Impact Of Bushfires Research Articles

Unsupervised Bushfire Burn Severity Mapping Using Aerial and Satellite Imagery

Abstract. It is critical to assess bushfire impact rapidly and accurately because bushfires play a significant role in forest degradation and present a threat to ecosystems and human lives. Over the past decades, several supervised algorithms of burn severity mapping have been proposed, facing the significant drawback of time-consuming labeling. Moreover, there is no robust framework for burn severity mapping through fusing multi-sensor, multi-resolution, and multi-temporal remote sensing imagery from satellite and aerial platforms. Therefore, this paper presents an unsupervised two-step pipeline: processing 2D data followed by 3D data for burn severity mapping, both of which are acquired from either aircraft or satellites. For the 2D data processing, our proposed unsupervised burned area detection (UsBA detection) model enhances burned area mapping accuracy by integrating Ultra-High Resolution (UHR) aerial imagery with bi-temporal medium-resolution PlanetScope imagery, using a Segment Anything Model (SAM)-assisted UNetFormer (pre-trained on the target-style public dataset – LoveDA Rural) for refinement. The model demonstrates superior burned area segmentation, evidenced by improved evaluation metrics calculated from labeled test sites. For the 3D analysis, the burned areas extracted from 2D processing are further assessed using pre- and post-event airborne laser data. We implement a voxel-based workflow, including necessary steps such as ground filtering through Superpoints in RANSAC Planes (SiRP) method and biomass change analysis. The results indicate that the 3D branch provides a reliable lower bound of the actual damage map, because the vegetation growth between two measurements remains, in essence, undetected. The proposed framework offers a more accurate and robust solution for burn severity mapping utilizing combined 2D and 3D data, evaluated on a multi-source dataset from a real bushfire event that occurred in Bushland Park, South Australia.

Effects of Climate Variability on Bushfire Regimes in the Bagoué Region, Côte d'Ivoire

Bushfires are an important factor in the dynamics of savannah landscapes. This study is carried out in the Bagoué region to evaluate the relationships between climatic variability and bushfire regimes. To achieve this objective, rainfall and temperature data were analyzed. The information’s were collected with 300 heads of household surveyed, 100 in Boundiali, Kouto and Tengrela were selected, respectively. A purposive sampling was defined according to the following criteria: any person who uses fires in agricultural activity; the respondent must be at least 30 years old and have been in the survey for at least 20 years. The results recorded from 1990 to 2002, showed that the rainfall was increased at 14.8%followed by a 10.7% and was decreased between 2003 and 2020 in Boundiali. Average annual rainfall was 1,408.99 mm, with a 13.2% increase between 1990 and 2002 and a 20.1% deficit between 2003 and 2020. Average annual rainfall in Tengrela also showed h1,515.9 mm, with a surplus of 171.5 mm, i.e. an increase of 12.8% from 1990 to 2002 and a rainfall deficit of 9.2% from 2003 to 2020. Temperatures rise to 0.7°C, 0.74°C and 0.74°C in Boundiali, Kouto and Tengrela between 1990 and 2020, respectively. Three fire periods were identified with lowest intensities and frequencies. The combination of rainfall declining, the temperatures increasing, the highest dry biomass, and the agricultural activities contributes to the emergence of bushfires in the Bagoué region. This study highlights the importance of addressing these factors to mitigate the impact of bushfires. This research highlights the importance of considering climatic factors in understanding bushfire dynamics in savannah landscapes.

Quantitative Assessment of the Effect of Agency-Led Prescribed Burns and Cultural Burns on Soil Properties in Southeastern Australia

Fire management techniques play a critical role in mitigating the impact of bushfires on communities and ecosystems. In Australia, government agencies implement hazard reduction burn programs, while Indigenous communities have used fire for ecosystem management for thousands of years. The positive effect of prescribed burning goes beyond bushfire risk mitigation, with impacts also on soil and ecosystem health. This study evaluates the effects of prescribed burning on soil properties, with implications for soil and ecosystem health. Two fire management techniques were evaluated: agency-led prescribed burning and cultural burning. Both fire treatments resulted in an increase in soil moisture, showing that they positively affect the soil water balance (the greater effect seen following the agency-led burn). Both fire treatments also resulted in a decrease in soil bulk density and an increase in organic matter content, with the greater effect seen for soils affected by the Indigenous-led burn. These results show that both fire management techniques positively affect soil health, with important consequences for aboveground ecosystem health. Cultural burning is the most efficient to promote reduced soil bulk density (important for nutrient availability and microbial activity) and increase carbon and nitrogen stores.

