Uncontrolled Fires Research Articles

Assessing drivers of vegetation fire occurrence in Zimbabwe - Insights from Maxent modelling and historical data analysis

Vegetation fires are known to profoundly impact ecosystem structure and composition, posing threats to ecosystem stability and human safety. In Zimbabwe, uncontrolled fires have been recurrent, yet a rigorous analysis of the key drivers is still lacking. Previous studies in Zimbabwe have predominantly focused on spatio-temporal dynamics of the occurrence of vegetation fire, leaving a gap in understanding the underlying drivers. Accurate prediction of fire occurrence and identification of the major drivers is imperative for effective fire management strategies. The study employs the Maxent model, a machine-learning approach, to analyze historical MODIS fire data alongside bioclimatic, topographic, anthropogenic, and vegetation variables, to assess the likelihood of fire occurrence in Zimbabwe. The research also aims to elucidate the major factors that influence fire occurrence within the region. The independent contributions of predictor variables to the model's goodness of fit are evaluated using a jackknife test, while model accuracy is assessed using the AUC (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve). Results indicate that elevation, precipitation seasonality, temperature annual range and human footprint emerge as the major factors influencing fire occurrence in Zimbabwe. The model demonstrates an acceptable accuracy, with an average AUC of 0.77. This study underscores the utility of the Maxent model in elucidating the contributions of various environmental factors to vegetation fire occurrence. Moreover, the ability of the model to predict the probability of fire occurrence offers valuable insights for fire managers, facilitating the assessment of the spatial vulnerability of vegetation to fire occurrence. Overall, this research contributes to an improved understanding of the drivers of vegetation fires in Zimbabwe and provides a practical tool for enhancing fire management efforts in the region and beyond.

South America Is Drying Up

A new study shows that dry, warm, and flammable conditions have skyrocketed across the continent, favoring the spread of uncontrolled fire.

Beyond the Ire of Flames: Work Experiences of Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Station Chiefs

Fire occurrences have significantly risen in recent years. These fires endanger lives, cause economic damage, and harm the environment. Uncontrolled fires are a major reason for building collapses and injuries. Building fires cause trauma due to the loss of belongings and the building itself. Existing fire safety systems are failing due to unaddressed factors causing building fires (Rathnayake et al., 2020). This study explored the experiences of the station chiefs of the Bureau of Fire Protection in Iloilo Province, Philippines, through a qualitative research method. The participants of this study were the selected ten (10) BFP station chiefs. All participants were subjected to an individual in-depth interview. The findings of this study are described in emergent themes. Six (6) emergent themes described the positive and negative experiences of the informants in the performance of their duties. For the positive experiences, two (2) emergent themes were developed, namely Personal Satisfaction Through Job Fulfillment and Workplace Camaraderie and Support. For the negative experiences, four (4) emergent themes were also developed, namely: Inadequate Resources and Financial Challenges, Complexity of Leadership and Personnel Management, Bombarded with Public Dissatisfaction, and Operational Delays and Equipment Failures. Meanwhile, three (3) emergent themes were formulated to explain how the participants address the challenges encountered in the performance of their duties, namely: Empowering Collaboration and Support Networks, Bolstering Preventive Measures and Education, and Embodying Resilience and Adaptability. Finally, three (3) emergent themes were created to express the aspirations of participants to improve the quality of their services, namely Continuous Training and Professional Development, Adequate Fiscal Allocation and Service Facilities, and Improvement of Personnel and Staffing Issues. Based on the emergent themes identified, it is recommended that the fire station chiefs be enhanced by providing them with specialized training and career development programs. This can be accomplished by the successful integration of the latest firefighting technologies in the specialized training to enhance the response effectiveness of their station.

Ecological and anthropogenic factors influencing the Summer habitat use of Bos gaurus and its conservation threats in Chitwan National Park, Nepal.

