Forest Fire Risk Prediction

<p>Globally fire regimes are being altered by changing climatic conditions and</p><p>land use changes. This has the potential to drive species extinctions and cause</p><p>ecosystem state changes with a range of consequences for ecosystem services.</p><p>Accurate prediction of the risk of forest fires over short timescales (weeks or</p><p>months) is required for land managers to target suppression resources in order</p><p>to protect people property and infrastructure as well as fire-sensitive ecosystems.</p><p>Over longer timescales prediction of changes in forest fire regimes is</p><p>required to model the effect of wildfires on the terrestrial carbon cycle and subsequent</p><p>feedbacks into the climate system.</p><p>This was the motivation to publish this book which is focused on quantifying</p><p>and modelling the risk factors of forest fires. More specifically the chapters in</p><p>this book address four topics: (i) the use of fire danger metrics and other approaches</p><p>to understand variation in wildfire activity; (ii) understanding changes</p><p>in the flammability of live fuel; (iii) modeling dead fuel moisture content; and</p><p>(iv) estimations of emission factors.</p><p>The book will be of broad relevance to scientists and managers working with</p><p>fire in different forest ecosystems globally.</p>