Impact of bushfires on Australian livestock health, welfare and carcase quality

The 2019/2020 Australian bushfires were unprecedented in terms of total area burned and impact on livestock and wildlife populations. However, there is currently limited literature available relating the consequences of bushfire or smoke exposure to livestock health, welfare, and carcase quality. A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted using historical monitoring data from a Meat Standards Australia (MSA) accredited abattoir located on the mid-north coast of New South Wales, Australia. The spatiotemporal association between exposure to bushfire smoke (specifically the duration of the bushfires, distance from closest bushfire, annual bushfire season, proportion of the property of origin burned during the bushfires and time frame since exposure to bushfires) and effects on carcase meat quality metrics and pathology were measured, by building linear, generalised linear and cumulative link mixed models. Our findings indicate that hot carcase weight increased as the distance between the property of origin and the closest bushfire became greater and decreased with exposure to bushfires of longer duration or when greater proportions of the property of origin were burnt during bushfires. Subcutaneous rib fat of carcases also increased with an increasing distance of properties from the closest recorded bushfire and decreased with exposure to bushfires during the 2019/2020 season. Higher meat colour scores (darker meat colour) were associated with exposure to bushfires during the 2019/2020 season and exposure to bushfires of longer durations. There was only a weak association between increasing distance to the closest bushfire and higher marbling scores. Evidence of pneumonia in carcases was associated with exposure to bushfires of longer duration, specifically increasing risk of pneumonia was associated with fires of longer durations. Greater periods of time since exposure (i.e., >6 months) to bushfires were also associated with a higher risk of evidence of pneumonia at the time of processing. With increasing incidence of bushfires in Australia forecasted as a result of climate change, there is an urgent need to understand the impact of bushfires on livestock, to limit the effects on livestock health and mitigate the risk of significant socioeconomic impacts to the livestock industry. By providing a greater understanding of the impact of bushfires, the findings of this study can support producers to make informed decisions to mitigate the effects of bushfires on livestock health and carcase meat quality.

Effects of Bush Fires on Biodiversity in West Africa Sahel: A Review

Bush fire is one of the drivers of biodiversity loss worldwide. However, the impact of bush fires on biodiversity in the West Africa Sahel is not well documented. Therefore, this study reviewed the effects of bush fires on biodiversity, the typology of the bush fire drivers and bush fires solutions in the West Africa Sahel via a systematic review. The authors used many research engines such as Google Scholar and Mendeley from 2010 to 2022 with some keywords in French and English. It comes from the analysis of the data that Mali is the most country affected by bush fires with an average of 35,000,000 ha burned. In Burkina Faso, bush fires burned more than 2 million hectares each year. The analysis showed also a loss of 1,675,157 ha in Niger and 56,568.10 ha in Senegal. The study recommends that climate actions should target bush fires prevention and fighting as climate response in order to promote sustainable biodiversity managementin the West Africa Sahel. The study recommends also that West Africa Sahel countries develop bushfire community education programs for fire prevention.

Solastalgia mediates between bushfire impact and mental health outcomes: A study of Australia's 2019–2020 bushfire season

