Temporal and spatial characteristics of forest fires in South Korea between 1970 and 2003

Abstract

Information on the temporal and spatial patterns of forest fires can contribute to efficient forest fire management. To evaluate the readjustment of forest fire precautionary periods and to provide information for forest fire prevention and suppression strategies, the temporal and spatial characteristics of forest fire occurrences and spread in Korea were analysed using statistics from 1970 to 2003. Monthly forest fire occurrences and burned area were examined using time-series analysis, and F-tests were conducted among forest fire occurrences, burned area, and fire area growth rate to understand monthly forest fire characteristics. To understand the spatial characteristics of forest fires, cities and counties with similar forest fire characteristics were grouped based on cluster analysis of forest fire occurrences and spread characteristics. A seasonal exponential smoothing model was selected for forest fire occurrences and burned area. The number of mean annual forest fire occurrences was 429, and mean annual burned area was 2908 ha year–1 in Korea. The seasonal differences in forest fire characteristics were clearly distinguished, with 61% of total forest fire occurrences and 90% of total burned area being in March and April. Forest fire precautionary periods are suggested based on forest fire occurrence patterns. A total of 226 cities and counties throughout the country were classified into three groups. Group 1, which had frequent forest fire occurrences with smaller burned areas and slower fire growth area rates, was distributed in the western part of Korea and metropolitan regions. Group 3, which had a relatively small number of forest fire occurrences but larger burned areas and fast growth rates, was located in the central inland region and the eastern part of the Taeback Mountain Range. Group 2 had characteristics intermediate between those of group 1 and group 3.