Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Land Cover Type and Fire in Portugal: Do Fires Burn Land Cover Selectively?

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Landscape Ecology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate if, or under what conditions, fires select given land cover types for burning. If fires burn unselectively then the land cover composition (the proportional area of various land cover types) of individual fires should approximate the land cover composition available in their neighborhood. In this study we test this hypothesis by performing statistical analyses of a data set consisting of paired vectors with the proportions of land cover types present in burned areas and in their respective surroundings. The statistical methods employed (a permutation technique and the Cmax statistic) are commonly used in resource selection studies where data is subject to a unit-sum constraint. The results of the analysis of 506 fires that burned in Portugal in 1991 indicate that fires are selective, with small fires exhibiting stronger land cover preferences than large fires. According to the results of a multiple comparison analysis performed for small fires, there is a marked preference for shrubland followed by other forest cover types, while agriculture is clearly avoided. A similar analysis is performed to test if fire selectivity is related to the ecological region where it occurs. The results obtained in this study contribute to the discussion on the relative importance of fuels as a drivers of fire spread.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. J.K. Agee (1997) ArticleTitleThe severe weather wildfire – too hot to handle? Northwest Sci. 71 IssueID1 153–156

    Google Scholar 

  2. J.R. Alldredge J.T. Ratti (1986) ArticleTitleComparison of some statistical techniques for analysis of resource selection J. Wildlife Manage. 50 157–165

    Google Scholar 

  3. J.R. Alldredge J.T. Ratti (1992) ArticleTitleFurther comparison of some techniques for analysis of resource selection J. Wildlife Manage. 56 IssueID1 1–9

    Google Scholar 

  4. J.R. Alldredge D.L. Thomas L.L. McDonald (1998) ArticleTitleSurvey and comparison of methods for study of resource selection J. Agric., Biol. Environ. Statist. 3 IssueID3 237–253

    Google Scholar 

  5. H.E. Anderson (1982) Aids to determining fuel models for estimating fire behavior INT-122, lntermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station Ogden, UT 22

    Google Scholar 

  6. M.E. Biondini P.W. Mielke E.F. Redente (1991) Permutation techniques based on Euclidean analysis : a new and powerful statistical method for ecological research (Chapter 19) L. Orloci E. Feoli (Eds) Computer Assisted Vegetation Analysis Kluwer Academic Publishers DordrechtThe Netherlands 221–240

    Google Scholar 

  7. S. Bunting F. Rego (1988) ArticleTitleHuman impact on Portugal's vegetation Rangelands 10 IssueID6 251–255

    Google Scholar 

  8. Brian Cade S. Jon Richards D. (2001) User manual for Blossom statistical software Midcontinent Ecological Science CenterU.S. Geological Survey ColoradoUSA 111

    Google Scholar 

  9. Commission Europé enne 2001. Systé me communautaire d'informations sur les incendies de forêts. Rapport 2001, Donné es 1985–1999, 84 pp. http://europa.eu.int/comm/agriculture/fore/fires/reports/2001_fr.pdf.

  10. CNIG 1990. COS'90, Carta de Ocupação do Solo de Portugal continental. http://www.igeo.pt/IGEO/portugues/produtos/CEGIG/COS.htm

  11. S.G. Cumming (2001) ArticleTitleForest type and wildfire in the Alberta boreal mixedwood: what do fires burn? Ecol. Appl. 11 IssueID1 97–110

    Google Scholar 

  12. Nairanjana Dasgupta Richard Alldredge (1998) ArticleTitleA multivariate χ2 analysis of resource selection data J. Agric. Biol. Environ. Statist. 3 IssueID3 323–334

    Google Scholar 

  13. Nairanjana Dasgupta Richard Alldredge (2002) ArticleTitleA single-step method for identifying individual resources J. Agric., Biol., Environ. Statist. 7 IssueID2 208–221

    Google Scholar 

  14. R. Díaz-Delgado Xavier Pons (2001) ArticleTitleSpatial patterns of forest fires in Catalonia (NE of Spain) along the period 1975–1995: analysis of vegetation recovery after fire Forest Ecol. Manage. 147 67–74 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0378-1127(00)00434-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. DGF (2001) Inventário Florestal Nacional: Portugal Continental, 3a Revisão Direcção-Geral das Florestas Lisboa Portugal 233

    Google Scholar 

  16. E. Keeley Jon C.J. Fotheringham M. Morais (1999) ArticleTitleReexamining fire suppression impacts on brushland fire regimes Science (in reports) 284 1829–1832

    Google Scholar 

  17. E. Keeley Jon C.J. Fotheringham (2003) ArticleTitleImpact of pastpresentand future fire regimes on North American Mediterranean shrublands. Fire and climatic change in temperate ecosystems of the Western Americas Ecol. Stud. 160 218–262

    Google Scholar 

  18. Manique J. and De Pina e Albuquerque 1985. Esta¸õ Agronómica Nacional. http://195.22.0.189/atlas/index. Manly L., McDonald and Thomas D.L. 1993. Resource

  19. L. Manly McDonald D.L. Thomas (1993) Resource Selection by Animals: Statistical Design and Analysis for Field Studies Chapman & Hall New York, USA

    Google Scholar 

  20. S.A. McClean M.A. Rumble R.M. King W.L. Baker (1998) ArticleTitleEvaluation of resource selection methods with different definitions of availability J. Wildlife Manage. 62 IssueID2 793–801