In 2019–2020, Australia experienced an unprecedented bushfire season that caused widespread environmental destruction across the continent, and especially to its south-east corner. Over two studies, we examine mental health outcomes of individuals impacted by bushfire, drawing on the concept of solastalgia – the sense of distress arising from unwanted environmental change – as a potential explanation for the mental health consequences of bushfire. In Study 1, we surveyed 2084 residents from the Australian Capital Territory and surrounding regions directly after the bushfire season. Participants were asked about exposure to the 2019–2020 bushfires, and to a previous regional fire of significance, experience of solastalgia, and five mental health indicators. In Study 2, we broaden our focus to all of Australia, and administer our measures with a nationally representative sample six months after the conclusion of the bushfire season (N = 1477). In both studies, we find the severity of reported bushfire impact is significantly associated with mental health, such that greater impact predicts poorer outcomes. Moreover, we find the experience of solastalgia mediates the relationship between bushfire impact and mental health and wellbeing. Experiencing solastalgia is a partial, but important, mechanism for understanding the impact of bushfire exposure on mental health and wellbeing. Importantly, people not directly impacted by a bushfire event also experience solastalgia and subsequent poorer mental health outcomes following bushfires. We suggest that future measurements of the impact of abrupt environmental change events, including bushfires, consider the role of solastalgia and localised environmental contexts in shaping the mental health impacts to the population.

Do Locals’ Perception of Bushfire Impact on Rubber Trees Match or Mismatch with Empirical Data? Evidence from Edo State, Nigeria

Aim of study: This study determined whether locals’ perception of bushfire impact on rubber trees matched or mismatched with empirical data. Area of study: This investigation was conducted in Rubber Research Institute of Nigeria (RRIN) and six neighboring communities (Uhie, Iyanomo, Obaretin, Obayantor I, Ogbekpen and Obagie) in Edo State, Nigeria. Material and methods: Quantitative data on tree height, canopy, diameter at breast height (DBH) and bark were obtained by direct measurements and field observation in burnt and unburnt rubber plantations. Locals’ perceptive data were obtained through the administration of questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to examine data on perception of locals’ while Student-t test was adopted to determine significant differences of tree parameters in burnt and unburnt rubber plantations. Main results: There were significant differences in height, canopy and DBH of rubber trees. Besides incidences of fissured tree bark; reduction in height, canopy and DBH of trees were detected in burnt rubber plantation. Majority of the local’s agreed that bushfire negatively impacted rubber tree parameters and natives’ perception aligned with the experiential results. Highlights: Locals’ perception of bushfire effect on rubber trees accessed through the Likert-type format of questionnaire matched with empirical data.

The impact of bushfires on animal abundance and diversity across land tenures in Miombo woodlands, Tanzania

Abstract. Matimbwi L, Madoffe SS. 2022. The impact of bushfires on animal abundance and diversity across land tenures in Miombo woodlands, Tanzania. Asian J For 6: 43-51. Southern Africa is dominated by Miombo forests (woodlands), the world's largest savanna. The purpose of this research was to examine how bushfires affect mammalian populations in Miombo woodlands under various forest tenure systems. The data was gathered through household questionnaires, a probing question checklist for key informants, participant observation, Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) methods, and a field inventory. We enlisted the aid of the local communities in our analysis of the PRA data we collected. Quantitative and qualitative data and information were subjected to content and structural-functional analysis. Quantitative data was examined using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Microsoft Excel was used to examine inventory data on animal stocks. The average number of mammals collected from each forest tenure system was compared using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) to see if there were statistically significant variations. The variety of mammal species in various forest tenure systems was measured using the Shannon-Wiener Index (H). Based on the findings, agricultural activities (44.5%), charcoal production (21.1%), and wildlife hunting (18.9%) accounted for the vast majority of bushfires in Miombo woods. It was thought that illegal logging and honey collection were the only contributing factors. Mammal populations tend to be most significant in Central Governmental Forest Reserves, then in those of the Local Government, and finally in those of the Village Government. Mildly burned sections in the Central Governmental Forest Reserve had a diversity index of 3.2. In contrast, those in the Local Government Forest Reserve and the Village Forest Reserve had indices of 2.0. There was little difference in the diversity index values of the Central Governmental Forest Reserve (2.0) and the Village Forest Reserve (2.0) for moderately burned blocks and the Local Government Forest Reserve (1.6) for unburned blocks. The Central Governmental Forest Reserve had a diversity value of 1.5 for the severely burned blocks, the Village Governmental Forest Reserve had a value of 1.4, and the Local Government Forest Reserve had a value of 1.2. Like other mammals with a low fire escape rate, bushfires hit the rock hyrax particularly hard. As a result, it is suggested that the current management regimes of Local Government Authorities be strengthened to ensure enhanced local community participation with more effective law enforcement measures to save the woods from deterioration. Similarly, communities should be given access to financing and encouragement to pursue income-generating activities to lessen their reliance on Miombo woodlands.

