Development of a framework for fire risk assessment using remote sensing and geographic information system technologies

Forest fires play a critical role in landscape transformation, vegetation succession, soil degradation and air quality. Improvements in fire risk estimation are vital to reduce the negative impacts of fire, either by lessen burn severity or intensity through fuel management, or by aiding the natural vegetation recovery using post-fire treatments. This paper presents the methods to generate the input variables and the risk integration developed within the Firemap project (funded under the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology) to map wildland fire risk for several regions of Spain. After defining the conceptual scheme for fire risk assessment, the paper describes the methods used to generate the risk parameters, and presents proposals for their integration into synthetic risk indices. The generation of the input variables was based on an extensive use of geographic information system and remote sensing technologies, since the project was intended to provide a spatial and temporal assessment of risk conditions. All variables were mapped at 1 km² spatial resolution, and were integrated into a web-mapping service system. This service was active in the summer of 2007 for semi-operational testing of end-users. The paper also presents the first validation results of the danger index, by comparing temporal trends of different danger components and fire occurrence in the different study regions.     

Using a fire propagation model to assess the efficiency of prescribed burning in reducing the fire hazard

We examined how fire hazard was affected by prescribed burning and fuel recovery over the first six years following treatment. Eight common Mediterranean fuel complexes managed by means of prescribed burning in limestone Provence (South-Eastern France) were studied, illustrating forest and woodland, garrigue and grassland situations. The coupled atmosphere-wildfire behaviour model FIRETEC was used to simulate fire behaviour (ROS, intensity) in these complex vegetations. The temporal threshold related to the effectiveness of prescribed burning in reducing the fire hazard was assessed from derivated fuel dynamics after treatment. The study showed that prescribed burning treatment was effective for the first two years in most of the Mediterranean plant communities analysed. Thereafter, all forests and shrublands were highly combustible with a fire line intensity of more than 5000 kW/m except for pine stands with or without oak (medium intensity of 2000 kW m⁻¹ 3 years after treatment). Low fire line intensity (900 kW m⁻¹) was obtained for grassland which was entirely treatment-independent since the resprouter hemicryptophyte, Brachypodium retusum, is highly resilient to fire. Fire behaviour was greatly affected by fuel load accumulation of Quercus ilex in woodland, and by standing necromass of Rosmarinus officinalis in treated garrigue. Pure pine stands with shrub strata similar to garrigue showed a lower fire intensity due to wind speed decrease at ground level under tree canopy, underlining the advantage of maintaining a proportion of canopy cover in strategic fuel-break zones.     

Development of an individual-based model to evaluate elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) movement and distribution patterns following the Cerro Grande Fire in north central New Mexico, USA

Though studies have modeled the effects of fires on elk, no studies have related the effects of post-fire landscape succession on ungulate movements and distribution using dynamic modeling techniques. The purpose of this study was to develop and test a spatially-explicit, stochastic, individual-based model (IBM) to evaluate potential movement and distribution patterns of elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) in relation to spatial and temporal aspects of the Cerro Grande Fire that burned north central New Mexico in May of 2000. Following extensive literature review, the SAVANNA Ecosystem Model was selected to simulate the underlying post-fire successional processes driving elk movement and distribution. Standard logisitic regression was used to analyze habitat-use patterns of ten elk from data collected using global positioning system radio collars while an additional five animals were used as an independent test set during model validation. Static variables in the form of roads, buildings, fences, and habitual use/memory were used to modify a map of impedance values based on the logistic regression of slope, aspect, and elevation. Integration with SAVANNA came through the application of a habitat suitability index (HSI), which combined movement rules written for the IBM and variables modified and produced by the dynamic ecological processes run in SAVANNA. Overall pattern analysis indicated that realistic migrational processes and habitat-use patterns emerged from movement rules incorporated into the IBM in response to advancing and receding snow when compared to the independent test set. Primary and secondary movement pathways emerged from the collective responses of simulated individuals. Using regression analyses, no significant differences between simulated animals and animals used in either model development or an independent test set revealed any differences in response to snow patterns. These considerations suggest the model was adequately corroborated based on existing data and outlined objectives.     

