Unveiling the diversity of regional burning patterns at the Brazilian savanna

<p>Fire is an integral and predictable component of ecological functioning and dynamics in fire-prone biomes. However, the relationships and potential feedback between fire and its drivers are complex, as they depend on the temporal and spatial scales adopted when analyzing the fire regime. A remote sensing approach allows the characterization of fire regimes with larger spatial coverage and temporal homogeneity, especially where fire records are rare, as in the Brazilian savannas (Cerrado). The Cerrado is a mosaic of soil types and topographic settings, with varying regional climate patterns, resulting in a variety of fire resistant/sensitivity vegetation types, and recent disturbances, mostly due to increasing economic and agricultural development, along with changes in climate, are disrupting its natural fire patterns. Most studies characterizing fire activity in Cerrado are either performed at the biome-level or focus on very specific locations with results then extrapolated over the whole biome, which may mask important regional patterns. Here, we aim to characterize the regional fire patterns into the Cerrado’s 19 ecoregions, previously defined based on biophysical parameters which do not include fire. </p><p>We use burned area (BA), fire radiative power and individual fire scar data based on MODIS products (respectively, MCD64A1, MCD14ML and Global Fire Atlas) to evaluate inter and intra annual cycles, spatial anomalies and trends of BA, fire intensity and fire size (small fires: <1000ha, medium: 1000-5000ha and large fires: >5000ha) in each ecoregion from 2001 to 2019. </p><p>Our results show a marked north-south BA gradient, with higher annual BA contributions from the northern ecoregions. These ecoregions are mainly located in the latest agricultural frontier, MATOPIBA, where there are more vegetation remnants that are under high anthropogenic pressure due to recent economic development. Conversely, ecoregions showing low BA are highly fragmented and  have been historically deforested for longer periods. Most fires are of low intensity and higher intensity fires occur towards the end of the dry season period (June to October). Moreover, there are considerable differences in extremely intense events, especially in the eastern ecoregions. We also found that temporal and spatial patterns are highly variable, depending on fire scars size. Infrequent medium and large scars account for most of BA compared to common very small and small scars. Overall, fire seasonality varies substantially depending on fire size class: larger scars occur over a 2-month period within the dry season, whereas the remaining classes are increasingly scattered along the year. BA is increasing and fire intensity decreasing over MATOPIBA’s ecoregions, while in southern ecoregions, is the opposite, with a decreasing over BA and an increase of fire intensity. Smaller scars are overall decreasing, whereas medium and larger scars show positive trends over central and northern ecoregions. </p><p>This study highlights the importance of understanding the diversity of fire dynamics in Cerrado to better inform and prepare refined-scale fire management strategies in light of current regional ecosystem disturbances and future climate change. </p><p>The study was funded by CNPQ (grant 441971/2018-0) and P. S. Silva is supported by FCT (grant SFRH/BD/146646/2019).</p>

Current Wildland Fire Patterns and Challenges in Europe: A Synthesis of National Perspectives

Changes in climate, land use, and land management impact the occurrence and severity of wildland fires in many parts of the world. This is particularly evident in Europe, where ongoing changes in land use have strongly modified fire patterns over the last decades. Although satellite data by the European Forest Fire Information System provide large-scale wildland fire statistics across European countries, there is still a crucial need to collect and summarize in-depth local analysis and understanding of the wildland fire condition and associated challenges across Europe. This article aims to provide a general overview of the current wildland fire patterns and challenges as perceived by national representatives, supplemented by national fire statistics (2009–2018) across Europe. For each of the 31 countries included, we present a perspective authored by scientists or practitioners from each respective country, representing a wide range of disciplines and cultural backgrounds. The authors were selected from members of the COST Action “Fire and the Earth System: Science & Society” funded by the European Commission with the aim to share knowledge and improve communication about wildland fire. Where relevant, a brief overview of key studies, particular wildland fire challenges a country is facing, and an overview of notable recent fire events are also presented. Key perceived challenges included (1) the lack of consistent and detailed records for wildland fire events, within and across countries, (2) an increase in wildland fires that pose a risk to properties and human life due to high population densities and sprawl into forested regions, and (3) the view that, irrespective of changes in management, climate change is likely to increase the frequency and impact of wildland fires in the coming decades. Addressing challenge (1) will not only be valuable in advancing national and pan-European wildland fire management strategies, but also in evaluating perceptions (2) and (3) against more robust quantitative evidence.