Simulating the Impact of Bushfires in Australia on Local Air Quality and Aerosol Burden in the Southern Hemisphere

Simulating the Impact of Bushfires in Australia on Local Air Quality and Aerosol Burden in the Southern Hemisphere

Dynamic distribution modelling of the swamp tigertail dragonflySynthemis eustalacta(Odonata: Anisoptera: Synthemistidae) over a 20‐year bushfire regime

AbstractIntensity and severity of bushfires in Australia have increased over the past few decades due to climate change, threatening habitat loss for numerous species. Although the impact of bushfires on vertebrates is well‐documented, the corresponding effects on insect taxa are rarely examined, although they are responsible for key ecosystem functions and services. Understanding the effects of bushfire seasons on insect distributions could elucidate long‐term impacts and patterns of ecosystem recovery.Here, the authors investigated the effects of recent bushfires, land‐cover change, and climatic variables on the distribution of a common and endemic dragonfly, the swamp tigertail (Synthemis eustalacta) (Burmeister, 1839), which inhabits forests that have recently undergone severe burning. The authors used a temporally dynamic species distribution modelling approach that incorporated 20 years of community‐science data on dragonfly occurrence and predictors based on fire, land cover, and climate to make yearly predictions of suitability. The authors also compared this to an approach that combines multiple temporally static models that use annual data.The authors found that for both approaches, fire‐specific variables had negligible importance for the models, while the percentage of tree and non‐vegetative cover were most important. The authors also found that the dynamic model outperformed the static ones, based on cross‐validation omission rate. Model predictions indicated temporal variation in area and spatial arrangement of suitable habitat, but no patterns of habitat expansion, contraction, or shifting.These results highlight not only the efficacy of dynamic modelling to capture spatiotemporal variables such as vegetation cover for an endemic insect species, but also provide a novel approach to mapping species distributions with sparse locality records.

Beyond bushfire severity: mapping the ecological impact of bushfires on the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area

ABSTRACT Bushfire severity mapping and analysis for Queensland’s Gondwana Rainforests World Heritage Area properties following wildfires in 2019/20 was found to under-predict the ecological impact within closed-canopy rainforests, biasing against the prioritisation of rainforest-dependent threatened fauna for assessment and the allocation of recovery resources. By incorporating the fire tolerance of vegetation communities mapped within the bushfire extent, bushfire severity can be extended to predict the potential ecological impact of each severity class on ecosystems, and priority species. Prioritising threatened species based on potential ecological impact rather than fire severity alone allows post-fire survey and monitoring to be better targeted to those species likely most severely impacted. It also allows resources and recovery actions to be directed towards those areas of greatest concern, which may not have suffered the worst bushfire severity.

Impact of bushfires on seabird breeding islands in southwest Australia: a case study for developing a community-based model in adaptive management

Impact of bushfires on seabird breeding islands in southwest Australia: a case study for developing a community-based model in adaptive management

Observations of the impact of bushfire on a community of myxomycetes

In this study, we examined the impacts of a bushfire on a community of myxomycetes (also known as plasmodial slime moulds or myxogastrids) in northeastern New South Wales, Australia. Using the moist chamber culture technique, we prepared 40 moist chamber cultures from four different substrates. We collected the same four types of substrates on either side of a fire line approximately six months post-fire in order to assess what impact fire had on the myxomycete communities. Sixty percent of moist chamber cultures yielded evidence (plasmodia or fruiting bodies) of myxomycetes representing eleven species in eight genera. But only 40% of samples from the burned site were positive for myxomycetes, and only one species produced fruiting bodies. In contrast, 80% of samples from the unburned site were positive, and all eleven species were recorded. These data suggest that fire reduced the abundance and diversity of the myxomycete community at our site.

