Free Standard AU & NZ Shipping For All Book Orders Over $80!
Register      Login
International Journal of Wildland Fire International Journal of Wildland Fire Society
Journal of the International Association of Wildland Fire
Shopping Cart: ( empty )
You are here: Home > Journals > WF > WF07011
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 16(5)

Fuel and fire characteristics in savanna–woodland of West Africa in relation to grazing and dominant grass type

Patrice Savadogo A B D , Didier Zida A B , Louis Sawadogo B , Daniel Tiveau C , Mulualem Tigabu A and Per Christer Odén A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Faculty of Forest Sciences, Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology, Tropical Silviculture and Seed Laboratory, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden.

B Centre National de Recherche Scientifique et Technologique, Institut de l’Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles, Département Production Forestière, BP 10, Koudougou, Burkina Faso.

C Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) 06, BP 9478, Ouagadougou 06, Burkina Faso.

D Corresponding author. Email: patrice.savadogo@genfys.slu.se; savadogo.patrice@gmail.com

International Journal of Wildland Fire 16(5) 531-539 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF07011
Submitted: 30 January 2007  Accepted: 22 June 2007   Published: 26 October 2007

Abstract

Fuel characteristics, fire behaviour and temperature were studied in relation to grazing, dominant grass type and wind direction in West African savanna–woodland by lighting 32 prescribed early fires. Grazing significantly reduced the vegetation height, total fuel load, and dead and live fuel fractions whereas plots dominated by perennial grasses had higher values for vegetation height, total fuel load and the quantity of live fuel load. Although fire intensity remained insensitive (P > 0.05) to any of these factors, fuel consumption was significantly (P = 0.021) reduced by grazing, rate of spread was faster in head fire (P = 0.012), and flame length was shorter in head fire than back fire (P = 0.044). The average maximum temperature was higher (P < 0.05) on non-grazed plots, on plots dominated by annual grasses, on plots subjected to head fire, and at the soil surface. Lethal temperature residence time showed a nearly similar trend to fire temperature. Wind speed and total fuel load were best predictors of fire behaviour parameters (R2 ranging from 0.557 to 0.862). It can be concluded that grazing could be used as a management tool to modify fire behaviour, back fire should be carried out during prescribed burning to lower fire severity, and the fire behaviour models can be employed to guide prescribed early fire in the study area.

Additional keywords: Burkina Faso, fire behaviour model, fuel load, fuel moisture, weather variables.


Acknowledgements

The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) financially supported the study. We are greatly indebted to Meda Modeste, Bama Théophile and the local fire crew. Without their dedication and support, the field work couldn’t have been completed. Anonymous reviewers are highly appreciated for providing valuable and constructive comments on the manuscript.


References


Auld TD , O’Connell MA (1991) Predicting patterns of post-fire germination in 35 eastern Australian Fabaceae. Australian Journal of Ecology  16, 53–70.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Bellefontaine R, Gaston A, Petrucci Y (2000) ‘Management of Natural Forests of Dry Tropical Zones.’ (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: Rome)

Bilgili E , Saglam B (2003) Fire behavior in maquis fuels in Turkey. Forest Ecology and Management  184, 201–207.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Bond WJ, van Wilgen BW (1996) ‘Fire and Plants.’ (Chapman & Hall: London)

Bradstock RA , Auld TD (1995) Soil temperatures during experimental bushfires in relation to fire intensity – consequences for legume germination and fire management in south-eastern Australia. Journal of Applied Ecology  32, 76–84.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Byram GM (1959) Combustion of forest fuels. In ‘Forest Fire: Control and Use’. (Ed. KP Davis) (McGraw-Hill: New York)

Cheney NP, Gould JS , Catchpole WR (1993) The influence of fuel, weather and fire shape variables on fire-spread in grasslands. International Journal of Wildland Fire  3, 31–44.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Cohen J (1988) ‘Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences.’ (Lawrence Erlbaum: Hillsdale, NJ)

Daniell JW, Chappell WE , Couch HB (1969) Effect of sublethal and lethal temperature on plant cells. Plant Physiology  44, 1684–1689.

| PubMed | DeBano LF, Daniel GN, Peter FF (1998) ‘Fire’s Effects on Ecosystems.’ (Wiley: New York)

Delmas RA, Loudjani P, Podaire A, Menaut JC (1991) Biomass burning in Africa: an assessment of annually burned biomass. In ‘Global Biomass Burning. Atmospheric, Climatic and Biospheric Implications’. (Ed. SJ Levine) pp. 126–132. (The MIT Press: Cambridge, MA)

Driessen P, Deckers J, Spaargaren O (2001) ‘Lecture Notes on the Major Soils of the World.’ (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: Rome)

Frost P, Medina E, Menaut JC, Solbrig OT, Swift M, Walker B (1986) ‘Responses of Savannas to Stress and Disturbance: a Proposal for a Collaborative Programme of Research. Biology International, Special Issue, No. 10.’ (International Union of Biological Sciences: Paris)

