Climatic controls on historical wildfires in West Virginia, 1939-2008

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)

LYNCH, C.

Dep. of Geography, Univ. of Connecticut, Storrs, Etats-Unis

HESSL, A.

Dep. of Geology and Geography, West Virginia Univ., Morgantown, Etats-Unis

Description :
Here the AA. : (1) summarize historical fire atlases collected by the West Virginia Division of Forestry (1939-2008) in the context of climate and spatial variability; (2) identify the seasonal climatic drivers of fire activity in West Virginia; and (3) define the spatial pattern of fire occurrence from 2001 to 2008. Between 2001 and 2008, 99.9% of fires were recorded as anthropogenic ignitions. More fires tended to burn in the spring, but total area burned was higher in the fall. Large fires (>500 ha) are clustered in the southern portion of West Virginia, an area dominated by surface mining (the southern coal fields). This cluster may be the result of steep topography, local land use, and a culture of incendiarism.

Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
Physical geography, issn : 0272-3646, 2010, vol. 31, n°. 3, p. 254-269, nombre de pages : 16, Références bibliographiques : 44 ref.

Date :
2010

Editeur :
Pays édition : Royaume-Uni, Abingdon, Taylor and Francis

Langue :
Anglais