塔里木河下游地区新生林地滴灌后土壤水盐再分布特征

以塔里木河下游农二师35团8连绿洲-荒漠交界处滴灌条件下的新生林土壤为研究对象,对滴灌结束24 h后的土壤水分、盐分分布特征进行了分析.结果显示:水平方向上,各点处纵剖面土壤含水率随着距滴头距离的增加逐渐下降,至距滴头75 cm处达最低值;而各点处土壤纵剖面含盐量则随着距滴头距离的增加逐渐上升,至距滴头75 cm处达到峰值.垂直方向上,无论水分还是盐分,在20-40 cm土层含量较高,至中下层趋于下降.水平方向上,随着距滴头距离的增加,滴头处土壤剖面含水率与其他点处土壤剖面含水率的相关性依次递减,距滴头75 cm处土壤剖面含盐量与其他点处土壤剖面含盐量的相关性依次递增;垂直方向上,与20-40 cm土层含水率相关性较强的是0-20 cm土层,在α=0.01水平上呈显著相关,其次是40-60 cm土层,在α=0.05水平上呈显著相关.     

Concentrations and modes of occurrence of trace elements in the Late Permian coals from the Puan Coalfield, southwestern Guizhou, China

The concentration, mode of occurrence, and origin of trace elements in the Late Permian coals from the Puan Coalfield, southwestern Guizhou, China, were examined using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), cold-vapor atomic absorption spectrometry (CV-AAS), ion-selective electrode method (ISE), sequential chemical extraction procedure (SCEP), scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy-dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX), and optical microscope. Results show that minerals in the No. 2 Coal from the Puan Coalfield were mainly made up of epigenetic pyrite of low-temperature hydrothermal fluid origin and kaolinite of detrital terrigenous origin. Elements including As (36.9 μg/g), Cd (10.2 μg/g), Cr (167.3 μg/g), Cu (365.4 μg/g), Hg (2.82 μg/g), Mo (92.6 μg/g), Ni (82.6 μg/g), Pb (184.6 μg/g), Se (6.23 μg/g), Zn (242.3 μg/g), and U (132.7 μg/g) are significantly enriched in the No. 2 Coal from the Puan Coalfield. However, concentrations of trace elements in the other four coals, the No. 1, No. 8, No. 11, and No. 18 Coals, were close to the usual ranges found for Guizhou of China, China, and USA. Results of SEM-EDX and SCEP showed that As, Cd, Hg, Mo, Ni, Pb, and Zn occur mainly in veined pyrite, while Cr, Cu, and U distribute mainly in kaolinite, indicating that the low-temperature hydrothermal fluid and detrital materials of terrigenous origin are the main contributors to the enrichment of these trace elements in the No. 2 Coal.     

Epiphyte Biodiversity in the Coffee Agricultural Matrix: Canopy Stratification and Distance from Forest Fragments

Abstract: Quality of the agricultural matrix profoundly affects biodiversity and dispersal in agricultural areas. Vegetatively complex coffee agroecosystems maintain species richness at larger distances from the forest. Epiphytes colonize canopy trees and provide resources for birds and insects and thus effects of agricultural production on epiphytes may affect other species. We compared diversity, composition, and vertical stratification of epiphytes in a forest fragment and in two coffee farms differing in management intensity in southern Mexico. We also examined spatial distribution of epiphytes with respect to the forest fragment to examine quality of the two agricultural matrix types for epiphyte conservation. We sampled vascular epiphytes in a forest fragment, a shade polyculture farm, and a shade monoculture farm at 100 m, 200 m, and 400 m from the forest. Epiphyte and orchid richness was greater in the forest than in the monoculture but richness was similar in the forest and polyculture farm. Epiphyte species composition differed with habitat type, but not with distance from the forest. In the forest, epiphytes were distributed throughout tree canopies, but in the farms, epiphytes were primarily found on trunks and larger branches. Epiphyte richness and species similarity to forest species declined with distance from the forest fragment in the monoculture, but richness and similarity to forest species did not decline with distance from forest in the polyculture. This suggests polyculture coffee has greater conservation value. In contrast, monoculture coffee is likely a sink habitat for epiphytes dispersing from forests into coffee. Coffee farms differ from forests in terms of the habitat they provide and species composition, thus protecting forest fragments is essential for epiphyte conservation. Nonetheless, in agricultural landscapes, vegetatively complex coffee farms may contribute to conservation of epiphytes more than other agricultural land uses.     