Gaur (Bos gaurus) is listed as a vulnerable species in the IUCN Red List of threatened species due to the rapid population decline caused by human pressures in their habitats. To develop successful conservation plans, it is essential to understand the relationship between Gaur and their habitats. This study aimed to investigate the factors influencing Gaur habitat use and identify and rank conservation threats in Chitwan National Park, Nepal. Using line transect surveys, we recorded Gaur's presence via direct sightings and indirect signs (dung, footprints, horns) over an area of 176 km2 in July and August 2022. We used binary logistic regression models to determine the collected ecological and anthropogenic factors influencing the occurrence of Gaur and the relative whole-site threat ranking method to rank conservation threats. The results revealed that the probability of Gaur occurrence increases with moderate to high canopy cover, riverine and Shorea robusta dominated forests, and nearest distance to road/path/firelines, while decreasing with the presence of predators. Uncontrolled fire, invasive species, human disturbances, and climate change were ranked as the most prevailing threats to Gaur in our study area. Conservation managers should implement effective habitat management interventions, such as construction of waterhole, firelines maintenance, grassland management, and control of invasive species in the potential habitats, to safeguard and maintain the sustainability of Gaur populations and associated herbivores. Future studies should consider larger geographical settings and multiple seasons, and habitat suitability assessments should be conducted to determine current and future suitable habitat refugia for Gaur and other threatened wildlife species at the landscape level.

A Study to Assess Knowledge Regarding Fire Safety and Their Practices among Third Year B.Sc. Nursing Students with a view to Develop on Hand Training Module

Background: Fire safety is the set of practices intended to prevent the destruction caused by Fire. Fire safety is the set of practices intended to reduce destruction caused by fire. Fire safety measures include those that are intended to prevent the ignition of an uncontrolled fire and those that are used to limit the spread and impact of a fire.[4] Fire related accidents have, on average, killed 35 people every day over the five years between 2016 and 2020, according to a report by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). Aims and Objectives: To Assess the knowledge regarding Fire Safety and their practices among the students of 3rd year B.Sc. Nursing, Ambaji Nursing College, Ganeshpura, and to find out Association between selected demographic variable and to develop on hand training module. Materials and Method: The study was conducted among 60 students of Ambaji Nursing College, Ganeshpura and using simple random sampling technique. Data were obtained using structured knowledge questionnaire to assess the knowledge regarding Fire safety and their practices. Descriptive and Inferential statistics were use to analyze the Demographic data and used structured questionnaire. Karl person formula is used to determine Correlation whereas the Association is determined by using Chi -Square formula. Results and Conclusion: The study revealed that majority of students level of knowledge are 36.70% poor knowledge, 61.70% students are average knowledge and 1.70% students are good knowledge regarding fire safety and their practices. There exist positive moderate correlation (r = 0.75) between knowledge and their practices. Study also revealed there is no significant Association between the knowledge and their demographic variables such as Age, Gender, Annual household income, Religion and attending any training of fire safety practices at p ≤ 0.05 level.

The status of artisanal coal mining in Afghanistan: Using remote sensing to assess remaining artisanally mineable Jurassic coal resources

Coal mining is critical to the functioning of the current Afghan economy providing jobs, tax revenue, and foreign exchange. Taxes on coal may constitute the Taliban Government’s single largest source of operating income. Prior to the start of mining, Afghanistan had between 215 M and 430 M tonnes of hypothetical category Jurassic coal resources at depths accessible to artisanal miners. Since 1940, between 51 M and 89 M tonnes of coal have been extracted. Technologically primitive mining practices result in suboptimal coal extraction from disorganized room and pillar mines leaving significant amounts of coal unmineable. Frequent tunnel collapse, gas and coal dust explosions, and uncontrolled widespread mine fires have destroyed or made inaccessible significant additional volumes of remaining artisanally mineable resources. The haphazard unmapped development of the existing Jurassic coal makes it impossible to redevelop these fields using more efficient mining technologies. If new mines are to be developed, they will have to tap subsurface coals not accessible to artisanal miners. 66 % of the area mapped as Lower to Middle Jurassic rock does not host outcropping coal beds. This area, as well as some of the areas beneath thin veneers of lowest Cretaceous sediment are potential exploration targets. Jurassic coals are very gassy. Developing coalbed methane prospects is a more effective and less environmentally destructive means to access the energy contained in the Jurassic coals.

