GIS, Forest Fire Prevention and Risk Matrix in the National Forest of Khoudida, Sidi Bel Abbes, Algeria

Abstract

Forest fires in Algeria are ravaging an average of more than 32,000 hectares annually despite the prevention and control plan put in place. They are the most damaging factor of degradation of the forest and weigh heavily on the environment and the local economy. Conventional methods for fire prevention and control are time consuming and are not always reliable in view of the complexity and diversity of forest ecosystems. The main idea behind this study is to use the GIS and remote sensing for the development of a fire risk map of the Khoudida State Forest (Algeria). The approach adopted involves three parameters that control the fire behavior, which are: the top-morphology of the field, the combustibility of the plant cover and hazards. For each factor its correlation with risk was evaluated; the combination of the slope, altitude and exposure parameters in the topo-morphological index and the hazard map made it possible to evaluate the average risk for an area of more than 2132 hectares, 1521 hectares high and only 493 hectares, respectively 51.4%, 36.7% and 11.9%.