Rural and Suburban Sprawl in the U.S. Midwest from 1940 to 2000 and Its Relation to Forest Fragmentation

Abstract:  Housing growth and its environmental effects pose major conservation challenges. We sought to (1) quantify spatial and temporal patterns of housing growth across the U.S. Midwest from 1940–2000, (2) identify ecoregions strongly affected by housing growth, (3) assess the extent to which forests occur near housing, and (4) relate housing to forest fragmentation. We used data from the 2000 U.S. Census to derive fine-scale backcasts of decadal housing density. Housing data were integrated with a 30-m resolution U.S. Geological Survey land cover classification. The number of housing units in the Midwest grew by 146% between 1940 and 2000. Spatially, housing growth was particularly strong at the fringe of metropolitan areas (suburban sprawl) and in nonmetropolitan areas (rural sprawl) that are rich in natural amenities such as lakes and forests. The medium-density housing (4–32 housing units/km²) category increased most in area. Temporally, suburban housing growth was especially high in the post-World War II decades. Rural sprawl was highest in the 1970s and 1990s. The majority of midwestern forests either contained or were near housing. Only 14.8% of the region's forests were in partial block groups with no housing. Housing density was negatively correlated with the amount of interior forest. The widespread and pervasive nature of sprawl shown by our data is cause for conservation concern. Suburban sprawl has major environmental impacts on comparatively small areas because of the high number of housing units involved. In contrast, rural sprawl affects larger areas but with less intensity because associated housing densities are lower. The environmental effects per house, however, are likely higher in the case of rural sprawl because it occurs in less-altered areas. Conservation efforts will need to address both types of sprawl to be successful.     

Implementing Ecosystem Management in Public Agencies: Lessons from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service

Abstract:  Ecosystem management was formally adopted over a decade ago by many U.S. natural resource agencies, including the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. This approach calls for management based on stakeholder collaboration; interagency cooperation; integration of scientific, social, and economic information; preservation of ecological processes; and adaptive management. Results of previous studies indicate differences in the extent to which particular components of ecosystem management would be implemented within the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management and suggest a number of barriers thought to impede implementation. Drawing on survey and interview data from agency personnel and stakeholders, we compared levels of ecosystem-management implementation in the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management and identified the most important barriers to implementation. Agency personnel perceived similarly high levels of implementation on many ecosystem-management components, whereas stakeholders perceived lower levels. Agencies were most challenged by implementation of preservation of ecological processes, adaptive management, and integration of social and economic information, whereas the most significant barriers to implementation were political, cultural, and legal.     

焚烧源挥发性重金属的排放对周边土壤和植被污染的研究进展

城市生活垃圾是一种成分复杂的混合废物,其中含有数量相当可观的重金属,采用焚烧法处理城市生活垃圾时,会有大量重金属因为高温而挥发进入烟气,一部分富集于焚烧飞灰中,而有少部分重金属因其挥发性较大而排放于大气中,最终随大气及雨水沉降而进入土壤和植被中,从而会对焚烧厂周边生态环境造成严重的危害。为了了解焚烧源挥发性重金属（汞（Hg）、镉（Cd）、铅（Pb）和砷（As））的排放对焚烧厂周边土壤和植被生态环境的污染状况,对近年来国内外学者在相关方面的研究状况进行了详细的文献综述,结果发现：国内学者对于焚烧源挥发性重金属的研究多限于焚烧中挥发性Hg对焚烧厂周边土壤的污染的调查研究,而对于焚烧源Cd、Pb、As对周边土壤和植被污染的调查研究相对较少;而国外学者已有的关于垃圾焚烧源重金属（Hg、Cd、Pb、As）对土壤和植被的污染研究只停留在重金属在土壤中的总的浓度和存在形态的研究,而对于挥发性重金属在焚烧源周边土壤和植被中的迁移转化规律方面的研究很缺乏,对于重金属污染物在土壤和植被中的蓄积及迁移转化规律研究较少。文章指出今后的研究应加强对挥发性重金属在焚烧厂周边土壤中的污染特征及其在土壤层以及植被中的蓄积总量和迁移转化机理的研究,这对于焚烧源挥发性重金属的污染防治以及对已被挥发性重金属污染的土壤和植被的生态修复具有重要的意义。     

施氮水平对小麦-玉米轮作体系氨挥发与氧化亚氮排放的影响

试验采用密闭室间歇通气法研究华北平原冬小麦（Triticum aestivum Linneaus）-夏玉米（Zea mays Linneaus）轮作体系在不同施氮水平下农田氨挥发和N2O排放。结果表明：冬小麦季和夏玉米季的氨挥发速率与N2O排放通量呈现出季节性动态变化,且随着施氮量的增加而增加,均在施肥后第2~3天出现峰值。玉米季氨挥发量和N2O排放量均高于小麦季,分别占整个轮作周期气态损失的53.5%~68.9%和54.7%~82.3%。轮作体系中氨挥发净损失量（以N计）为4.28~31.31 kg.hm-2,占施氮量的3.17%~5.80%;N2O净排放损失量（以N计）为50.95~1051.03 g.hm-2,占施氮量的比例为0.04%~0.23%。因此,施氮量是影响冬小麦-夏玉米轮作体系气态损失重要因素,且夏玉米季是控制控制气态损失的关键时期。