Climate change and its impact on women's living

Climate change is one of the biggest global health threats to the world’s population. Global warming can occur largely due to increased levels of greenhouse gases caused by human activities and conditions such as the burning of fossil fuels (carbon dioxide), livestock (methane from manure), industrial emissions, vehicle/factory exhaust and chlorofluorocarbon aerosols that trap extra heat in the Earth’s atmosphere. The resulting extreme weather conditions lead to uncontrollable fires, air pollution, ecological changes and floods. The realization of ecological changes has major impacts on population displacement, family fragmentation, violence, water availability and quality, food security, public health and economic infrastructures. The consequences of ecological changes affect public safety and their ability to maintain health. Climate change also has direct impacts on human health and well-being. Particularly vulnerable populations are affected, including women, pregnant women, children, persons with disabilities and the elderly, who make up the majority of disadvantaged populations globally. In addition, when disasters occur, communities of different ethnic groups, low-income and disadvantaged individuals are more affected by climate change challenges. The climate crisis negatively alters the balance of risk for women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights, as well as for newborn and child health. Obstetric nurses and midwives have a unique opportunity to raise awareness, educate and advocate for mitigation strategies to reverse climate change affecting patients and their families. The objective of this review is to examine the circumstances under which climate change may emerge as a significant public health, social justice, human rights, economic, and women’s health challenge. The FIGO reports that the current climate crisis poses an imminent health risk to pregnant women, developing fetuses, and reproductive health, and calls for community-wide solutions, government policies, and global action.

Écouter le feu. The aftermath of wildfires and the question of rebuilding in high risk fire areas

Mega-fires have become frequent in areas around the world. They are no longer limited to areas in the Mediterranean climate. Extreme fires are now burning in Canada and Siberia due to more frequent fire weather conditions. Such conditions are strongly linked to the warming of the earth's atmosphere. In the US the term mega-fires came into use after the 1988 fire at Yellowstone Park. Such fires can permanently transform a landscape into a non-forested habitat. Wildfires are uncontrolled fires that burn in the wildland urban interface. No longer are wildfires a topic of interest only to foresters. Those in the practice of urban design and planning need to take notice. Land-use changes made by local governments have permitted urban development within forested areas and they have further exacerbated fire risks.

Ignition detection method based on real-time measurements of a hazardous parameter in the environment

The object of this study is a selective average of the dangerous parameters of the gas environment during the ignition of materials. Theoretical substantiation of the fire detection method based on testing the null hypothesis regarding the current difference of the specified selective averages of an arbitrary dangerous parameter of the gas environment has been performed. In this case, the significance of the current difference with respect to selective averages allows detection of ignition in real-time observation of an arbitrary dangerous parameter of the gas environment. The method makes it possible to set the level of significance for the current difference and at the same time provide for the maximum power of fire detection. Laboratory experiments were conducted to verify the proposed method for detecting ignition based on the current difference of the selective averages of the measured dangerous parameters of the gas environment corresponding to the training and control general population. The results of verification showed that at a given level of significance, the method allows detecting current fires of materials based on significant differences in sample means. It was established that the current difference in the concentration of carbon monoxide during ignition and after ignition of alcohol, paper, wood shavings, and textiles is –0.459 and 8.296, –0.152 and 4.299, –0.027 and 6.9, –0.262 and 2.3, respectively. Current smoke density differences are 0.043 and 0.391, 0.012, and 0.923, –0.139, and –0.235, 0.034, and 0.129, and temperatures are –0.01 and 10.635, 0.53 135 and 2.726, respectively. This means that the current difference is significant and is due not to a random nature but to the appearance of a persistent effect from the ignition of the material. In practice, research results can be used to detect fires in real time in order to prevent them from growing into an uncontrolled fire

