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International Journal of Wildland Fire International Journal of Wildland Fire Society
Journal of the International Association of Wildland Fire
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Modelling canopy fuel variables for Pinus radiata D. Don in NW Spain with low-density LiDAR data

Eduardo González-Ferreiro A C , Ulises Diéguez-Aranda A , Felipe Crecente-Campo A , Laura Barreiro-Fernández A , David Miranda A and Fernando Castedo-Dorado B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Department of Agroforestry Engineering, University of Santiago de Compostela, Escuela Politécnica Superior, C/ Benigno Ledo, Campus Universitario, E-27002 Lugo, Spain.

B Department of Engineering and Agricultural Sciences, University of León, Escuela Superior y Técnica de Ingeniería Agraria, Avenida de Astorga s/n, Campus de Ponferrada, E-24400 Ponferrada, Spain.

C Corresponding author. Email: edu.g.ferreiro@gmail.com

International Journal of Wildland Fire 23(3) 350-362 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF13054
Submitted: 2 April 2013  Accepted: 21 September 2013   Published: 7 March 2014

Abstract

Crown fire initiation and spread are key elements in gauging fire behaviour potential in conifer forests. Crown fire initiation and spread models implemented in widely used fire behaviour simulation systems such as FARSITE and FlamMap require accurate spatially explicit estimation of canopy fuel complex characteristics. In the present study, we evaluated the potential use of very low-density airborne LiDAR (light detection and ranging) data (0.5 first returns m–2) – which is freely available for most of the Spanish territory – to estimate canopy fuel characteristics in Pinus radiata D. Don stands in north-western Spain. Regression analysis indicated strong relationships (R2 = 0.82–0.98) between LiDAR-derived metrics and field-based fuel estimates for stand height, canopy fuel load, and average and effective canopy base height Average and effective canopy bulk density (R2 = 0.59–0.70) were estimated indirectly from a set of previously modelled forest variables. The LiDAR-based models developed can be used to elaborate geo-referenced raster files to describe fuel characteristics. These files can be generated periodically, whenever new freely available airborne LiDAR data are released by the Spanish National Plan of Aerial Orthophotography, and can be used as inputs in fire behaviour simulation systems.

Additional keywords: airborne laser scanning, ALS, canopy base height, canopy bulk density, canopy fuel load, forest inventory, fuel management, Galicia, Plan Nacional de Ortofotografía Aérea de España, remote sensing, Spanish PNOA project, stand height.


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