Spatial Distribution of Forest Fire Emissions: A Case Study in Three Mexican Ecoregions

Abstract

This study shows a simplified approach for calculating emissions associated with forest fires in Mexico, based on different satellite observation products: the biomass, burnt area, emission factors, and burning efficiency. Biomass loads were based on a Mexican biomass map, updated with the net primary productivity products. The burning efficiency was estimated from a Random Forest Regression (RFR) model, which considered the fuel, weather and topographical conditions. The burned areas were the downloaded Maryland University MCD64c6 product. The emission factors were obtained from well-known estimations, corrected by a dedicated US Forest Service and Mexican campaign. The uncertainty was estimated from an integrative method. Our method was applied to a four-year period, 2011–2014, in three Mexican ecoregions. The total burned in the study region was 12,898 km2 (about 4% of the area), producing 67.5 (±20) Tg of CO2. Discrepancies of the land cover maps were found to be the main cause of a low correlation between our estimations and the Global Emission Database (GFED). The emissions were clearly associated to precipitation patterns. They mainly affected dry and tropical forests (almost 50% of all emissions). Six priority areas were identified, where prevention or mitigation measures must be implemented.

Incorporating small‐scale disturbances in models of forest structure and aboveground biomass of tropical mountains

“…Second, analyzing VI time series allows us to detect changes in vegetation cover that we linked to land use because it is the most common disturbance found in the NMO. Yet, other types of disturbance taking place in the area (e.g., fires, Cruz‐López et al, 2019) have similar RS signals although possible different effect on forest structure and recovery (De Marzo et al, 2023). A limitation of this approach is its incapability to identify different types of disturbance (Gao et al, 2020).…”

Analysis of Carbon Dioxide Emission from Forest Fires based on Fire Radiative Power in Riau

“…Consequently, the quantity and spatial distribution of FRP points exert a notable influence on the calculation of burned area and carbon dioxide emissions (Cruz-Lopez et al, 2019). Specifically, land cover types characterized by a lower number of FRP points resulted in smaller burned areas and consequently emit lower amounts of carbon dioxide in comparison to land cover types with a higher density of FRP points (Fisher et al, 2020).…”

Hot Spot Identification Systems for Wildfire Control

“…Climate change, together with ground pollution and the uncontrolled release of garbage that contaminates water and subsoil, among other types of human carelessness are the main causes of forest fires in various parts of the world, being 96% of the causes of these events by activities carried out by man (Semarnat, 2018). Uncontrolled forest fires generate large losses of wild regions, destruction of human settlements and increased pollution at the atmospheric level (Cruz-Lopez, Manzano-Delado & Aguirre-Gómez, 2019). While it is true that the cycle of fire in ecosystems has to do with the renewal of these as a normal cycle of its existence (He et al, 2012), (Bowman et al, 2016) , (Keeley et al, 2011), oversights and elements that do not belong to the fire cycle condition its stability (Villers-Ruíz, 2006).…”