Fuel type map of Europe: JRC approach and current development

Forest Fires 2012

New Forest, UK 22-24 May 2012

Andrea Camia, EC Joint Research Centre

Outline

• Background (EFFIS)

• Wildland fuels

• Fuel mapping

• Method and current development of the Fuel Map of Europe

• Conclusions

European Forest Fire Information System

WEB mapping interfaceWEB mapping interface((http://http://effis.jrc.ec.europa.eueffis.jrc.ec.europa.eu))

Models, data Models, data integration, analysisintegration, analysisWind speed

FIRE WEATHER INDEX (FWI)

Fine Fuel Moisture Code (FFMC)

Duff Moisture Code (DMC)

Drought Code (DC)

INITIAL SPREAD INDEX (ISI)

BUILD UP INDEX (BUI)

Wind speed

FIRE WEATHER INDEX (FWI)

Fine Fuel Moisture Code (FFMC)

Duff Moisture Code (DMC)

Drought Code (DC)

INITIAL SPREAD INDEX (ISI)

BUILD UP INDEX (BUI)

vvv

v ECBA ×××=∑2CO

Regional estimates of CO2 emissions

Burned area vs Monthly Severity Rating in EUMed(June to October 1985-2005)

y = 2199.1e0.4099x

R2 = 0.7551

-

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

400,000

450,000

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0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

MSR

Mon

thly

bur

ned

area

(ha)

Pre-fire StagePost-fire Stage

fireAv burned area (m2)

Bv biomass (g m-2)

C burning efficiency (g g-1)

Evemission coefficient for CO2

Remote Remote sensingsensing

Weather Weather forecastforecast

DatabasesDatabasesDataData

Data

GeoGeo--datasetsdatasets

InputInput

Fire Danger ForecastFire Danger Forecast

Active Fire DetectionActive Fire Detection

Fire MonitoringFire Monitoring

Damage AssessmentDamage Assessment

Fire EmissionsFire Emissions

PostPost--fire Soil Erosionfire Soil Erosion

EU Fire DatabaseEU Fire Database

OutputOutput

530 May 2012

Following the European Parliament Resolution of Sept. 2006 for the further development of the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS)

1. EFFIS rapid damage assessment (RDA) and damage assessment (DA) further development of the existing system;

2. Development of a fuel map of Europe

3. Forest fire causes determination and harmonization

4. Economic and social impacts of forest fires

5. Estimation of forest fire emissions and smoke dispersion modeling

EFFIS on-going developments

Budget of 3 million EUR and duration of 40 months

Wildland fuels•Crown fuels

Foliage, branches,Aerial lichens, mosses

•Surface fuelsShrubs, Herbs Litter, Slash

•Ground fuelsduff

Physical properties: load, particle size, bulk density, S/V ratio, depth…

Fuel characterization

• Landscape

• Stand

• Groups

• Individuals

• Particles

• Cells

Fuel Mapping challenges

Fuel classification

Fuel recognition

Fuel mapping

• High variability in time and space

• High cost of direct fuel measurements

• Vertical stratification of fuels

• Stand history

• Fuel models

Fuel Characteristic Classification System

http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/fera/jfsp/fcc/Sandberg et al. 2007

Approaches to fuel mapping

1. Field survey

2. Direct fuel mapping with remote sensing

3. Indirect fuel mapping with remote sensing

4. Biophysical modeling and environmental gradients

(Keane et al. 2001)

Fuel mapping context

• ScaleContinental, National, Regional, Local

• ApplicationFire behavior, fire potential, fire emissions, carbon budget, fuel management, fire effects, ecosystem modeling…

• Usersfire managers, researchers, policy makers, systems

Fuel map of Europe Basic requirements

Fuel classification scheme suited to the European environments Fuel classes to fit the coarse scale and the heterogeneity of the European landscapes. Tool to support different assessments to be made at EU scale, through specific EFFIS modules: • fire potential (fire danger and fire risk mapping), • fire effects • fire emissions • biomass consumption. Baseline for initiating a novel system of classification of fuelcomplexes in Europe.

