scholarly journals Prescribed burning in southern Europe: developing fire management in a dynamic landscape

2013 ◽  
Vol 11 (s1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulo M Fernandes ◽  
G Matt Davies ◽  
Davide Ascoli ◽  
Cristina Fernández ◽  
Francisco Moreira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Fire Management ◽  
Southern Europe ◽  
Dynamic Landscape

Bayes Nets as a method for analysing the influence of management actions in fire planning

2011 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 909 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. D. Penman ◽  
O. Price ◽  
R. A. Bradstock
Keyword(s):  
Process Model ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Fire Management ◽  
Relative Reduction ◽  
Holistic Model ◽  
Bayes Nets ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Fire Planning ◽  
In Fire

Wildfire can result in significant economic costs with inquiries following such events often recommending an increase in management effort to reduce the risk of future losses. Currently, there are no objective frameworks in which to assess the relative merits of management actions or the synergistic way in which the various combinations may act. We examine the value of Bayes Nets as a method for assessing the risk reduction from fire management practices using a case study from a forested landscape. Specifically, we consider the relative reduction in wildfire risk from investing in prescribed burning, initial or rapid attack and suppression. The Bayes Net was developed using existing datasets, a process model and expert opinion. We compared the results of the models with the recorded fire data for an 11-year period from 1997 to 2000 with the model successfully duplicating these data. Initial attack and suppression effort had the greatest effect on the distribution of the fire sizes for a season. Bayes Nets provide a holistic model for considering the effect of multiple fire management methods on the risk of wildfires. The methods could be further advanced by including the costs of management and conducting a formal decision analysis.

A Computer-Based System for Fire Management in the Mountains of the Cape Province, South-Africa

1994 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
DM Richardson ◽  
BW van Wilgen ◽  
DC Le Maitre ◽  
KB Higgins ◽  
GG Forsyth
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Spatial Data ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Fire Management ◽  
Fire Hazard ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
Water Yield ◽  
Catchment Management ◽  
Fire Control ◽  
Mountain Areas

This paper describes a Catchment Management System (CMS) that provides objective procedures for managing fire. Prescribed burning is carried out in the mountain catchments of the Cape Province, South Africa, to enhance water yield, to rejuvenate the indigenous shrubland vegetation, to reduce fire hazard and to control invasive alien plants. Fire is the only practical tool for achieving these aims in the mountainous terrain. Recent research has improved understanding of the response of these systems to fire, but managing fire to achieve goals is very difficult. The CMS comprises a central geographical information system for managing and processing spatial data, linked to personal computers with DBase IV data-bases and simple rule-based models for decision-making. Current applications are: prioritization of areas for burning, monitoring the success of fire management, mapping fire hazard for fire control planning, and the production of management summaries and statistics. This paper presents examples of these applications from three areas in the Cape Province with different management problems and priorities: the Kammanassie in the southern Cape, and the Kogelberg and Table Mountain areas in the western Cape.

Efficacy of permanent firebreaks and aerial prescribed burning in western Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia

2007 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Owen F. Price ◽  
Andrew C. Edwards ◽  
Jeremy Russell-Smith
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Fire Management ◽  
Fire Frequency ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Stream Order ◽  
Arnhem Land ◽  
Linear Modelling ◽  
Populated Region ◽  
Generalised Linear Modelling

We investigated the efficacy of firebreaks in the prevention of wildfires in the Arnhem Land Plateau, a vast, rugged and sparsely populated region with high biodiversity value and frequent wildfires. A total of 623 events where a fire met a permanent firebreak (cliffs, stream order, tracks and roads) in different fire seasons were compiled. Cliffs were more effective than streams at stopping fires, which were more effective than roads. Larger streams were more effective than small ones. The largest streams stop 75% of early dry season fires, but there are no firebreak types with more than 50% likelihood of stopping a late dry season fire. Geographic Information System (GIS) surfaces of the relative density of the three firebreak features in the landscape were randomly sampled and compared with the total number of fires and late dry season fires using generalised linear modelling. Several of the density variables were weakly but significantly related to fire frequency, and it appears that late dry season fires are influenced by features at a larger scale (16-km radius) than total fires (4 km). The Aerial Prescribed Burning program for 2004 was studied to identify how effective it was at stopping subsequent wildfires by dividing ignition lines into 137 5-km sections. Only 20% of sections achieved a 100% burn and where gaps occurred, a subsequent fire was 88% likely to penetrate the line. Firebreaks are not certain instruments for fire management in this area.

Traditional and ecological fires and effects of bushfire laws in north Australian savannas

2007 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 378 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noel Preece
Keyword(s):  
Land Management ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Fire Management ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Ecosystem Dynamics ◽  
Traditional Practices ◽  
The North ◽  
In Fire

Landscape fires are common and frequent across the north Australian savannas, and are arguably an essential component of regional ecosystem dynamics. Seasonal biases in fire regimes and the high frequency of late dry season fires in a large proportion of the region have been presented as an impediment to appropriate land management. Legislation regulating the lighting of fires applies to the whole of the savannas. The legislation seeks to control the lighting of fires, provides for permit systems to operate in each jurisdiction, and is supported by policies and guidance manuals. The present paper argues that the legislation fails to address prescribed burning, the biophysical and social realities of contemporary regimes, and management needs. The policies and legislation are in need of some fundamental changes, including recognition of the concept of prescribed burning, mechanisms to promote regional fire management strategies and plans, and recognition of indigenous traditional practices.

