Forest Fire Control Research Articles

Analisis Kepemimpinan Partisipatif dalam Pengendalian Kebakaran Hutan dan Lahan

Tropical forests in Palangka Rraya city is a tremendous asset givenin view of the forest can provide economicbenefi ts as a foreigPendapatan Asli Daerah (PAD ) in addition it is also the sector with the most potentialas a source of livelihood and life for society and private plantation companies . However, the existence offorests are currently threatened due to forest areas that were once green became barren and the barren region that is mainly caused by human activity that is that is doing the destruction and land by burningburningthe land . Land and forest fi res occur each year into problems and threats faced by the multidimensionalimpact forests . In order For to supporting local government in realizing the land and forest fi re control, based on the Regional RegulationPeraturan Pemerintah No. 7 of 2003 is related to the preparation of the land and forest fi re control and decision of the Mayor of Palangkaraya No. 11 of 2008 while the duties andfunctions of the head of Head of the Environment AgencyBadan Lingkungan Hidup (BLH) by PeraturanWalikotaMayor Regulation Palangkaraya No. 17 of 2012 on job descriptions positions of Chairman of theEnvironment AgencyBLH Palangkaraya is formulating operational policy body, controlling, developing,organizinge, coordinating e and providinge technical services in the fi eld of environmental managementare integrated with the together-together relevant agencies in accordance with the provisions and applicablelaws.the laws that apply. This study will explore participatory leadership style used by the Head of BLHPalangkaraya in control of land and forest fi res . Eff orts made by the Head of BLH Palangkaraya is to involvemembers of the organization in BLH Palangkaraya to be active to control land and forest fi res.

Effects of liming on health and growth of young Schima superba trees under canopy of a Pinus massoniana stand damaged by soil acidification in Chongqing, China

In the past decades the decline of Masson pine (Pinus massoniana) forest caused by soil acidification due to excess sulphur (S) and nitrogen (N) input has become common in Chongqing, China. Schima superba, an excellent shade-tolerant and fire-resistant species, is believed to be more resistant to soil acidification than Masson pine. Accordingly, its saplings were often grown in acidified and declining Masson pine stands to transform them and enhance prevention and control of forest fires and, in fact, cultivating S. superba saplings under canopies of Masson pine stands growing on acidified soil may be an important measure of forest transformation in the future. But on the other hand, liming is an effective practice to alleviate damage of soil acidification to Masson pine forests. In 2004, we established permanent plots limed with 0 (unlimed control), 1, 2, 3, and 4 t ha−1 limestone powder in an acid-damaged (>25 % defoliation) Masson pine stand mixed with S. superba saplings in Chongqing, and observed positive responses of Masson pine growth 8 years after liming. In 2015 we conducted an investigation to assess the effects of liming on the health and growth of young S. superba trees under the canopy of this stand. The results showed that compared to the unlimed control, liming increased pH, exchangeable calcium (Ca), and Ca/Al molar ratio, but decreased exchangeable aluminum (Al) in the 0–20 cm mineral soil layer. As a result, length densites of living fine roots of the young S. superba trees increased, while their defoliation decreased. Over 11 years, mean height increment of the S. superba trees increased from 3.7 m in the unlimed control to 3.8, 4.0, 4.7, and 5.9 m in the 1, 2, 3, and 4 t ha−1 lime treatments, and their mean basal diameter (5 cm above the ground) increment increased from 2.4 to 2.7, 3.2, 3.9, and 4.9 cm, respectively. Liming favored the transformation of the Masson pine stand. These effects rose with increasing dose.

Forest fire modelling using cellular automata: application to the watershed Oued Laou (Morocco)

ABSTRACTIn this work, we consider the problem of modelling the phenomenon of forest fires using the cellular automata approach. The proposed model takes into account the main parameters that affect this phenomenon like nature and density of vegetation, humidity, wind, and altitude. We developed a decision-aided tool with JAVA which allows to analyse and format several hybrid collected data (satellite images, Digital Terrain Model) relatively to each studied area. The generated scenarios of forest fire spread in the study area will be considered as a guide for strategies in control and prevention of forest fires. As an application, we consider the watershed Oued Laou (Morocco).