Firebreaks and Their Effect on Vegetation Composition and Diversity in Grasslands of Golden Gate Highlands National Park, South Africa

Southern African grasslands with a rich flora, shaped by fire, grazing, climate and geology, as well as playing a role in carbon sequestration, are becoming more important in conservation. Fire is often used as a management tool to improve vegetation and to protect property against uncontrolled fire. We therefore attempt to determine the effect consecutive burning has on vegetation. Paired plots along firebreaks were used to collect vegetation data using the Braun-Blanquet cover abundance scale. Soil samples were also collected to determine the impact of fire on below-ground nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) stocks and ratios. The results indicate that there is no difference between the plant communities of the firebreaks and the adjacent grassland; however, there are certain species that are favoured by firebreaks and others by the adjacent grassland. There is also no difference in diversity between the firebreaks and adjacent grassland areas. Carbon and nitrogen stocks as well as C:N ratios did not differ significantly between the firebreaks and the adjacent grassland plots although trends indicate a decline in both C and N with repeated burning.

Harnessing Lignocellulosic Waste‐Derived Carbon Materials for Green Electrochemical Applications

AbstractPhytoremediation and constructed wetlands are widely employed processes for the decontamination of soils and waters. These sustainable, effective, and cost‐efficient technologies rely solely on the use of plants. However, the application of these processes results in the accumulation of lignocellulosic residues, like it occurs with natural wetlands, which present a significant challenge due to the potential entry into the food chain of the adsorbed pollutants or the risk of initiating uncontrolled fires due to the accumulation of dead biomass. Nevertheless, rather than being perceived as a drawback, this can be seen as a potential source of materials. Carbonaceous materials are gaining increasing significance in the field of electrochemistry, normally improving their features through some type of thermal treatment. In this study, different types of thermal treatments applied to lignocellulosic wastes are reviewed pointing out pyrolysis and hydrothermal carbonization (HTC). Additionally, four environmental and energy electrochemical applications where this type of waste has been used as precursors of electrode materials are briefly examined: energy storage (supercapacitors, Li−Na‐ion batteries), hydrogen production (H2), microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production. Recent research findings, as discussed throughout this review, suggest a promising future for the utilization of lignocellulosic waste in electrochemical applications.

Disentangling the roles of bracken fronds and litter on natural seedling recruitment in fire-disturbed tropical montane habitats

Tropical montane forests are diverse ecosystems often affected by uncontrolled human-induced fires causing tree mortality and creating large deforested areas. After fires, Pteridium spp. ferns (bracken) often dominate, and forest regeneration in these areas is slow. In this study, we evaluated the effects of bracken fronds and litter, as well as the micro-environmental conditions created by the fern, on the density and species diversity of naturally recruiting seedlings. At eight sites, 120 experimental plots were established among forest and bracken-dominated areas with the following treatments: (a) fronds and litter intact (F+L+); (b) fronds intact and litter removed (F+L-); (c) fronds removed and litter intact (F-L+); and (d) fronds and litter removed (F-L-). After one year, all seedlings were registered, identified and classified according to their life-form (tree, shrub, herb, vine), dispersal vector (wind- or animal-dispersed) and successional status (early-, mid-, and late-successional). For all treatments we assessed 12 micro-environmental variables. We identified 3649 naturally-recruiting seedlings corresponding to 278 species from 70 families. We found positive effects of bracken fronds particularly on tree seedling recruitment: treatments with fronds had greater densities of both animal- and wind-dispersed tree seedlings, 1.8 and 1.4 fold higher, respectively, compared to treatments without fronds. Similarly, the density of early-, mid- and late-successional tree species was 1.3, 1.7 and 1.9 times higher in treatments with than without fronds. Furthermore, species diversity of early-, mid- and late-successional tree species was higher in the treatments with fronds. The environmental conditions generated by bracken presence, such as photosynthetically active radiation, soil temperature, live bracken biomass and litter depth, had positive effects on seedling density of all, animal-dispersed and early-successional tree species, and negative effects on seedling recruitment of other life-forms, notably from early successional stages. To promote forest regeneration in bracken-dominated areas, active restoration measures such as direct seed addition and transplants of nursery-raised seedlings of mid- and late-successional species should be considered. Since bracken can hinder the establishment of some life forms and species but favor others, it is recommended to include a trait-based approach to understand species responses to environmental factors and select species that are optimally adapted to bracken-dominated habitat conditions to promote forest regeneration.