Gambiza J, Campbell BM, Moe SR , Frost PGH (2005) Fire behaviour in a semi-arid Baikiaea plurijuga savanna woodland on Kalahari sands in western Zimbabwe. South African Journal of Science  101, 239–244.
Goldammer JG (1990) ‘Fire in the Tropical Biota: Ecosystem Process and Global Changes.’ (Springer-Verlag: Berlin)

Govender N, Trollope WSW , Van Wilgen BW (2006) The effect of fire season, fire frequency, rainfall and management on fire intensity in savanna vegetation in South Africa. Journal of Applied Ecology  43, 748–758.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Menaut JC, Lepage M, Abbadie L (1995) Savannas, woodlands and dry forests in Africa. In ‘Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests’. (Eds SH Bullock, HA Mooney, EE Medina) pp. 64–92. (Cambridge University Press: London)

Miranda AC, Miranda HS, Dias IDO , Dias BFD (1993) Soil and air temperatures during prescribed Cerrado fires in Central Brazil. Journal of Tropical Ecology  9, 313–320.
Pallo F (1998) Etude des feux sur la matière organique des sols des forêts naturelles dans la région Centre-Ouest du Burkina Faso. In ‘Sèminaire International sur l’Aménagement Intégré des Forêts Naturelles des Zones Tropicales Sèches en Afrique de l’Ouest, 16–20 Novembre 1998’. Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. pp. 187–198. (CNRST, SLU: Uppsala)

Pyne SJ, Patricia LA, Richard DL (1996) ‘Introduction to Wildland Fire.’ (Wiley: New York)

Rietkerk M, Ketner P, Burger J, Hoorens B , Olff H (2000) Multiscale soil and vegetation patchiness along a gradient of herbivore impact in a semi-arid grazing system in West Africa. Plant Ecology  148, 207–224.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Savadogo P (2007) Dynamics of Sudanian savanna–woodland ecosystem in response to disturbances. PhD Thesis, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå.

Savadogo P, Sawadogo L , Tiveau D (2007) Effects of grazing intensity and prescribed fire on soil physical and hydrological properties and pasture yield in the savanna woodlands of Burkina Faso. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment  118, 80–92.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Sawadogo L (1996) Evaluation des potentialités pastorales d'une forêt classée soudanienne du Burkina Faso. (Cas de la forêt classée de Tiogo) Thèse Doctorat 3ème Cycle, Université de Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

Sawadogo L, Nygård R , Pallo F (2002) Effects of livestock and prescribed fire on coppice growth after selective cutting of Sudanian savannah in Burkina Faso. Annals of Forest Science  59, 185–195.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Scholes RJ, Walker BH (1993) ‘An African Savanna: Synthesis of the Nylsvley Study.’ (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK)

Shea RW, Shea BW, Kauffman JB, Ward DE, Haskins CI , Scholes MC (1996) Fuel biomass and combustion factors associated with fires in savanna ecosystems of South Africa and Zambia. Journal of Geophysical Research  101, 23 551–23 568.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Trollope WSW (1983) Control of bush encroachment with fire in the arid savannas of south-eastern Africa. PhD Thesis, University Natal, Pietermaritzburg.

Trollope WSW (1984) Fire behaviour. In ‘Ecological Effects of Fire in South African Ecosystems’. (Eds PdV Booysen, NM Tainton) pp. 199–217. (Springer-Verlag: Berlin)

Trollope WSW, Trollope LA, Hartnett DC (2002) Fire Behaviour a Key Factor in the Ecology of African Grasslands and Savannas. In ‘Proceedings of IV International Conference on Forest Fire Research & Wildland Fire Safety’. 18–23 November 2002, Luso, Coimbra, Portugal. (Ed. DX Viegas) (Millpress: Rotterdam)

Trollope WSW, de Ronde C, Geldenhuys CJ (2004) Fire behaviour. In ‘Wildland Fire Management Handbook for Sub-Saharian Africa’. (Ed. JG Goldammer) pp. 27–59. (Global Fire Monitoring Centre: Freiburg, Germany)

Valette JC, Gomendy V, Marechal J, Houssard C , Gillon D (1994) Heat-transfer in the soil during very low-intensity experimental fires – the role of duff and soil-moisture content. International Journal of Wildland Fire  4, 225–237.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Whelan RJ (1995) ‘The Ecology of Fire.’ (Cambridge University Press: New York)

White F (1983) ‘The Vegetation of Africa. A Descriptive Memoir to Accompany the UNESCO/AETFAT/UNSO Vegetation Map of Africa.’ (UNESCO: Paris)

Zida D (2007) Impact of forest management regimes on ligneous regeneration in the Sudanian savanna of Burkina Faso. PhD Thesis, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå.

Zida D, Sawadogo L, Tigabu M, Tiveau D , Odén PC (2007) Dynamics of sapling population in savanna woodlands of Burkina Faso subjected to grazing, early fire and selective tree cutting for a decade. Forest Ecology and Management  243, 102–115.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |