Investigation of the effect of the forest road network on forest fires with geographical information systems

Abstract

Background and aims: Forest fire is one of the natural disasters that significantly affects the forest ecosystem. Forest fires negatively affect the sustainability of forest resources and the existence of flora and fauna in the ecosystem, threaten human life, and cause economic losses. Forest fires are closely related, directly or indirectly, to human activities. Approximately 86% of forest fires in Türkiye are caused by human activities. Distance to the road network is one of the most important parameters affecting fire risk. This study investigated the effect of forest roads on forest fires with the Geographic Information System (GIS). Methods: The study was conducted in the Anamur Forest Enterprise in the Mersin Forest Regional Directorate in the Mediterranean region of Türkiye. The fires in the study area between 2015 and 2022 were obtained from the General Directorate of Forestry, and the road map was obtained from the forest road network map. Buffer zones of 250, 500, 1000, and 5000 meters were assigned to forest roads in ArcGIS software. Fire points are overlaid with this buffer zone map. The relationship between proximity to forest roads and fire points has been revealed. Results: A negative relationship was found between the distance to the road and fire points. It has been determined that the frequency of fires caused by human activities decreases as the distance from the road increases. Conclusion: The highest amount of fire and burned area occurred in the 0-250 m buffer zone. The results are of great importance for the management and prediction of future forest fires in the study area.

Keywords

• GIS
• fire incidence
• fire management
• number of fire
• buffer

Orman yol ağının orman yangınlarına etkisinin coğrafi bilgi sistemleri ile araştırılması

Abstract

Giriş ve hedefler Orman yangını, orman ekosistemini önemli ölçüde etkileyen doğal afetlerden bir tanesidir. Yangınlar, orman kaynaklarının sürdürülebilirliğini ve ekosistemdeki flora ve faunanın varlığını olumsuz yönde etkilemekte, insan hayatını tehdit etmekte ve orman emvalinde ekonomik kayba neden olmaktadır. Orman yangınları doğrudan veya dolaylı olarak insan faaliyetleriyle yakından ilişkilidir. Türkiye'de orman yangınlarının yaklaşık %86'sına insan faaliyetleri neden olmaktadır. Yol ağına olan mesafe yangın riskini etkileyen önemli parametrelerden bir tanesidir. Bu çalışmada orman yollarının orman yangınlarına etkisi Coğrafi Bilgi Sistemi ile araştırılmıştır. Yöntemler Çalışma, Türkiye'nin Akdeniz bölgesindeki Mersin Orman Bölge Müdürlüğü'nde yer alan Anamur Orman İşletmesi'nde gerçekleştirmiştir. 2015-2022 yılları arasında çalışma alanında meydana gelen yangınlar Orman Genel Müdürlüğünden, yol haritası ise orman yol ağı planlarından elde edilmiştir. Orman yollarına ArcGIS yazılımında 250, 500, 1000 ve 5000 metre tampon zon (buffer) atılmıştır. Yangın noktaları bu zon haritası ile çakıştırılmıştır. Orman yollarına yakınlık ile yangın noktaları arasındaki ilişki ortaya konulmuştur. Bulgular Yola olan mesafe ile yangın noktaları arasında negatif bir ilişki bulunmuştur. Yoldan uzaklaştıkça insan faaliyetlerinden kaynaklanan yangınların sıklığında azalma görüldüğü tespit edilmiştir. Sonuçlar En fazla yangın ve yanan alan miktarı 0-250 m tampon zonda meydana gelmiştir. Bulgular, çalışma alanında gelecekte çıkabilecek yangınların yönetimi ve tahmin edilmesi açısından büyük önem taşımaktadır.

Keywords

• GIS
• Orman yangını
• orman yolu
• yangın çıkış noktaları
• zon

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