Environmental Stressors of Mozambique Soil Quality

Mozambique is one of the poorest countries in the world. However, it has natural resources, and if they are managed under sustainable development principles, it can overcome its current problems. In the present socio-economic status, soil is one of its most important resources and must be protected from pollution and degradation. This review identifies and discusses the main soil quality stressors, namely soil fertility; deforestation and its sources: agriculture, timber harvesting, charcoal production, and uncontrolled fires; mining activities, manly gold artisanal explorations, and industrial open-pit coal mining; and solid wastes management. The sustainable use of natural resources is mandatory for future generations to continue to profit from this nature-based wealth.

Vegetation change detection and recovery assessment based on post-fire satellite imagery using deep learning

Wildfires are uncontrolled fires fuelled by dry conditions, high winds, and flammable materials that profoundly impact vegetation, leading to significant consequences including noteworthy changes to ecosystems. In this study, we provide a novel methodology to understand and evaluate post-fire effects on vegetation. In regions affected by wildfires, earth-observation data from various satellite sources can be vital in monitoring vegetation and assessing its impact. These effects can be understood by detecting vegetation change over the years using a novel unsupervised method termed Deep Embedded Clustering (DEC), which enables us to classify regions based on whether there has been a change in vegetation after the fire. Our model achieves an impressive accuracy of 96.17%. Appropriate vegetation indices can be used to evaluate the evolution of vegetation patterns over the years; for this study, we utilized Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) based trend analysis showing the greening fraction, which ranges from 0.1 to 22.4 km2 while the browning fraction ranges from 0.1 to 18.1 km2 over the years. Vegetation recovery maps can be created to assess re-vegetation in regions affected by the fire, which is performed via a deep learning-based unsupervised method, Adaptive Generative Adversarial Neural Network Model (AdaptiGAN) on post-fire data collected from various regions affected by wildfire with a training error of 0.075 proving its capability. Based on the results obtained from the study, our approach tends to have notable merits when compared to pre-existing works.

Using Cognitive IOT In Vehicle System for On Actual Time Monitoring of CO2 Emission with Temperature and Alcohol Detector

One of the pressing environmental challenges we face today is the phenomenon of global warming, primarily driven by the release of greenhouse gases. Among these gases, carbon dioxide stands out as a significant contributor, with its emissions leading to a warming effect on the Earth's surface. Protecting our environment requires us to address and manage these changes effectively, presenting a considerable challenge. For long-term control of carbon dioxide emissions at their source, there is a growing recognition of the need for preventive and control technologies. This paper aims to employ IoT technology, utilizing Raspberry Pi's CO2 sensitivity, to monitor emissions from various sources such as public transportation, industries, and forest fires. Continuous monitoring of carbon dioxide levels within a city will help identify areas with the highest pollution levels. Additionally, this initiative seeks to implement an intelligent system for early detection of forest fires, also known as wildfires. These uncontrolled fires in natural areas pose significant threats to both ecosystems and human resources. It's noteworthy that wildfires emit more CO2 gas than initially assumed, impacting state climate targets. Integrating these efforts with IoT enhances security and enables various services, including the deployment of a Simple Notification Service (SNS) to alert mobile users about high CO2 levels in specific areas. Furthermore, this model aims to extend its capabilities to include the detection of temperature in heated vehicle components, such as engines, using temperature detectors. Moreover, alcohol detectors will be utilized to monitor alcohol consumption by vehicle drivers, enhancing safety measures on the road. Keywords: SNS (Simple Notification Service), IoT (Internet of Things), GPS (Global Positioning System), GVG (Green Vehicle Guide), MAQUMON (Mobile Air Quality Monitoring Network).