The Risk Assessment Study of Potential Forest Fire in Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary using RS and GIS Techniques

In recent years, forest fires have become a major disaster in many countries of the world because of their impact on biodiversity, landscape, health, environment, ecology and economy. Forest fires are one of the major natural hazards occurring in the forests of the Western Ghats, a biodiversity hotspot in India. The present study aims to demarcate the risk zones of potential forest fire in Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary using integrated Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques. Every year, during March-May months, the forests in this area are affected by severe fires. In order to generate the fire risk zone map of the study area, a thematic study was carried out on each of the influencing factors viz. land cover type, slope, distance from settlement, distance from road, and elevation. A Fire Risk Index method was used to prepare the risk zone map. The area of the final map was grouped into five different categories of risk zones, viz. very low, low, moderate, high, and very high. Finally the risk zone map was validated with the fire incidence data for the last 10 years. Results of this study show that the most important factors which contribute to fire ignition are the human induced factors, also known as the anthropogenic factors. The resulting map of forest fire risk zone can be of great benefit for understanding the fire problem and will offer a more effective database for the preparation and control of forest fires.

Leaves Calorific Values of Selected Species in Burnt Tropical Peat Swamp Forest in Selangor, Malaysia

Forest fire in Malaysia’s peat swamp forest is a major concern since it is contributing to the country’s haze episode. Forest fire in peat areas is difficult to be extinguished and may occur for days. Understanding fuel characteristics is the key to develop effective fuel management in peat swamp forest. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the common species coverage and calorific value of the common plants species in the burnt peat swamp forest. The study was conducted in the rehabilitated areas of Raja Musa Forest Reserved, Selangor, Malaysia. 9 plots were established along canal 6 in Compartment 100 of the Raja Musa Forest Reserved. Plants were surveyed in the 9 plots and based on the survey, 8 species (Imperata cylindrica, Macaranga pruinosa, Nephrolepis biserrata, Melastoma malabathricum, Lygodium flexuosum, Uncaria tomentosa, Scleria sumatrensis and Melicope latifolia) most higest coverage found in that area. Scleria sumatrensis had the highest coverage of 40% followed by Melastoma malabathricum of coverage of 21%. The data suggested that the 8 species covered most of the study area and have the potential to be forest fuel. Uncaria Tomentosa had the highest calorific value with 4832.8 cal/g while Nephrolepis biserrata had the lowest value of 3825.2 cal/g. The findings concluded that the Sceleria sumatrensis had the highest coverage and calorific values of the selected plants vary with species. These information provide insight on the species common in burnt tropical peat swamp forest and are helpful in formulating forest fire control programme.

FLIRE DSS: A web tool for the management of floods and wildfires in urban and periurban areas

AbstractA web-based Decision Support System, named FLIRE DSS, for combined forest fire control and planning as well as flood risk management, has been developed and is presented in this paper. State of the art tools and models have been used in order to enable Civil Protection agencies and local stakeholders to take advantage of the web based DSS without the need of local installation of complex software and their maintenance. Civil protection agencies can predict the behavior of a fire event using real time data and in such a way plan its efficient elimination. Also, during dry periods, agencies can implement “

ВОПРОСЫ ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЯ ЛИДАРОВ ДЛЯ КОНТРОЛЯ ЛЕСНЫХ ПОЖАРОВ В ГОРНЫХ МАССИВАХ

ВОПРОСЫ ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЯ ЛИДАРОВ ДЛЯ КОНТРОЛЯ ЛЕСНЫХ ПОЖАРОВ В ГОРНЫХ МАССИВАХ

Faktor-Faktor Yang Mempengaruhi Kebakaran Hutan Di Indonesia Dan Implikasi Kebijakannya

ABSTRACT Forest fire is one of the crucial environmental and forestry issues as well as local and global concern. The longstanding efforts have been conducted to overcome this problem, but the success was relatively low. This study aims to determine the factors that affect the extent of forest and peat fires in Indonesia. The analysis of forest fires was carried out on three major islands, i.e. Sumatra, Kalimantan and Papua using time series data from 1969 to 2012. The data were analyzed using econometric models. The results indicated that the factors affecting the forest and peat fires included the price of logs, export prices of CPO, el nino, budget of the Ministry of Forestry, the economic crisis and the number of hotspots. The identified determinant which has a major impact on the extent of forest and peat fires is the number of hotspots. Controlling the number of hotspots significantly reduced the magnitude of forest fires. For that reason, there is a need for a paradigm shift in the control of forest fires from forest fire fighting activities into preventive effort by reducing the number or preventing the occurrence of hotspots as an early indication of a forest fire. Keywords: forest fires, hotspots, prevention

Agrosilvopastoral Systems in Northern Thailand and Northern Laos: Minority Peoples’ Knowledge versus Government Policy

