of the slope and species were found to be significant at 1 percent. The results of this study are expected to be used as primary data for calculating the fuel index of the forest fire forecasting system by accounting for the effects of weather factors on the moisture content of the fuel.