    Google Scholar 

  21. W. Mielke Paul (1986) ArticleTitleNon-metric statistical analyses: some metric alternatives J. Statist. Plan. Infer. 13 377–387 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0378-3758(86)90147-3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. W. Mielke Paul J. Berry Kenneth (2001) Permutation Methods: A Distance Function Approach Springer-Verlag NY, USA

    Google Scholar 

  23. R.A. Minnich (1983) ArticleTitleFire mosaics in southern California and northern Baja California Science 219 1287–1294

    Google Scholar 

  24. R.A. Minnich Y.H. Chou (1997) ArticleTitleWildland fire patch dynamics in the chaparral of southern California and northern Baja California Int. J. Wildland Fire 7 221–248

    Google Scholar 

  25. F. Moreira F.C. Rego P.G. Ferreira (2001) ArticleTitleTemporal (1958–1959) pattern of change in a cultural landscape of northwestern Portugal: implications for fire occurrence Landscape Ecol. 16 557–567 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1013130528470

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. J.M. Moreno (1999) Forest fires: trends and implications in desertification prone areas of Southern Europe P. Balabanis D. Peter A. Ghazi M. Tsogas (Eds) Mediterranean Desertification: Research Results and Policy Implications 1 DG Research European Commission EUR 115–150

    Google Scholar 

  27. M.A. Moritz (2003) ArticleTitleSpatio-temporal analysis of controls on shrubland fire regimes: age dependency and fire hazard Ecology 84 IssueID2 351–361

    Google Scholar 

  28. M.A. Moritz J.E. Keeley E.A. Johnson A.A. Schaffner (2004) ArticleTitleTesting a basic assumption of shrubland fire management: how important is fuel age? Front. Ecol. Environ. 2 IssueID2 67–72

    Google Scholar 

  29. C.D.S. Nogueira (1990) ArticleTitleA floresta PortuguesaDGF Informação 2 18–28

    Google Scholar 

  30. A. Pena J. Cabral (1996) Roteiros da Natureza Temas e Debates LisboaPortugal

    Google Scholar 

  31. J.M.C. Pereira T.N. Santos (2003) Fire risk and burned area mapping in Portugal Direcção Geral das Florestas LisboaPortugal

    Google Scholar 

  32. Pereira M.G., Trigo R.M., Camara Carlos C., Pereira J.M.C. and Leite S.M. in press. Synoptic patterns associated with large summer forest fires in Portugal. Agric. Forest Meteorol.

  33. Francisco Rego (1992) Land use change and wildfires A. Teller P. Mathy J.N.R. Jeffers (Eds) Responses of Forest Ecosystems to Environmental Changes Elsevier Applied Science London, UK 367–373

    Google Scholar 

  34. R.C. Rothermel C.W. Philpot (1973) ArticleTitlePredicting changes in chaparral flammability J. Forest. 71 640–643

    Google Scholar 

  35. J.P. Serra (1982) Image Analysis and Mathematical Morphology Academic Press London, UK

    Google Scholar 

  36. J.M. Silva (1990) ArticleTitleLa gestion forestiére et la silviculture de prevention des espaces forestiers menacés par les incendies au Portugal Rev. Forest. Française 40(n° spécial) 337–345

    Google Scholar 

  37. T. Silva (2004) Estimativa das emissões atmosféricas originadas por incêndios em Portugal continental ao longo do período entre 1990 e 1999 Universidade Técnica de Lisboa Portugal 86

    Google Scholar 

  38. M.J.P. Vasconcelos S. Silva M. Tomé M. Alvim J.M.C. Pereira (2001) ArticleTitleSpatial prediction of fire ignition probabilities: comparing logistic regression and neural networks Photogrammet. Eng. Remote Sens. 67 IssueID1 73–81

    Google Scholar 

  39. R.M. Vélez (2000) Combustibles Forestales: Combustibilidad La Defensa Contra Incêndios Forestales. Fundamentos y Experiências McGraw-Hill, MadridSpain 7.1–7.16

    Google Scholar 

  40. J.H. Zar (1999) Biostatistical Analysis Prentice-Hall Inc. New Jersey, USA

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical, Travessa do Conde da Ribeira 9, 1300-142, Lisboa, Portugal

    Maria C.S. Nunes & Maria J. Vasconcelos

  2. Centro de Estudos Florestais, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, 1349-018, Tapada da Ajuda, Lisboa, Portugal

    Maria J. Vasconcelos & José M.C. Pereira

  3. Departamento de Engenharia Florestal, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, 1349-018, Tapada da Ajuda, Lisboa, Portugal

    José M.C. Pereira

  4. Department of Statistics, Washington State University, P.O. Box 643144, 99164-3144, Pullman, WA, USA

    Nairanjana Dasgupta & Richard J. Alldredge

  5. Centro de Ecologia Aplicada Baeta Neves, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, 1349-017, Tapada da Ajuda, Lisboa, Portugal

    Francisco C. Rego

Authors
  1. Maria C.S. Nunes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Maria J. Vasconcelos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. José M.C. Pereira
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Nairanjana Dasgupta
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Richard J. Alldredge
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Francisco C. Rego
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Maria C.S. Nunes.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Nunes, M., Vasconcelos, M., Pereira, J. et al. Land Cover Type and Fire in Portugal: Do Fires Burn Land Cover Selectively?. Landscape Ecol 20, 661–673 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-005-0070-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-005-0070-8

Key words:

Search

Navigation