Savanna chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) crop feeding at Dindefelo, Senegal: challenges and implications for conservation.

Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are categorized as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and habitat loss due to conversion of land for agriculture is one of the major threats to wild populations of this species. This challenging scenario can lead to negative human-chimpanzee interactions, includingcrop feeding. Chimpanzees consume crops across their geographical range, although little is known about this behavior in savanna habitats. Here we provide new evidence of crop feeding by savanna chimpanzees. We conducted our observations at Dindefelo, a community nature reserve in southeastern Senegal. The chimpanzees were observed to feed on mango (Mangifera indica) and also on baobab (Adansonia digitata), a wild species considered a crop by local people when found in and around villages. Although local people use the fruits of these species for food and income, they tolerated crop-feeding events until recently. In 2023, a case of harassment of a crop-feeding chimpanzee in a mango orchard was witnessed, and four days later a chimpanzee corpse was found at the same place. We conclude that habitat conversion into agricultural fields, uncontrolled bush fires and extraction of wild fruits are the important factors influencing crop-feeding events at Dindefelo. Our findings highlight the need to better understand human-chimpanzee interactions in the anthropogenic landscape of Dindefelo to help mitigate negative attitudes and behaviors towards chimpanzees.

Impacts of fire and prospects for recovery in a tropical peat forest ecosystem

Uncontrolled fires place considerable burdens on forest ecosystems, compromising our ability to meet conservation and restoration goals. A poor understanding of the impacts of fire on ecosystems and their biodiversity exacerbates this challenge, particularly in tropical regions where few studies have applied consistent analytical techniques to examine a broad range of ecological impacts over multiyear time frames. We compiled 16 y of data on ecosystem properties (17 variables) and biodiversity (21 variables) from a tropical peatland in Indonesia to assess fire impacts and infer the potential for recovery. Burned forest experienced altered structural and microclimatic conditions, resulting in a proliferation of nonforest vegetation and erosion of forest ecosystem properties and biodiversity. Compared to unburned forest, habitat structure, tree density, and canopy cover deteriorated by 58 to 98%, while declines in species diversity and abundance were most pronounced for trees, damselflies, and butterflies, particularly for forest specialist species. Tracking ecosystem property and biodiversity datasets over time revealed most to be sensitive to recurrent high-intensity fires within the wider landscape. These megafires immediately compromised water quality and tree reproductive phenology, crashing commercially valuable fish populations within 3 mo and driving a gradual decline in threatened vertebrates over 9 mo. Burned forest remained structurally compromised long after a burn event, but vegetation showed some signs of recovery over a 12-y period. Our findings demonstrate that, if left uncontrolled, fire may be a pervasive threat to the ecological functioning of tropical forests, underscoring the importance of fire prevention and long-term restoration efforts, as exemplified in Indonesia.

Development of an IoT-based firefighting drone for enhanced safety and efficiency in fire suppression

An uncontrolled fire poses severe threats to both humans and the environment, making firefighting a perilous and complex task. Traditional fire suppression methods are inefficient, costly, and without thorough testing, leading to delays in gaining control over fire outbreaks. This paper presents a novel firefighting drone aimed at mitigating risks to firefighters by extinguishing fires and providing real-time imaging, gas concentration and fire location data monitoring. The proposed intelligent quadcopter utilizes the Pixhawk PX4 microcontroller for precise control and the Pixhawk Telemetry system for data processing. The proposed device is constructed from an ultra-strength S500 Quadcopter frame, NodeMCU, Arduino Nano, various gas sensors, a servo motor to extinguish the fire and a camera to detect fire events in real time. Equipped with an FPV camera and a video transmitter, it transmits live video feed to the ground, enabling efficient navigation using the Flysky I6X controller. The intended position and height of the drone are controlled using an adaptive optimization technique known as fuzzy-based backstepping control. This article demonstrates the effectiveness of the device by collecting and analyzing gas emissions data from controlled burns of various materials. The drone successfully measured concentrations of CO, CO2, O3, SO2, and NO2 in affected areas, providing valuable insights for firefighting operations. Different levels of gases have been measured depending on the concentration from burning alcohol, clothes, plastic materials, paper, leaves, and so on. The novelty of this work lies in the development and comprehensive analysis of an IoT-based firefighting drone conducting extensive real-time experiments.