Traditional agrosilvopastoral systems have been an important component of the farming systems and livelihoods of thousands of ethnic minority people in the uplands of Mainland Southeast Asia. Drawing on a combination of qualitative and participatory inquiries in nine ethnic minority communities, this study emphasizes the complex articulation of local farmers’ knowledge which has been so far excluded from governmental development and conservation policies in the northern uplands of Thailand and Laos. Qualitative analysis of local knowledge systems is performed using the Agroecological Knowledge Toolkit (AKT5) software. Results show that ethnic minorities in the two countries perceive large ruminants to be a highly positive component of local forest agro-ecosystems due to their contribution to nutrient cycling, forest fire control, water retention, and leaf-litter dispersal. The knowledge and perceptions of agrosilvopastoral farmers are then contrasted with the remarkably different forestry policy frameworks of the two countries. We find that the knowledge and diversity of practices exercised by ethnic minority groups contrasts with the current simplified and negative image that government officials tend to construct of agrosilvopastoral systems. We conclude that local knowledge of forest-livestock systems can offer alternative or complementary explanations on ecological cause-and-effect relationships which may need further scientific investigation and validation.

Virtual Fire: A web-based GIS platform for forest fire control

Α web-based Geographic Information Systems (GIS) platform – named Virtual Fire – for forest fire control has been developed to easily, validly and promptly share and utilize information and tools among firefighting forces. This state-of-the-art system enables fire management professionals to take advantage of GIS capabilities without needing to locally install complex software components. Fire management professionals can locate fire service vehicles and other resources online and in real-time. Fire patrol aircrafts and vehicles may use tracking devices to send their coordinates directly to the platform. Cameras can augment these data by transmitting images of high-risk areas into the graphical interface of the system. Furthermore, the system provides the geographical representation of fire ignition probability and identifies high-risk areas at different local regions daily, based on a high performance computing (HPC) pilot application that runs on Windows HPC Server. Real-time data from remote automatic weather stations and weather maps based on a weather forecasting system provide vital weather data needed for fire prevention and early warning. By using these methods and a variety of fire management information and tools, the end-users are given the ability to design an operational plan to encompass the forest fire, choosing the best ways to put the fire out within the proper recourses and time.

On the projection of future fire danger conditions with various instantaneous/mean-daily data sources

Fire danger indices are descriptors of fire potential in a large area, and combine a few variables that affect the initiation, spread and control of forest fires. The Canadian Fire Weather Index (FWI) is one of the most widely used fire danger indices in the world, and it is built upon instantaneous values of temperature, relative humidity and wind velocity at noon, together with 24 hourly accumulated precipitation. However, the scarcity of appropriate data has motivated the use of daily mean values as surrogates of the instantaneous ones in several studies that aimed to assess the impact of global warming on fire. In this paper we test the sensitivity of FWI values to both instantaneous and daily mean values, analyzing their effect on mean seasonal fire danger (seasonal severity rating, SSR) and extreme fire danger conditions (90th percentile, FWI90, and FWI>30, FOT30), with a special focus on its influence in climate change impact studies. To this aim, we analyzed reanalysis and regional climate model (RCM) simulations, and compared the resulting instantaneous and daily mean versions both in the present climate and in a future scenario. In particular, we were interested in determining the effect of these datasets on the projected changes obtained for the mean and extreme seasonal fire danger conditions in future climate scenarios, as given by a RCM. Overall, our results warn against the use of daily mean data for the computation of present and future fire danger conditions. Daily mean data lead to systematic negative biases of fire danger calculations. Although the mean seasonal fire danger indices might be corrected to compensate for this bias, fire danger extremes (FWI90 and specially FOT30) cannot be reliably transformed to accommodate the spatial pattern and magnitude of their respective instantaneous versions, leading to inconsistent results when projected into the future. As a result, we advocate caution when using daily mean data and strongly recommend the application of the standard definition for its calculation as closely as possible. Threshold-dependent indices derived from FWI are not reliably represented by the daily mean version and thus can neither be applied for the estimation of future fire danger season length and severity, nor for the estimation of future extreme events.

