Evaluation of the suitability of fire lookout tower location by geographical information systems (A case from Ilgaz Forest District)

Forest fire is one of the most severe disasters that threaten the existence of forests and where human impact is most heavily felt. From this disaster; people, all living things in the forest and ecosystems are affected negatively. Forests, which are limited and scarce natural resources, must be managed within the framework of sustainability. Protection of forests is critically important because of this requirement. There are many preventive or early informing units serving the protection of forests. One of the most widely used is the Fire watching towers (FWTs). FWTs are very critical because they give quick information in the starting phase of the fire. In this study, the areas that FWTs can see were determined by Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and the effectiveness of FWTs was evaluated. Therefore, before FWTs are made, the needs should be determined according to their level and their locations should be determined so that they can see the most areas. It was determined that 86785.6 ha (42%) area could be seen within the study area boundaries (a total of 205258.4 ha), while 118472.8 ha (58%) area could not be seen by FWTs. In order to determine the areas where FWT may be needed in the assessment, the forested areas are weighted by using distance and altitude criteria, and as a result the need levels are expressed as low, medium and high. Today, with the spread of GIS techniques and software, such studies can be achieved more efficiently, consistently and in a short time. In the planning studies to be carried out in forest protection activities, GIS facilities can be easily utilized in the determination of FWT which will serve in the most appropriate manner and the criteria and approaches adopted in this study can be applied. Key Words: Viewshed analysis, Forest fire, Fire lookout tower, Ilgaz