Journal of Remote Sensing & GIS

Relationship between land use changes and fire activity in Castilla-La Mancha (Spain) from 1976-2006

3^rd World Congress on GIS and Remote Sensing

September 20-21, 2017 Charlotte, USA

Olga Viedma

University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Remote Sensing & GIS

Abstract:

Here, we assessed the role of land use-land cover (LULC) and their changes on fire frequency and burned area in a large area located in Central Spain (Castilla-La Mancha) from 1976 to 2006. Number of fires and total burned area from 1976 to 2006 at 10 x 10 km grid were intersected on the map of LULC changes that occurred during that period; and machine learning techniques as Boosted Regression Trees (BRTs) were applied to relate them. The study area underwent important socio-economic changes related to depopulation, agriculture intensification and encroachment that were translated in important LULC changes. From 1976 land uses considered as "non-hazardous", in terms of fire activity, increased from 62% to 70%, especially agriculture and broadleaved forests, while hazardous uses as grasslands, shrublands and open forests decreased. Main LULC changes occurred were: agricultural intensification followed by reforestation, forest densification and deforestation. The BRT model that related LULCs at 1976 and their changes from 1976-2006, explained 78% of the burned area and 50% after cross-validation. In general, the greater the proportion of dangerous reforestation, rangelands and dangerous stability the greater will be the burned area. Moreover, in areas where nonhazardous LULCs and LULC changes as artificial uses, development and agricultural conversion where intermixed with hazardous ones (e.g. conifer forests), the burned surface was greater. On the other hand, BRT related to nº of fires explained 79% of the total variance and 54% after cross-validation. In general, with the increase of occupation of artificial uses, hazardous stable uses and increase in grasslands and coniferous forests increased the number of fires. On the contrary, in areas where there was a large occupation of stable non-hazardous uses and agricultural abandonment (encroachment), the number of fires decreased.