Effects of stand characteristics on fire potantial

Effects of stand characteristics on fire potential This study examines the effect of stand structure properties on area burned through analysing past fires that occurred in different stands. Also, the differences in fire potential brought about by both the stand structure parameters and growth were determined, and the results presented with a case study. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) was used to analyze and present the results. Analyses were carried out using fuel types classified according to stages of stand development and fuel characteristics. Fuel caharacteristics included crown fuel load, surface fuel load and crown base height. Fuel type maps were produced using GIS. The results revealed that there was a strong relationship between stand structure characteristics and area burned. Similar relationship was present between stand fuel types and fire types (surface and crown fires). As a conclusion, results obtained from the study were discussed, recommendations made and fire management implications explained. This study will not only enable the integration of fuel characteristics into fire danger and/or sensitivity analyses but also make great contributions to the overall fire management activities. Keyword: Stand Charactersitics, Fire Potential, Fire Danger, GIS