Contemporary fire regime risks to key ecological assets and processes in north Australian savannas

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 857 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Edwards ◽  
Jeremy Russell-Smith ◽  
Mick Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Fire Management ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Suspended Sediment Transport ◽  
Change Models ◽  
Positive Effects

Despite the intact appearance of relatively unmodified north Australian savannas, mounting evidence indicates that contemporary fire regimes characterised by frequent, extensive and severe late dry season wildfires are having deleterious effects on a range of regional water, soil erosion, biodiversity conservation and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions values. For the high rainfall (>1000 mm year–1) savannas (426 000 km2), we assessed the spatial effects of contemporary fire regimes within the context of ecosystem response models and three plausible alternative fire management scenarios on ecosystem attributes. Over the 2008–12 assessment period, mean annual fire frequency (0.53) comprised mostly late dry season fires. Although spatially variable, contemporary fire regimes resulted in substantial GHG emissions, hill slope erosion and suspended sediment transport, a slight decline in carbon biomass and slight positive effects on fire-vulnerable vegetation. Based on available climate change models and strategic fire management practice, we show that, relative to business-as-usual, improved fire management involving strategic prescribed burning results in substantial benefits to most ecosystem attributes, including under enhanced climate change conditions, whereas in the absence of improved fire management, climate change results in substantially worse outcomes.

scholarly journals Prescribed Burning Reduces Large, High-Intensity Wildfires and Emissions in the Brazilian Savanna

Fire ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 56
Author(s):  
Filippe L.M. Santos ◽  
Joana Nogueira ◽  
Rodrigo A. F. de Souza ◽  
Rodrigo M. Falleiro ◽  
Isabel B. Schmidt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Intensity ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Fire Management ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Brazilian Savanna ◽  
Fire Season ◽  
Fire Intensity ◽  
Burned Area ◽  
Fire Policy

Brazil has recently (2014) changed from a zero-fire policy to an Integrated Fire Management (IFM) program with the active use of prescribed burning (PB) in federal Protected Areas (PA) and Indigenous Territories (IT) of the Brazilian savanna (Cerrado). PB is commonly applied in the management of fire-prone ecosystems to mitigate large, high-intensity wildfires, the associated emissions, and high fire suppression costs. However, the effectiveness of such fire management in reducing large wildfires and emissions over Brazil remains mostly unevaluated. Here, we aim to fill the gap in the scientific evidence of the PB benefits by relying on the most up-to-date, satellite-derived fire datasets of burned area (BA), fire size, duration, emissions, and intensity from 2003 to 2018. We focused on two Cerrado ITs with different sizes and hydrological regimes, Xerente and Araguaia, where IFM has been in place since 2015. To understand fire regime dynamics, we divided the study period into three phases according to the prevalent fire policy and the individual fire scars into four size classes. We considered two fire seasons: management fire season (MFS, which goes from rainy to mid-dry season, when PBs are undertaken) and wildfires season (WFS, when PBs are not performed and fires tend to grow out of control). Our results show that the implementation of the IFM program was responsible for a decrease of the areas affected by high fire recurrence in Xerente and Araguaia, when compared with the Zero Fire Phase (2008–2013). In both regions, PB effectively reduced the large wildfires occurrence, the number of medium and large scars, fire intensity, and emissions, changing the prevalent fire season from the WFS to the MFS. Such reductions are significant since WFS causes higher negative impacts on biodiversity conservation and higher greenhouse gas emissions. We conclude that the effect on wildfires can still be reduced if effective fire management policies, including PB, continue to be implemented during the coming decades.

Cost effectiveness of fire management strategies in southern Australia

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 427 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. D. Penman ◽  
B. A. Cirulis
Keyword(s):  
Risk Analysis ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Fire Management ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Fire Risk ◽  
Simulation Software ◽  
Bayesian Decision ◽  
Fire Simulation ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Increased Risk

Fire-management agencies invest significant resources to reduce the impacts of future fires. There has been increasing public scrutiny over how agencies allocate fire-management budgets and, in response, agencies are looking to use quantitative risk-based approaches to make decisions about expenditure in a more transparent manner. Advances in fire-simulation software and computing capacity of fire-agency staff have meant that fire simulators have been increasingly used for quantitative fire-risk analysis. Here we analyse the cost trade-offs of future fire management in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and surrounding areas by combining fire simulation with Bayesian Decision Networks. We compare potential future-management approaches considering prescribed burning, suppression and fire exclusion. These data combined costs of treatment and impacts on assets to undertake a quantitative risk analysis. The proposed approach for fuel treatment in ACT and New South Wales (NSW) provided the greatest reduction in risk and the most cost-effective approach to managing fuels in this landscape. Past management decisions have reduced risk in the landscape and the legacy of these treatments will last for at least 3 years. However, an absence of burning will result in an increased risk from fire in this landscape.

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