Characterising spatial clusters of forest fire activity in the Western Himalayan region of India: implications for conservation and management
Shanti Kumari A B , Shailja Mamgain A B , Arijit Roy A * and H. C. Prince AA
B
Abstract
Forest fires in Western Himalaya have exhibited changing patterns over past years due to climatic change and human activities. Understanding these fire patterns is essential for developing effective conservation and management strategies.
This study characterises spatial clusters of forest fires and analyses their spatio-temporal patterns across Western Himalaya using long-term data (2005–2022) on fire events, burned area and climatic variables.
The study employs Getis-Ord Gi* and Anselin Local Moran’s I statistics to identify significant spatial clusters of forest fire activity. Furthermore, time-series analysis combined with the Mann–Kendall test are utilised to evaluate the relationship between fire events and climatic and edaphic variables.
Analysis revealed statistically significant clusters of forest fires concentrated in low to mid-elevation regions, which comprise 27–32% of total forest area. These burned areas are primarily located in Uttarakhand and parts of Himachal Pradesh, particularly in the central and south-eastern districts of Pauri and Tehri, indicating a heightened risk of forest fires.
Identification of forest fire clusters and the assessment of contributing factors provide crucial insights into the underlying causes of their activity in the Western Himalaya.
Findings of this study will be instrumental in developing targeted mitigation strategies to protect vulnerable ecological resources in Western Himalaya.
Keywords: Anselin Local Moran’s I statistics, climatic drivers, forest fire clusters, forest fire dynamics, Getis-Ord hotspot analysis, spatio-temporal analysis, vegetation type, Western Himalaya.
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