Vegetation, fuels, and fire-behavior responses to linear fuel-break treatments in and around burned sagebrush steppe: are we breaking the grass-fire cycle?

BackgroundLinear fuel breaks are being implemented to moderate fire behavior and improve wildfire containment in semiarid landscapes such as the sagebrush steppe of North America, where extensive losses in perennial vegetation and ecosystem functioning are resulting from invasion by exotic annual grasses (EAGs) that foster large and recurrent wildfires. However, fuel-break construction can also pose EAG invasion risks, which must be weighed against the intended fire-moderation benefits of the treatments. We investigated how shrub reductions (mowing, cutting), pre-emergent EAG-herbicides, and/or drill seedings of fire-resistant perennial bunchgrasses (PBGs) recently applied to create a large fuel-break system affected native and exotic plant abundances and their associated fuel loading and predicted fire behavior.ResultsIn heavily EAG-invaded areas, herbicides reduced EAG and total herbaceous cover without affecting PBGs for 2–3 years and reduced predicted fire behavior for 1 year (from the Fuel Characteristic Classification System). However, surviving post-herbicide EAG cover was still > 30%, which was sufficient fuel to exceed the conventional 1.2-m-flame length (FL) threshold for attempting wildfire suppression with hand tools. In less invaded shrubland, shrub reduction treatments largely reduced shrub cover and height by ~ half without increasing EAGs, but then redistributed the wood to ground level and increased total herbaceous cover. Herbicides and/or drill seeding after shrub reductions did not affect EAG cover, although drill seedings increased PBG cover and exotic forbs (e.g., Russian thistle). Fire behavior was predicted to be moderated in only one of the many yearly observations of the various shrub-reduction treatment combinations. Over all treatments and years, FLs were predicted to exceed 1.2 m in 13% of simulations under average (11 km h−1) or high (47 km h−1) wind speed conditions and exceed the 3.4-m threshold for uncontrollable fire in 11% of simulations under high-wind speeds only.ConclusionsPredicted fire-moderation benefits over the first 4 years of fuel break implementation were modest and variable, but, generally, increases in EAGs and their associated fire risks were not observed. Nonetheless, ancillary evidence from shrublands would suggest that treatment-induced shifts from shrub to herbaceous fuel dominance are expected to improve conditions for active fire suppression in ways not readily represented in available fire models.

Twenty Years of Air Pollutant Index Trend Analysis in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia (2000-2019)

Sarawak is expected to face environmental challenges due to air pollution arising from industrial emissions and urbanisation as it strives towards achieving developed and high-income status by 2030. Therefore, it is important to conduct a comprehensive Air Pollutant Index (API) trend analysis. There are currently limited studies on API trend analysis that focus on Kuching, the capital known for its extensive industrial zones and densely populated urban centre. The main focus of this study was to perform a comprehensive analysis of the API trends in the Kuching region over a period of 20 years (2000-2019) using a visual representation in the form of a contour plot. To achieve this purpose, a five-term Fourier model was employed to predict the missing API data using Matlab software. Then, a complete version of a contour plot was developed to clearly illustrate the fluctuations in air quality over time. It was found that a five-term Fourier model used to forecast missing API data provides a strong correlation with the API readings, with most of the R values greater than 0.91. Moreover, the generated contour plot demonstrates a visual congruence between the forecasted data and the original dataset. Elevated API readings, signifying highly detrimental air quality, were primarily identified as a result of haze episodes stemming from uncontrolled fires in neighbouring countries, particularly during El Niño events. The findings of this study contribute to a better understanding of API trends in Kuching by means of the contour plot.