• Journal of Climate Change Research
• /
• v.6 no.3
• /
• pp.185-191
• /
• 2015

This study presents an estimate of on-site surface fuel loadings composed of coarse woody debris (CWD) using $5^{th}$ National Forest Inventory (NFI) data in South Korea. We classified CWD data into forest type, region and decay class, and used conversion factors by decay class and tonne of oil equivalent developed in the country. In 2010, the total wildfire fuel load of CWD was estimated as 8.9 million TOE; those of coniferous, deciduous and mixed forests were 3.5 million TOE, 2.8 million TOE and 2.6 million TOE, respectively. Gangwon Province had the highest wildfire fuel load of CWD (2.3 million TOE), whereas Seoul exhibited the lowest wildfire fuel load of CWD (0.02 million TOE). Wildfire fuel loads of CWD were estimated as 2.9 million TOE, 1.9 million TOE, 2.4 million TOE and 1.7 million TOE for decay classes I, II, III and IV, respectively. The total wildfire fuel load of CWD corresponded to the calorific value of 8.2 million tons crude oil, 2.46% of that of living trees. Proportionate to the growing stock, total wildfire fuel load of CWD was in a broad distinction by region, while its TOE $ha^{-1}$ was not. This implies that there is no need to establish different guidelines by region for management of CWD. The results of this work provide a baseline study for scientific policy guidelines on preventing wildfires by proposing CWD as wildfire fuel load.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
• /
• v.33 no.3
• /
• pp.172-186
• /
• 2017

The effects of application of fuel-reduction treatment in wildfire management has not been tested in dry forests of Ghana. Therefore, the short-term ecological effects of prescribed burning and hand thinning treatments followed by experimental wildfire were investigated in degraded forests and Tectona grandis forest plantations in two forest reserves of different levels of dryness in Ghana. The results showed that more trees were killed in prescribed burning (average of 41% in degraded forest and 18% in plantations) than hand thinning (7.2% in degraded forests and 8% in plantation). More tree seedlings were also killed in prescribed burning (72%) than hand thinning (47%). The mortality of trees and seedlings were greater in Worobong South forest, a less dry forest reserve than the Afram Headwaters forest, a drier forest reserve. Fuel treatment especially prescribed burning compared to the control reduced wildfire effects on forest canopy particularly in the less dry forest and tree mortality especially in the drier forest. Prescribed burning temporarily increased pH, exchangeable potassium (52%) and available phosphorus (82%) in the surface soils of the entire plots. The two fuel treatment methods did not have much influence on basal area, organic matter and total nitrogen. Nevertheless, they were able to reduce the adverse wildfire effects on soil pH, exchangeable potassium, available phosphorus, organic matter and total nitrogen concentrations. Fuel treatments therefore have potential application in dry forest management in Ghana due to their ability to retain important forest ecological traits after a wildfire incidence.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
• /
• v.23 no.1
• /
• pp.21-32
• /
• 2007

Fire fuel map is one of the most critical factors for planning and managing the fire hazard and risk. However, fuel mapping is extremely difficult because fuel properties vary at spatial scales, change depending on the seasonal situations and are affected by the surrounding environment. Remote sensing has potential to reduce the uncertainty in mapping fuels and offers the best approach for improving our abilities. Especially, Hyperspectral sensor have a great potential for mapping vegetation properties because of their high spectral resolution. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the potential of mapping fuel properties using Hyperion hyperspectral remote sensing data acquired in April, 2002. Fuel properties are divided into four broad categories: 1) fuel moisture, 2) fuel green live biomass, 3) fuel condition and 4) fuel types. Fuel moisture and fuel green biomass were assessed using canopy moisture, derived from the expression of liquid water in the reflectance spectrum of plants. Fuel condition was assessed using endmember fractions from spectral mixture analysis (SMA). Fuel types were classified by fuel models based on the results of SMA. Although Hyperion imagery included a lot of sensor noise and poor performance in liquid water band, the overall results showed that Hyperion imagery have good potential for wildfire fuel mapping.

• Aerospace Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.6 no.1
• /
• pp.213-221
• /
• 2007

This paper showed how to analysis the object-based classification for wildfire fuel type map using Hyperion hyperspectral remote sensing data acquired in April, 2002 and compared the results of the object-based classification with the results of the pixel-based classification. Our methodological approach for wildfire fuel type map firstly processed correcting abnormal pixels and atypical bands and also calibrating atmospheric noise for enhanced image quality. Fuel type map is characterized by the results of the spectral mixture analysis(SMA). Object-based approach was based on segment-based endmember selection, while pixel-based method used standard SMA. To validate and compare, we used true-color high resolution orthoimagery.

• Fire Science and Engineering
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.31-36
• /
• 1999

This paper contained an actual investigation of a wildfire which broke out on 23 April R 1996 in Go-sung Kun, Kang-won Do examined the calories and the total calories of the m main trees which were Quercus variabillis and Pinus densiflora. There were three important f fire spread factors which were weather condition, fuel condition and terrain. The weather c condition was the most dangerous alarm level. The fuel condition having a high calory v value, Pinus densiflora made up 63% of the forest. Terrain of the forest were mostly c covered by steep slopes and complicated line construction. This experimental calorie study a about Pinus densiflora and Quercus variabillis showed that Pinus densiflora had 13,34kcal/g a and Quercus variabillis had 9.64kcal/g. In the case of weight loss of pyrolysis, Pinus densiflora had a higher percentage rated 35.71~10.05% than Quercus variabillis. Accordingly, Pinus densiflora showed lower than Quercus variabillis in heat resistance.

