Management of wildfires with a geographical information system

Abstract

Wildfires pose a constant threat to natural resources, endangered species, human property and even human lives. Effective management of wildfires requires a thorough understanding of the environmental and human related factors that are important to wildfires, as well as the complex spatial relationships among them. A geographical information system was used to analyse the data of the Idyllwild 7-5-minute quadrangle in southern California, U.S.A. A probability model which incorporated topography, vegetation, temperature, precipitation, proximity to buildings and proximity to transportation was constructed to generate the distribution of the probability of fire occurrence. Critical zones of danger from fire which need suppression were delineated. Two hypothetical spatial strategies of prescribed burning were evaluated in terms of their effectiveness in reducing the danger to the district from fire and producing a more desirable spatial pattern.