7th Workshop on Forest Fire Management - EARSeL, European ...

Abstract: Forest fires and other wildfires represent a major threat and cause
severe damage at environmental, ecological, human, and economical levels
in the world. The number of fires and the size of the area burnt have
increased dramatically in Lebanon over the last decades; they are becoming
larger and more severe than in past fire episodes. Predicting fire hazard
and risk in the fire-prone ecosystems is critical to the mitigation of the
effects of fires and to the resulting impact that fires have on the socio-economic
fabric. In such context, a GIS fire risk model was developed in this
study for predicting forest fires in Nahr Ibrahim (North Lebanon). It combines
various influencing parameters, i.e. land cover/use, slope angle and
aspect, proximity to road network and urban expansion that were extracted
from satellite imageries and DEMs. The main outcome was the production
of a fire risk map (scale 1:20,000). The model used seems to be applicable
to other areas of Lebanon, constituting a tool for land use planning
and sustainable management.
1 - Introduction
FOREST FIRE RISK ASSESSMENT IN IBRAHIM RIVER
WATERSHED-LEBANON
C. Abdallah
National Council for Scientific Research/Remote Sensing Center,
Beirut, Lebanon
chadi@cnrs.edu.lb
Forest fires are considered to be a potential hazard with physical, biological,
ecological and environmental consequences. Wildfires have become
ever more destructive throughout the world and the prospects are unfortunately
that this trend will continue. Numerous GIS fire risk models have
been proposed (e.g., Mitri and Gitas, 2004) during the last decades that
can be grouped into: (1) empirical models such as the Canadian Forest Fire
Behavior Prediction System (cited by ICONA, 1992) and McArthur’s model
(Weise and Biging, 1997) predicting more probable fire behavior from laboratory
and outdoor experimental fire, or historical fires; (2) semi-empirical
models such as the National Fire Danger Rating System, the RERAP Rare
Event Risk Assessment Process, etc. based on the assumption that the energy
transferred to the unburned fuel is proportional to the energy released
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