Forest fire selectivity patterns in respect to topography during the period 1984-2015 in selected places in Greece

<p>The aim of this study is to assess wildland fire selectivity patterns in respect to topography in selected places in South Greece including eleven NUTS-3 counties of which two are islands, from 1984 to 2015. Fire scar perimeters within the time window 1984-2015 were delineated from freely available Landsat images from USGS and ESA archives and maps of fire frequency and fire return interval were finally created. Derived from eight different Landsat scenes (path/row), almost six thousands satellite images processed and more than five thousand and eight hundred fire perimeters were extracted, in order to reconstruct the fire history of South Greece, in a thirty two years’ period. Fireperimeters within each year of fire occurrence were compared against the available to burn under complete random processes to identify selectivity patterns in respect to topography.<br>It is clear that even though there is a decreasing trend in east, north east and south east facing aspects, fire selectivity in these areas is higher as compared to the available to burn. On the other hand there is a considerable rising in the trend of fire selectivity on west, southwest and northwest facing aspects. In terms of slope, lower- and mid-slopes tend to burn more than the available, opposite to upper- and higher –slopes. In addition, upper-elevation areas (over 800 meters), are negative related to wildfires while most of wildfires occur in altitude from 100 to 600 meters.</p>

Assessment of fire selectivity in relation to land cover and topography: a comparison between Southern European countries

Land cover distribution is one of the factors that influence fire behaviour and its consequences in the landscape. The relation between land cover type and fire was investigated at a broad scale, in order to analyse land cover differences in fire proneness. The selection ratio for nine different land cover categories was calculated for the fire perimeters mapped in Southern Europe between 2000 and 2008. The results obtained were then compared per country and region. The fire proneness of topographic classes and its potential association with land cover types were also assessed. At a broad scale, shrublands and grasslands were the most preferred by fire, whereas artificial surfaces and agricultural areas were less fire prone. Forests showed intermediate values of selection ratio. Principal components and cluster analysis identified three regions with significant differences among them: the Mediterranean area, the Balkans and Turkey–Cyprus. Slopes >25% and with a north aspect were also less susceptible to burning. The identification of common land cover and topographic characteristics allows for the application of common management strategies in Southern Europe, coupled with particular measures adjusted to the conditions that are country- and region-specific.