Determinants of Household Decision to Join Community Forest Associations: A Case Study of Kenya

Forests contribute significantly to the livelihoods of forest adjacent communities. Under the Kenya's new Forest Act (2005), community participation in forest conservation is provided for through formation of Community Forest Associations (CFAs). This study focused on Ontukigo and Ngare Ndare CFAs involved in participatory management of Ontulili and Ngare Ndare forests in North Central Kenya. It aimed at identifying household factors associated with decision to participate in PFM and the differences between CFA and non-CFA members in their participation in forest conservation activities. Semi structured questionnaires were administered to randomly selected 80 CFA and 80 non-CFA members. Factors influencing household decision to join CFA included household size (, ), age (, ), number of cows (, ) and sheep (, ) owned by CFA (6.6) and non-CFA (4.2), farm size (, ) and forms of land tenure. Other factors included distance of homestead from forest (, ), sources of fodder (, ), access to forest products (, ), crop land (, ), and awareness of Forest Act 2005 (, ). Participation in forest conservation was positively influenced by CFA membership (, ). Majority of CFA members (80%) participated highly in forest patrol, fire control, tree nurseries, and tree planting activities.

Study on Citizens’ Information about Forest Fires: The Case of Kavala

Well-informed communities form an integral part of forest fire prevention and control mechanisms, which is why it is important to be aware of the degree of information absorbed by citizens, and the main sources from which it is drawn. The present study was conducted in the city of Kavala, using a questionnaire which examined not only the above issues but also the local citizens’ awareness of the actions to be taken in case of a forest fire. In addition, citizens were also asked to evaluate the causes of forest fires that occur in their city.

The effects of site characteristics on the landscape-level windthrow regime in the North Shore region of Quebec, Canada

Understanding windthrow is essential for the implementation of ecosystem management, especially in forests with long fire return intervals. Our study describes windthrow dynamics at a landscape scale of the Quebec North Shore region, Canada, and evaluates the effect of some site (soil surface material thickness or deposit thickness, drainage, slope, topography and wind), and stand (dominant species, height and density) characteristics on windthrow probabilities. The SIFORT database, created by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Wildlife of Quebec, the Quebec forest fire control agency and the Quebec forest pest and disease control agency, was used to perform a spatiotemporal analysis of windthrow, according to site and stand characteristics. Windthrow probabilities were influenced by topographic exposure (topex), slope classes and deposit thickness. Windthrow probabilities increased with topographic exposure. Windthrow occurrence was highest when deposit was thick (more than 1 m) and slope class was medium (from 15 to 30 per cent). Finally, this study has shown the importance of partial windthrow at the landscape scale in the North Shore region. Thus our results suggest that from an ecosystem management perspective, clear-cutting must be partly replaced by partial cuts, in order to emulate the regional dynamics of partial windthrow.

Interpretation of Soil Water Content into Dryness Index: Implication for Forest Fire Management

Forest fire research is very important for tropical regions as the current available models on forest fire predictions and control were developed based on studies conducted in dry sub-tropical forest areas. The use of dryness index (DI) based on actual soil water content for assessing fire danger in wetland ecosystem was proposed in this paper. The study site was located in South Sumatera, Indonesia and study was conducted from April 1 st 2009 to March 15 th 2011. Fire danger was categorized into 4 levels; low, medium, dry, and extreme with its margin level was determined based on soil water retention curve analysis. All DI categories occurred in 2009, however only 2 categories (low and medium) were observed in 2010 and 2011. DI reached its maximum intensity in September 2009 with an onset rate of 1.4 per day based on analysis of time intensity curve. Information of onset rate is importance for forest fire management such as for estimating when the extreme category would be reached. Therefore anticipation and prevention efforts might be prepared prior to reaching certain danger level. Information on DI might be useful for water management planning in forest plantation areas as many of them are located in wetland ecosystem. Keywords : dryness index, soil water content, wetland, onset rate, danger level

Evaluación de combustibles y su disponibilidad en incendios forestales: un estudio en el Parque Nacional La Malinche

Estudios sobre peligro y combate de incendios forestales consideran la interacción entre los factores meteorológicos y las características de los combustibles. Por ello, se analizó la humedad de los combustibles muertos sobre el suelo, la cual depende de su diámetro y de la humedad relativa principalmente. Se analizaron combustibles de 0.6 a 2.5 y de 2.6 a 7.5 cm de diámetro en las comunidades donde predominan especies de los géneros: Quercus, Alnus, Abies y Pinus del Parque Nacional Malinche, Tlaxcala, México. Los resultados demuestran: a) que la humedad de los combustibles varió de acuerdo con las condiciones atmosféricas en los diferentes sitios y horarios, b) que los combustibles con mayor diámetro tuvieron una menor relación entre la superficie de exposición al medio y su volumen (120 m2/m3) y que los de menor diámetro la relación aumentó (235 m2/m3), teniendo estos últimos una mayor probabilidad de incendiarse. Durante la temporada de incendios en los meses de febrero, marzo y abril, la humedad de los combustibles en Alnus jorullensis y Pinus montezumae fue mayor a 25% que es aquella que impide la combustión, conocida como humedad de extinción. En Quercus crassipes, Pinus hartwegii y Abies religiosa-Pinus teocote, la humedad de los combustibles fue menor a 25% por lo que fueron las comunidades más vulnerables a incendios.

