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International Journal of Wildland Fire International Journal of Wildland Fire Society
Journal of the International Association of Wildland Fire
International Journal of Wildland Fire

International Journal of Wildland Fire

Volume 32 Number 2 2023

WF22056Using soil moisture information to better understand and predict wildfire danger: a review of recent developments and outstanding questions

Erik S. Krueger, Matthew R. Levi 0000-0002-2800-675X, Kevin O. Achieng, John D. Bolten, J. D. Carlson, Nicholas C. Coops, Zachary A. Holden, Brian I. Magi 0000-0001-8131-0083, Angela J. Rigden and Tyson E. Ochsner
pp. 111-132

Soil moisture is an underused resource for improving fire danger rating systems and fire management worldwide. We review key studies describing relationships between wildfires and in situ, remotely sensed, and modelled soil moisture; describe the potential to incorporate soil moisture into wildfire danger assessments; and identify outstanding challenges and opportunities.

WF21108Relating McArthur fire danger indices to remote sensing derived burned area across Australia

Sami Ullah Shah, Marta Yebra, Albert I. J. M. Van Dijk and Geoffrey J. Cary
pp. 133-148

We explored the relationship of the McArthur fire danger classes with the satellite-derived daily burned area The findings suggest that satellite-derived daily burned area may not be a suitable metric for informing McArthur fire danger classes across Australia because it can be subjected to lagged detection.

WF21174Fire propensity in Amazon savannas and rainforest and effects under future climate change

Mariana Martins Medeiros de Santana 0000-0002-5218-7140, Rodrigo Nogueira de Vasconcelos 0000-0002-1368-6721 and Eduardo Mariano-Neto 0000-0002-4204-0882
pp. 149-163
Graphical Abstract Image

Amazon fire patterns are affected by farming and fires are more common in savanna patches than in forests owing to socioeconomic–environmental factors. By the end of the century, under scenarios with higher emissions, an expansion of fire propensity is expected, resulting in threats to biodiversity, traditional peoples and global human wellbeing.

WF22077A dynamic and evidence-based approach to mapping burn potential

Richard van Dongen, Jaume Ruscalleda-Alvarez and Carl R. Gosper
pp. 164-177

Fire management is a crucial part of managing many environments. We present a burn potential model developed using satellite imagery that predicts when an area may be able to ‘carry’ fire. The model accounts for rapid or delayed vegetation cover response since the last burn due to climate variability.

WF22030Non-parametric comparative analysis of the spatiotemporal pattern of human-caused and natural wildfires in Galicia

M. F. Marey-Pérez 0000-0002-8947-8355, Isabel Fuentes-Santos, Paula Saavera-Nieves and Wenceslao González-Manteiga
pp. 178-194

This work analyses human-caused and natural wildfire behaviour in Galicia (Spain) through non-parametric inference techniques for point processes. Our results show that both spatial and spatiotemporal distribution and dependence structure of fires depend on their cause, suggesting a need for different models to predict arson, negligence and natural fire hazard.

WF22013Coupled fire-atmosphere simulation of the 2018 Camp Fire using WRF-Fire

Kasra Shamsaei 0000-0003-3396-7683, Timothy W. Juliano, Matthew Roberts, Hamed Ebrahimian 0000-0003-1992-6033, Branko Kosovic, Neil P. Lareau and Ertugrul Taciroglu
pp. 195-221

Through sensitivity analyses and by comparing with real-world fire perimeters for the 2018 Camp Fire, the performance and challenges of wildland fire simulation with the WRF-Fire simulation platform are investigated.

WF22067The dynamics of burning activity on degraded peatland in two villages in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia

Samuel Robb, Yanetri Asi Nion, Trisna Anggreini, Russell Richards, Ammar Abdul Aziz, Stephen Joseph and Paul Dargusch
pp. 222-237

Significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions were only achieved with full rewetting. Unconstrained availability of livelihood alternatives will not lead to full rewetting where drained peatland cultivation supports the incumbent livelihood. Livelihood alternatives displacing drained peatland cultivation are essential for sustained reduction in fire risk and GHG emissions.


This study aimed to evaluate how post-fire masticated slash depth affected vegetation regeneration to provide information for forest management planning. The masticated slash depth did not have significant effects on vegetation cover or species diversity 2.5 years after treatments. A lower slash depth favoured pine regeneration.


The LandTrendr model was used to evaluate and categorize the post-fire vegetation change and then combined with Geodetector to analyze the potential driving factors in the Great Xing’An Range of Inner Mongolia. This study will increase understanding of burned vegetation recovery in China.


A larch-dominated forest exhibited density-dependent post-fire mortality patterns at short distances and increased aggregation among surviving trees post-fire. A widely used USA tree mortality model performed acceptably for this species. This study could potentially inform management strategies for conifer forests with similar structures and fire regimes.


The role of live vegetation in altering fire behaviour is increasingly being recognised. To accurately represent the exposure of a live plant to an approaching fire front, a replicable and precise method of testing flammability was developed. It provides a more realistic representation of plant flammability in the natural environment.

WF22095Relationships between building features and wildfire damage in California, USA and Pedrógão Grande, Portugal

Simona Dossi, Birgitte Messerschmidt, Luís Mário Ribeiro, Miguel Almeida and Guillermo Rein 0000-0001-7207-2685
pp. 296-312

This paper presents a statistical analysis of two post-fire building inspection databases of wildland–urban interface (WUI) damage in California and Portugal. Results compare considered building features’ relative correlation to damage, and propose the Wildfire Resistance Index: an index applied to the vulnerability of WUI buildings to wildfire ignition and damage.

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