A Combined Approach of Remote Sensing, GIS, and Social Media to Create and Disseminate Bushfire Warning Contents to Rural Australia

Bushfires are an integral part of the forest regeneration cycle in Australia. However, from the perspective of a natural disaster, the impact of bushfires on human settlements and the environment is massive. In Australia, bushfires are the most disastrous natural hazards. According to the records of the Parliament of Australia, the recent catastrophic bushfires in NSW and Victoria burnt out over 10 million hectares of land, a figure more significant than any previous bushfire damage on record. After the deadly 2009 Black Saturday bushfires, which killed 173 people in Victoria, public attention to bushfires reached a new peak. Due to the disastrous consequences of bushfires, scientists have explored various methods to mitigate or even avoid bushfire damage, including the use of bushfire alerts. The present study adds satellite imagery and GIS-based semi-real-time bushfire contents to various bushfire warnings issued by government authorities. The new product will disseminate graphical bushfire contents to rural Australians through social media, using Google Maps. This low-cost Media GIS content can be delivered through highly popular smartphone networks in Australia through social media (Facebook and Twitter). We expect its success to encourage people to participate in disaster mitigation efforts as contributors in a participatory GIS network. This paper presents a case study to demonstrate the production process and the quality of media GIS content and further discusses the potential of using social media through the mobile network of Australia while paying attention to mobile blackspots. Media GIS content has the potential to link with the public information systems of local fire management services, disseminate contents through a mobile app, and develop into a fully automated media GIS content system to expand the service beyond bushfires.

When Natural Hazards Intersect with Public Health: A Preliminary Exploration of the Impact of Bushfires and the COVID-19 Pandemic on Australian Coastal Drowning Fatalities.

Natural hazards combined with the COVID-19 pandemic have had significant global impacts to the community and the environment. This study explores the impact of the Australian 2019/20 bushfires followed by the COVID-19 pandemic on unintentional coastal drowning fatalities. Fatality data were collated using triangulation methodology. Percentage change in coastal drowning fatalities between 2019/20 financial year (FY) and the 15FY annual average (2004/5–2018/19) were calculated for the dominant bushfire period (August 2019–February 2020 inclusive) and COVID-19 restrictions in place for 2019/20FY (March–June 2020 inclusive). Relative risk (RR; with 95% confidence intervals [CI]) of coastal drowning was calculated against the average for overall, bushfire and COVID-19 periods, using coastal participation data as the denominator, weighted for the predicted decrease in the use of outdoor coastal areas due to these widespread events. Coastal drowning fatalities increased in 2019/20FY by 9% overall (bushfires: 6%; COVID-19: 9%). Swimming/wading drowning fatalities increased during the bushfire period (RR = 2.02; 95% CI: 1.13–3.63), while boating and personal watercraft (PWC)-related fatalities increased during both the bushfire (RR = 2.92; 95% CI: 1.41–6.05) and COVID-19 period (RR = 3.86; 95% CI: 1.64–9.11). Rock fishing fatalities also increased across both the bushfire (RR = 4.19; 95% CI: 1.45–12.07; p = 0.008) and COVID-19 (RR = 3.8;95% CI: 1.24–11.62; p = 0.027) periods. Findings indicate the activity patterns leading to coastal drowning fatalities changed despite significant public health events impacting freedom of movement and thus opportunity for coastal participation. Understanding, and preparing for, the impacts of natural hazards on drowning risk is vital for future preventive efforts.

The effects of the Australian bushfires on physical activity in children

ObjectivesTo determine the impact of bushfires on children’s physical activity. DesignNatural experiment comparing device-measured physical activity and air quality index data for schools exposed and not exposed to the Australian bushfires. MethodsParticipants were drawn from 22 schools participating in a cluster randomised controlled trial of a school-based physical activity intervention that coincided with the 2019 Australian bushfires. Students in Years 3 and 4 (8–10 years old) provided data. We used propensity score matching to match 245 exposed and 344 control participants. Main outcome measuresMinutes of moderate and vigorous physical activity. ResultsThe bushfires had minimal effect on children’s average weekly physical activity. Analysis of acute effects showed children maintained their levels of physical activity up to an estimated turning point of air quality index of 737.08 (95% CI = 638.63, 835.53), beyond which daily physical activity levels dropped sharply. Similar results were found for girls and boys and for children from low-to-average and higher socio-economic backgrounds. ConclusionsChildren’s physical activity was not strongly influenced by the presence of smoke and targeted public health advice during the bushfires might not have had the intended effect of reducing children’s outdoor physical activity. Only when air quality deteriorated to approximately 3.5 times the Air Quality index threshold (>200) deemed ‘hazardous’ by the Australian Department of Health did children’s physical activity decline. Public health agencies should re-evaluate the effectiveness of health messages during bushfires and develop strategies to mitigate risks to children’s health.

Anger Dimensions and Mental Health Following a Disaster: Distribution and Implications After a Major Bushfire.

Anger is an important dimension of affect and a prominent feature of posttraumatic mental health, but it is commonly overlooked in postdisaster settings. We aimed to examine the distribution and implications of significant anger problems in the aftermath of a natural disaster, via analyses of Beyond Bushfires survey data from 736 residents of rural communities 5 years after the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria, Australia. Assessments included the five-item Dimensions of Anger Reaction (DAR-5) scale along with measures of PTSD, depression, and significant mental illness, and indicators of life satisfaction, suicidality, hostile aggressive behavior, and violence exposure. The results indicated that approximately 10% of respondents from areas highly affected by the bushfires scored above the provisional cutoff criteria for significant anger problems on the DAR-5, which was a more than 3-fold increase, OR = 3.26, relative to respondents from areas of low-to-moderate bushfire impact. The rates were higher among women, younger participants, and those who were unemployed, and co-occurred commonly, although not exclusively, with other postdisaster mental health problems. Anger problems were also associated with lower life satisfaction, β = -.31, an 8-fold increase in suicidal ideation, OR = 8.68, and a nearly 13-fold increase in hostile aggressive behavior, OR = 12.98. There were associations with anger problems and violence exposure, which were reduced when controlling for covariates, including probable PTSD. The findings provide evidence indicating that anger is a significant issue for postdisaster mental health and should be considered routinely alongside other posttraumatic mental health issues.

APPLICATION OF U-NET CONVOLUTIONAL NEURAL NETWORK TO BUSHFIRE MONITORING IN AUSTRALIA WITH SENTINEL-1/-2 DATA

Abstract. This paper aims to define a pipeline architecture for near real-time identification of bushfire impact areas using Geoscience Australia Data Cube (AGDC). A series of catastrophic bushfires from late 2019 to early 2020 have captured international attention with their scale of devastation across four of the most populous states across Australia; New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia. The extraction of burned areas using multispectral Sentinel-2 observations are straightforward when no cloud or haze obstruction are present. Without clear-sky observations, precisely locating the bushfire affected regions are difficult to achieve. Sentinel-1 C-band dual-polarized (VH/VV) Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data is introduced to effectively elicit and analyse useful information based on backscattering coefficients, unaffected by adverse weather conditions and lack of sunlight. Burned vegetation results in significant volume scattering; co-/cross-polarised response decreases due to leafless trees, as well as coherence change over fire-disturbed areas; two sensors acquired images in a shortened revisit time over the same effected areas; all of which provided discriminative features for identifying burnt areas. Moreover, applying U-Net deep learning framework to train the recent and historical satellite data leads to an effective pre-trained segmentation model of burnt and non-burnt areas, enabling more timely emergency response, more efficient hazard reduction activities and evacuation planning during severe bushfire events. The advantages of this approach could have profound significance for a more robust, timely and accurate method of bushfire detection, utilising a scalable big data processing framework, to predict the bushfire footprint and fire spread model development.

Recent Bushfire Impact on Timber Bridges in Northern New South Wales

Recent Bushfire Impact on Timber Bridges in Northern New South Wales

Delayed Disaster Impacts on Academic Performance of Primary School Children.

Social disruption caused by natural disasters often interrupts educational opportunities for children. However, little is known about children's learning in the following years. This study examined change in academic scores for children variably exposed to a major bushfire in Australia. Comparisons were made between children attending high, medium, and low disaster‐affected primary schools 2–4 years after the disaster (n = 24,642; 9–12 years). The results showed that in reading and numeracy expected gains from Year 3 to Year 5 scores were reduced in schools with higher levels of bushfire impact. The findings highlight the extended period of academic impact and identify important opportunities for intervention in the education system to enable children to achieve their academic potential.