Vegetation fire management in strict nature reserves

Abstract

The protected areas (PAs) are established to conserve biological diversity, to maintain nature complexes and objects in their natural condition. Strict nature reserves prevail in Russia by their total area. The whole nature complex is forever extracted from economic use in nature reserves. Here it is prohibited to pursue any activity which might disturb or damage the nature complexes. Even under the existing strict protection from anthropogenic ignition sources, vegetation fires do occur on their territory. Besides, lightnings – these natural ignition sources – are impossible to exclude. Since large destructive fires are impermissible in nature reserves, the latter especially need vegetation fire behavior prediction for fire management. Fire behavior prediction includes fire spread rate, development (from surface fire into crown or ground one) and effects. All this is necessary for taking optimal decisions on how to control each occurring fire and how to suppress it. The Sukachev Institute of Forest SB RAS has developed a technique of vegetation fire behavior prediction using vegetation fuel maps (VF maps).