Application of Spatiotemporal Analysis and Knowledge Discovery for Databases in the Bureau of Fire Protection as Incident Report System: Tool for Improving Fire Services

Purpose–This study aims to contribute to the fire research by developing a fire report management system for the BFP that can analyze spatiotemporal attributes of fire and 520apply Knowledge Discovery in Databases (KDD) methods to identify patterns of fire incidents in the city of Manila.Method–The proponents applied the Knowledge Discovery in Databases (KDD) methods for the processing of identifying fire patterns as well as the application of SMOTE, One-Hot Encoding, and Agile Method as Software developmental model. Result–The records obtained from the BFP headquarters in Manila had a total of 3,506 cases during the six years from 2011 to 2016. The accuracy of the Decision Tree classifier model was 95.92%.Using KDD approach, it generated decision rules fire pattern in Manila. Most fire causes fall under the 'Under Investigation' category while Residential-Commercial types of establishments in Intramuros were affected. Lastly, the fire occurred in the mornings, during Sundays when most people are in their homes and the majority of which took place in the Pandacan district.Conclusion–The application of KDD in building a predictive model to be integrated into the system was the major part of this project. The outputs generated by the system can provide material for use in more accurate fire risk assessments, more efficient allocation of fire resources and personnel, and more targeted fire awareness and prevention programs.Recommendation–Future research in this area may include other factors contributing to a higher likelihood of fire incidences such as weather conditions and other geographical attributes of fire-prone locations. Analysis of these and other relevant factors may allow the BFP to gainfurther insights into the causes of fire incidents, which will enable the agency to make the necessary adjustments and changes in their current fire prevention and risk reduction programsPractical Implication–This study provides direct implication for the Bureau of Fire Protection and community through the given insights of the fire activities and the created model of the system that determine Manila's fire patterns that help identify appropriate information about fire activities and preventive measures of fire incidents.

Fire patterns in the Brazilian Cerrado: an approach comparing different input datasets in the fire risk modelling

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Modeling Gas Burner Fires in Ranch and Colonial Style Structures

The test scenarios ranged from fires in the structures with no exterior ventilation to room fires with flow paths that connected the fires with remote intake and exhaust vents. In the ranch, two replicate fires were conducted for each room of origin and each ventilation condition. Rooms of fire origin included the living room, bedroom, and kitchen. In the colonial, the focus was on varying the flow paths to examine the change in fire behavior and the resulting damage. No replicates were conducted in the colonial. After each fire scene was documented, the interior finish and furnishings were replaced in affected areas of the structure. Instrumentation was installed to measure gas temperature, gas pressure, and gas movement within the structures. In addition, oxygen sensors were installed to determine when a sufficient level of oxygen was available for flaming combustion. Standard video and firefighting IR cameras were also installed inside of the structures to capture information about the fire dynamics of the experiments. Video cameras were also positioned outside of the structures to monitor the flow of smoke, flames, and air at the exterior vents. Each of the fires were started from a small flaming source. The fires were allowed to develop until they self-extinguished due to a lack of oxygen or until the fire had transitioned through flashover. The times that fires burned post-flashover varied based on the damage occurring within the structure. The goal was have patterns remaining on the ceiling, walls, and floors post-test. In total, thirteen experiments were conducted in the ranch structure and eight experiments were conducted in the colonial structure. All experiments were conducted at UL's Large Fire Laboratory in Northbrook, IL. Increasing the ventilation available to the fire, in both the ranch and the colonial, resulted in additional burn time, additional fire growth, and a larger area of fire damage within the structures. These changes are consistent with fire dynamics based assessments and were repeatable. Fire patterns within the room of origin led to the area of origin when the ventilation of the structure was considered. Fire patterns generated pre-flashover, persisted post-flashover if the ventilation points were remote from the area of origin.