Spatial patterns of fire occurrence in the central Appalachian Mountains and implications for wildland fire management
Appalachian Mountains ; Ecosystem ; Environmental management ; Forest ; Forest fire ; Forestry ; Human impact ; Resource management ; Seasonality ; Spatial variation ; United States of America ; Virginia
The AA. investigate spatial variations in the incidence of anthropogenic and natural (lightning-ignited) fire in the central Appalachian Mountains of Virginia and West Virginia using a record of wildland fires that occurred on federal lands between
1970 and 2003. A consideration of spatial variability in wildland fire is important for allocating fire-suppression resources and for informing resource managers who use naturally ignited wildland fires or prescribed fires in ecological restoration
efforts and fuel reduction treatments. The AA. compare ignition density, maximum fire size, and fire cycle in the 3 physiographic provinces of this region.
Current approaches to modelling the spread of wildland fire : a review
Ecosystem ; Environmental management ; Forecast ; Forest fire ; Geographical information system ; Model ; Remote sensing
This article reviews some of the important trends in modelling fire behaviour and the likely directions of future research. A consideration of such fire behaviour models is important because they form the basis of many contemporary fire and resource
management models. Fire spread models may be divided into 2 broad classes : those concerned with the quantification of fire behaviour through the prediction of parameters such as rate of spread and fireline intensity, and those concerned with the prediction
of the final shape of a fire event. Both types are considered and also the potential applications of GIS and remote sensing technologies.
The contemporary fire regime of the central Appalachian Mountains and its relation to climate
Appalachian Mountains ; Drought ; Fire ; Forest ; Forest fire ; Human impact ; Mountain ; Natural hazards ; United States of America ; Vegetation dynamics ; Virginia
This paper uses records of wildland fire to investigate the contemporary fire regime on federal lands in the central Appalachian Mountains of Virginia and West Virginia. During the study period (1970-2003), 1557 anthropogenic fires and 344 natural
fires occurred on these lands. Anthropogenic fires burned more area than natural fires and consequently they had a shorter fire cycle. The dry conditions of spring and fall were especially favorable for burning. Moreover, on an interannual level, drought
had a strong influence on the amount of fire activity.
Sandstone response to salt weathering following simulated fire damage : a comparison of the effects of furnace heating and fire
Chemical erosion ; Derbyshire ; England ; Fire ; Geotechnics ; Salt ; Sandstone ; Simulation ; United Kingdom ; Weathering
To explore the differences between heating sandstone in a furnace and a real fire, sample blocks of Peakmoor Sandstone, quarried from Matlock in Derbyshire, were subjected to different stress histories in combination (lime rendering and removal
, furnace heating or fire, frost and salt weathering). Block response to furnace heating and fire is discussed. Subsequent response to salt weathering is then monitored by weight loss.
Fire weather in Israel - Synoptic climatological analysis
Applied climatology ; Forest fire ; Israel ; Mediterranean area ; Moisture ; Natural hazards ; Spatial distribution ; Synoptic climatology ; Temperature ; Wind
This study analyzes the characteristics of fire weather in Israel throughout the years 1987-1995. The objectives are to study the different synoptic situations during forest fires and their relationship to the temporal and spatial distribution
of the fires, and to analyze the weather conditions during the fire days and their correlation with the expansion of the fires.
Fire and ecosystem heterogeneity: a mediterranean case study
Ecosystem ; Fauna ; Fire ; Israel ; Mediterranean area ; Population dynamics ; Rill wash ; Soil erosion ; Vegetation
The response of a Mediterranean ecosystem to fire is summarized in this paper. The results were obtained over a 3-year period at sites with a known fire history on Mt Carmel, Israel. The results give some idea of the complexity and variability
of the ecosystem response to fire, and about factors that could determine these responses. It also shows how fire increases species and landscape diversity.
The relations between modulus of elasticity and temperature in the context of the experimental simulation of rock weathering by fire
Fire ; Lithology ; Rock ; Temperature ; Weathering
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the possible geomorphological significance of fire for rock weathering. The simulation of fire in the laboratory and the monitoring of changes in rock modulus of elasticity, reveal that different rocks
respond differently to heating. It is postulated that the degree of change in elasticity as a result of simulated fire is such that rock outcrops subjected to real fires are likely to be sufficiently modified as to increase their susceptibility to erosion
The aims of this paper will be to present and discuss results relevant for the characterisation of the fire regime of Burkina Faso, obtained through analysis of NOAA AVHRR satellite data. The discussion will concern both the fire regime
and the methodologies used and required to characterize it. Furthermore, the suitability of the currently most widely used approach, that of detection of ongoing fires on the basis of their emittance of thermal radiation, for the characterization of the fire regime
This paper uses NOAA AVHRR data from 1989,90,91,92, supplemented with Landsat and SPOT data, to describe the Senegalese fire regime based on the active fire detection approach. Possible explanations for the observed patterns will be discussed
. The results show that the northern limit of intense fire activity in savannah woodlands can not be adequately explained by variations in rainfall, herbaceous biomass distribution or land cover type. Senegal may be divided into regions characterized by a more
The focus of this paper is on the occurrence of fire in fire-prone ecosystems, in which plant species have evolved fire-survival and/or fire-persistence traits that may even be necessary for the continued existence of the vegetation community
diversity. The fire-prone ecosystems of mediterranean-type shrublands and heathlands, savannas and grasslands, and boreal and other coniferous forests are the main geographic focus of the paper.