Preferenze sociali e preferenze istituzionali a confronto: il caso del distretto forestale dell’Arci-Grighine (Provincia di Oristano)

The research analyses the efficiency of the representative democracy model in the land policies definition. The representative model is based on the assumption that people (public) are not able to manage their interests, but need the presence of representatives in order to assure the common interest. The paper focuses on the comparison between social preferences and institutional preferences. The hypothesis is that in the case there is a wide divergence of preferences between institutional and social preferences, it means that institutional actors have a different perception of priority in comparison to the society. To analyse the divergences concerning land policies authors have used a questionnaire designed in order to consider the main management strategies on rural development. The questionnaire - subdivided into thematic sections (forest functions, strategies of territorial development, renewable energies and forest fire control strategies) - has been submitted face-to-face to the representatives of local institutions and to the non-institutional actors. The results of the interviews have been compared statistically considering the two groups of actors, with the purpose of emphasizing the convergence and divergence on land policies. The study area is the forest district of Arci-Grighine in the Oristano department (Sardinia).

Study on Detecting Fires by Using MODIS Data

S" techniques(Remote Sensing,Geographic Information System and Global Positioning System)has been used more and more in forest fire control in the world. MODIS is one detector of Terra's(EOS-AM1), which has been lunched on December 18,1999 by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center of US. This document has studied the possibility of different bands to detect the burning information from MODIS data by analyzing the information of related bands' data. The method to detecting fire information from the data has also been studied. In this paper, we have effectively gotten the burning information from MODIS data by using the image enhancement techniques and multispatial resolution data. At the same time, the information of different spatial resolution data has been fused.

Studies on prevention of forest fire(I) Control line of a fire

Studies on prevention of forest fire(I) Control line of a fire

ANÁLISE DO PERIGO DE INCÊNDIOS FLORESTAIS EM UM MUNICÍPIO DA AMAZÔNIA MATO-GROSSENSE, BRASIL

Com o objetivo de estabelecer o período de maior perigo de incêndios florestais e propor medidas mitigadoras de riscos de incêndios florestais para o município de Novo Mundo, Mato Grosso, Brasil, foi aplicado um estudo de previsão de perigo de incêndios florestais. O trabalho foi realizado utilizando-se dados de uma série climática correspondente ao período de 2000 a 2005, obtida junto ao Instituto de Meteorologia (INMET). A metodologia aplicada se deu através do cálculo diário do índice de perigo de incêndios florestais, utilizando-se a Fórmula de Monte Alegre (FMA), sendo os dados graficamente representados através do programa A.M.A.D.O. A análise estatística foi realizada com auxílio do programa Statgraphics Centurion XV, e a sazonalidade dos índices de perigo de incêndios foi expressa a partir dos modelos propostos por Box; Jenkins (1976). Foram elaboradas propostas mitigadoras de riscos de incêndios florestais. Os resultados indicaram que os meses de maio, junho, julho e agosto foram os mais perigosos, devido à escassez ou ausência total de precipitação. As medidas mitigadoras de riscos propostas neste estudo são simples e de fácil aplicação, podendo contribuir de forma eficaz e segura para previsão, prevenção e controle de incêndios florestais no município.Palavras-chave: Fogo; proteção florestal; Amazônia. AbstractFire danger analysis in a county located in Mato Grosso State, Amazon region, Brazil. The aim of this paper were to establish fire season as well as to propose proceedings in order to reduce fire risk, specifically at “Novo Mundo” county, located in “Mato Grosso” State, Brazil. A forest fire forecast methodology was applied to reach the proposed objectives. The research was carried out along 2000-2005. Fire danger was daily calculated using Monte Alegre Formula, and the results were graphically represented through the A.M.A.D.O. software. The statistics had been developed using Statgraphics Centurion XV program, and applying the methodology proposed by Box and Jenkins (1976). Furthermore, some actions to reduce fire risk had been suggested. Results points to May, June, July and August as the most critical months regarding fire risk, mainly due to the rain shortage along the period. The mitigation measures proposed in this work are easy to implement and could be carried out by county authorities and local community, leading to improvement of forest fire control in the county or even the whole region.Keywords: Forest fire; forest protection; Amazon.