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Walia Special Edition on the Bale Mountains (2011) - Zoologische ...

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Factors Affecting Fire Frequency and Extent<br />

Vegetati<strong>on</strong><br />

Woodland (N=92), m<strong>on</strong>tane forest (N=63), Erica shrub (N=54) and shrub land (N=40) are <strong>the</strong><br />

main vegetati<strong>on</strong> types that were burnt <strong>the</strong> most frequently over <strong>the</strong> last nine years. However <strong>the</strong>se<br />

differences in fire frequency are not significant between <strong>the</strong> vegetati<strong>on</strong> types, except for woodland<br />

(F=33.76, N=8, P ><br />

GL < < < < < <<br />

GLA < < < < < < <<br />

HEL < < < < <<br />

MF < < < <<br />

SHL < < <<br />

WL<br />

Despite woodland having <strong>the</strong> most number of fires occurring over <strong>the</strong> past nine years it is m<strong>on</strong>tane<br />

forest followed by Erica shrub which have had <strong>the</strong> greatest area burnt though out <strong>the</strong> fire seas<strong>on</strong><br />

(13,075 ha and 8,125 ha respectively), which equates to 15.3% and 31.6% of <strong>the</strong>ir total area<br />

remaining in 2008. Interestingly, throughout <strong>the</strong> fire seas<strong>on</strong>s even though <strong>on</strong>ly 3,316 ha of grassland<br />

and 895 ha of glades were burnt this was 24% and 19% of <strong>the</strong>ir total area available in 2000; thus <strong>the</strong><br />

proporti<strong>on</strong> of grassland and glades burnt is higher than m<strong>on</strong>tane forest despite an overall larger area<br />

of m<strong>on</strong>tane forest being burnt. However, <strong>the</strong>se values should be treated with cauti<strong>on</strong> until fur<strong>the</strong>r<br />

detailed and more frequent land cover change analysis has been carried out as <strong>the</strong> total area available<br />

for woodland, grassland and Erica shrub have all increased from 2000-2008 as opposed to decreased<br />

as for all o<strong>the</strong>r vegetati<strong>on</strong> types.<br />

Statistical analysis shows that <strong>the</strong>re is a significant difference in <strong>the</strong> actual area burnt between<br />

<strong>the</strong> habitats (F1.8= 6.5, P

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