Modelling wild fires in the mediterranean region : a geographical tool for monitoring the problem. A case study for Southwest-Messinia (Peloponnese, Greece)
Fire ; Forest fire ; Geographical information system ; Greece ; Mediterranean area ; Model ; Natural hazards ; Peloponnese ; Remote sensing ; Statistics ; Thematic map ; Years 1980-89 ; Years 1990-99
The aim of this study is to model the wild fire behaviour in the Eparchy of Pylias (Southwest-Messinia, Greece), and more specific to acquire more knowledge about the wild fires control problem as it concerns the fire frequency and the possibility
of fire spreading. A hazard model is set up based upon a combination of remote sensing techniques and a GIS. A multi source data is used, comprising cartographic documents, meteorological data, satellite imagery and statistical information about the fire
history of the region (1978-1996). A thematic study is performed for each of the controlling factors and a hazard map for fire occurrence is obtained.
Fire severity, water repellency characteristics and hydrogeomorphological changes following the Christmas 2001 Sydney forest fires
Australia ; Comparative study ; Forest ; Forest fire ; New South Wales ; Remote sensing ; SPOT ; Soil erosion ; Soil properties ; Soil water ; Sydney ; Water quality ; Watershed
For 2 sub-catchments with differences in fire severities in Nattai National Park, south-west of Sydney, this paper considers : 1) the links between fire severity based on SPOT image analysis and ground observations of fire severity and repellency; 2
) the textural and organic/minerogenic characteristics of eroded sediment; and 3) erodibility, erosion and deposition of soils in both catchments. The fire did not trigger major geomorphological change in the study area, but fires probably cause important topsoil
Fire history of a ponderosa pine/Douglas fir forest in the Colorado front range
Biogeography ; Colorado ; Dating ; Fire ; Forest ; Forestry ; Mountain ; United States
The main objectives of this study are : 1) to characterize the fire regime of an area of montane forest in the Colorado Front Range; and 2) to compare the utility of the different methods of dating fires in these forests.
Fire in the cerrado (savannas) of Brazil : an ecological review
Biodiversity ; Biogeography ; Brazil ; Ecology ; Environmental management ; Fire ; Savanna
Fire is a major determinant of cerrado (savanna) vegetation in Brazil, and is used as a management tool during the dry season. This article reviews past and present fire ecology studies in the cerrado, (abiotic, biotic, social studies and management
Fire in the desert : initial gullying associated with the Cave Creek Complex Fire, Sonoran Desert, Arizona
Aerial photography ; Arid area ; Arizona ; Desert ; Erosion rate ; Fire ; Gully erosion ; Monsoon ; Photogrammetry ; Soil erosion ; United States of America
The June 2005 Cave Creek Complex Fire is one of the largest historic wildfires to affect Arizona's Sonoran Desert. Post-fire gullying was measured using pre-fire and post-fire aerial photographs from the Maricopa County (after the 2005 and 2006
The aim of this study is to characterize spatio-temporal characteristics of fire events in Orissa state, eastern India. In this study, ATSR satellite remote sensing data have been used to quantify fire events from 1997 to 2006. The spatial scan
statistic that quantifies hotspot areas of fire risk has been used to identify statistically significant fire clusters during the ten-year time period. To assess the causative factors of fires, topographic, vegetation, climatic, anthropogenic
and accessibility factors were used in a multivariate statistical framework. Results suggested a clear variation in hotspots of fire occurences among districts.
Climate change and boreal forest fires in Fennoscandia and central Canada
Canada ; Climatic variation ; Cold area ; Europe ; Forest ; Forest fire ; Impact ; Landscape ; Ontario ; Scandinavia
This paper's hypothesis is that, just as summer climate warming in Canada has produced dramatic increases in the number and total area of forest fires, so tool will any increase in summer temperatures in Fennoscandia. If this is so, complacency
concerning the current low level of forest fires in Fennoscandia is misplaced. Likewise, temporal variations in forest have induced important changes in Canadian landscapes, and the same may be true of Fennoscandia if increased forest fire occurrence
Fire history and tree recruitment in an uncut New England forest
Biogeography ; Dating ; Dendrology ; Drought ; Fire ; Forest ; New England ; Pine ; United States of America
This paper describes the fire history of the Battell Research Forest (BRF), in Vermont, recorded by the age distributions of living and dead trees and by fire scars. The results illustrate a fire cycle that has controlled the recruitment
Post-fire mulching for runoff and erosion mitigation Part II : Effectiveness in reducing runoff and sediment yields from small catchments
Following the 2002 Hayman fire in central Colorado and the 2003 Cedar fire in southern California, matched catchments were monitored for 5 to 7 post-fire years to determine the effectiveness of wheat straw mulch (Hayman fire only) and hydromulch
in reducing post-fire runoff, peak flow rates, and sediment yields from natural rainfall. Measured runoff and sediment yields were caused by short duration high intensity summer storms at the Hayman fire and long duration winter rains at the Cedar fire
. It is shown that runoff and sediment yields were more closely related : 1) to rainfall intensity than to amount at the Hayman fire; 2) to rainfall amount than to intensity at the Cedar fire. In the first post-fire years sediment yields from the catchments were
similar to those measured on hillslope plots. In later post-fire years, sediment yields from the catchments were at least double the yields from hillslope plots.