Forest fire mitigation under water shortage

Abstract

Fires are a natural part of many forest ecosystems. Nonetheless, the massive blaze that raged in Alberta, Canada, in May 2016 was catastrophic, threatening human health, the economy, and the environment. The fire displaced more than 80,000 people and captured the attention of the world’s media. Globally, fire mitigation and control under water shortage conditions have gained significant attention due to the effects of climate change and land management practices, which have produced more extreme environmental conditions. This chapter explores the factors and associated aspects of this subject. As expected, drought identification and assessment are significant elements to be considered, hand in hand with water shortage, as facilitating the outbreak of forest fires. The interrelationship between drought and fire is examined, along with the impact of drought on fires and water shortage. In addition, a description of forest fires is considered, including the definitions and categories of forest fires, forest fire meteorology, as well as an explanation of the causes and factors affecting forest fires. Moreover, forest fire mitigation is presented. This is followed by forest fire monitoring, which includes aspects of early warning systems, remote sensing techniques, and risk assessment. Finally, forest fire assessment is deliberated, including the methods applied for the delineation of burned areas. © 2018 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.