• Journal of Cadastre & Land InformatiX
• /
• v.47 no.2
• /
• pp.107-120
• /
• 2017

There are many wildfire risk indices worldwide, but objective comparisons between such various wildfire risk indices and surface dryness indices have not been conducted for the wildfire cases in Korea. This paper describes a sensitivity analysis on the wildfire risk indices and surface dryness indices for Korea using LDAPS(Local Analysis and Prediction System) meteorological dataset on a 1.5-km grid and MODIS(Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) satellite images on a 1-km grid. We analyzed the meteorology-based wildfire risk indices such as the Australian FFDI(forest fire danger index), the Canadian FFMC(fine fuel moisture code), the American HI(Haines index), and the academically presented MNI(modified Nesterov index). Also we examined the satellite-based surface dryness indices such as NDDI(normalized difference drought index) and TVDI(temperature vegetation dryness index). As a result of the comparisons between the six indices regarding 120 wildfire cases with the area damaged over 1ha during the period between January 2013 and May 2017, we found that the FFDI and FFMC showed a good predictability for most wildfire cases but the MNI and TVDI were not suitable for Korea. The NDDI can be used as a proxy parameter for wildfire risk because its average CDF(cumulative distribution function) scores were stably high irrespective of fire size. The indices tested in this paper should be carefully chosen and used in an integrated way so that they can contribute to wildfire forecasting in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
• /
• v.23 no.1
• /
• pp.46-54
• /
• 2021

This study compared and analyzed the effects of forest tending works on the vertical distribution of wildfire fuel loads on Pinus densiflora stands in Gyeongbuk province. The study sites were located in Youngju and Bonghwa in Pinus densiflora stands. A total of 10 sample trees were collected for the development of the crown fuel vertical distribution model. The 6th NFI (National Forest Inventory) selected a sample point that only extracted from managed and unmanaged stands of Pinus densiflora in the Gyeongbuk province. The fitness index (F.I.) of the two models developed was 0.984 to 0.989, with the estimated parameter showing statistical significance (P<0.05). A s a results, the vertical distribution of wildfire fuel loads range of unmanaged stands was from 1m to 11m with the largest distribution at point 5m at the tree height. On the other hand, the vertical distribution of wildfire fuel loads range of the managed stands was from 1m to 15m with the largest distribution at the point of 8m at the tree height. The canopy bulk density was 0.16kg/㎥ for the managed stands and 0.25kg/㎥ for the unmanaged stands, unmanaged stands were about 1.6 times more than managed stands. This result is expected to be available for simulation through the implementation of the 3D model as crown fuel was analyzed in three dimensions.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
• /
• v.20 no.8
• /
• pp.1581-1586
• /
• 2016

In this paper, we propose a central disaster monitoring system of the forest fire. This system provides the safe-zone and detection to reduce the suppression efforts. In existing system, it has a few providing the predicting of wildfire spread model and speed through topography, weather, fuel factor. This paper focus on the forest fire diffusion model and predictions of the path identified to ensure the safe zone. Also we have considering the forest fire of moving direction and speed for fire suppression and monitering. The proposed algorithm could provide the technique to analyze the attribute information that temperature, wind, smoke measured over time. This proposed central observing monitoring system could provide the moving direction of spred out forecast wildfire. This observing and monitering system analyze and simulation for the moving speed and direction forest fire, it could be able to predict and training the forest fire fighters in a given environment.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
• /
• 2015.05a
• /
• pp.89-92
• /
• 2015

In this paper, we propose a method to reduce the fire suppression time. Our suggestions can secure a safe area according to the diffusion path and speed of the fire, forest fire prediction minimize casualties and property damage forests. The existing path prediction method wildfire spread predict the wildfire spread model and speed through topography, weather, fuel factor and the image information. In this case, however, occur to control a large mountain huge costs. Also Focus on the diffusion model predictions and the path identified by the problem arises that insufficient efforts to ensure the safe area. In this paper, we estimate the moving direction and speed of fire at a lower cost, and proposes an algorithm to ensure the safety zone for fire suppression. The proposed algorithm is a technique to analyze the attribute information that temperature, wind, smoke measured over time. According to our algorithm forecast wildfire moving direction and ensure the safety zone. By analyzing the moving speed and the moving direction of the simulated fire in a given environment is expected to be able to quickly reduce the damage to the forest fire fighters.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
• /
• v.7 no.1
• /
• pp.25-37
• /
• 2013

Open biomass burning (excluding biofuels) is an important contributor to air pollution in the Asian region. Estimation of emissions from fires, however, has been problematic, primarily because of uncertainty in the size and location of sources and in their temporal and spatial variability. Hence, more comprehensive tools to estimate wildfire emissions and that can characterize their temporal and spatial variability are needed. Furthermore, an emission processing system that can generate speciated, gridded, and temporally allocated emissions is needed to support air-quality modeling studies over Asia. For these reasons, a biomass-burning emissions modeling system based on satellite imagery was developed to better account for the spatial and temporal distributions of emissions. The BlueSky Framework, which was developed by the USDA Forest Service and US EPA, was used to develop the Asian biomass-burning emissions modeling system. The sub-models used for this study were the Fuel Characteristic Classification System (FCCS), CONSUME, and the Emissions Production Model (EPM). Our domain covers not only Asia but also Siberia and part of central Asia to assess the large boreal fires in the region. The MODIS fire products and vegetation map were used in this study. Using the developed modeling system, biomass-burning emissions were estimated during April and July 2008, and the results were compared with previous studies. Our results show good to fair agreement with those of GFEDv3 for most regions, ranging from 9.7 % in East Asia to 52% in Siberia. The SMOKE modeling system was combined with this system to generate three-dimensional model-ready emissions employing the fire-plume rise algorithm. This study suggests a practicable and maintainable methodology for supporting Asian air-quality modeling studies and to help understand the impact of air-pollutant emissions on Asian air quality.