EcoregionsLand Use‐Land

Cover

FUEL  Level 1 

Potential Vegetation

PotentialVegetationTypes (PVT)

WildlandFuels

FUEL Level 2(Fuel Complexes)

FUEL Level 3(Fuel Types)

FireParameters

Select“WildlandFuels”

Actual vegetation: conflicts & validation

Classification rules

Method and main data processing flow for the Fuel Map of Europe

Ecoregions12 Environmental Zones (

(Metzger et al. 2005)+

3 Biogeographical RegionsMap of Europe(Turkey, Cypruss)(Roekaerts 2002)

FUEL LEVEL 1FUEL LEVEL 1

Land Use‐Land CoverCORINE 2000 (250 m) (EEA, 2002)

+MGC‐MERIS (250 m) (Switzerland) (ESA, 2006)

Vegetation land‐cover types

FL1aFL1a FL1bFL1b

Step 1 (Fuel Level 1):

To define the basic set of vegetation land‐cover types by ecoregion

15 Eco‐regions(Metzger et al. 2005)

(Roekaerts et al. 2002)

Environmental Stratification of Europe

Biogeographical Regions Map of Europe

FL1b MAP

Output of FL1: Wildland fire spatial domain and main fuel categories

Pastures/ grasslands, sparsely vegetated areas, moors & heaths, sclerophyllous vegt., transitional woodlands, forests (broadleaved, coniferous, mixed), agroforestry areas, marshes, peatbogs.

Step 2 (Fuel Level 2):

To define Fuel Complexes (FC) by combining FL1 Wildland fuels with detailed information on Potential Vegetation Types

Potential Vegetation Types (PVT)BOHN (2000/2003)COUNCIL MAP (1987) 

(Anatolian Peninsula, Cyprus)RIVAS‐MARTINEZ (1987) MAP 

(Canary Islands, Spain)

101 PotentialVegetationTypes (PVT)

WildlandFuels

FUEL Level 2Extended FC list

FL1Wildland Fuels (WF)

by Ecoregion

CLASSIFICATION RULES: Expert opinion, CLC, Bohn’s substitute communities

Reclassification criteria:‐ Physignomy‐ Structure:vertical strata‐ Species composition

Overlay

Vegetation succession

101 PVT 101 PVT relevantrelevant forfor fuel fuel characterizationcharacterization

Reclassification of PVTs relevant for fireExample: Baetic Quercus ilex woodlands (S Spain) (Bohn et al. 2000/03)

EcoregionsLand Use‐Land

Cover

FUEL  Level 1 

Potential Vegetation

PotentialVegetationTypes (PVT)

WildlandFuels

FUEL Level 2(Fuel Complexes)

FUEL Level 3(Fuel Types)

FireParameters

Select“WildlandFuels”

Actual vegetation: conflicts & validation

Classification rules

Output of  Fuel Level 2: 

209 Fuel Complexes (FC)

Fuel types of Europe

42 Fuel types in 9 groups:

1. Peat bogs (2)2. Grasslands (4)3. Shrublands (6)4. Transitional Shrubland/Forest (7)5. Conifer forests (9)6. Broadleaved forests (6)7. Mixed forests (4)8. Marshes, riparial and coastal vegetation (3)9. Agro-forestry areas (1)

3 Pastures

4 Sparse grasslands

5 Mediterranean grasslands and steppes

6 Temperate, Alpine and Northern grasslands

Grassland fuel types

Shrubland fuel types7 Mediterranean moors and heathlands

8 Temperate, Alpine and Northern moors and heathlands

9 Mediterranean open shrublands (sclerophylous)

10 Mediterranean shrublands (sclerophylous)

11 Deciduous broadleaved shrublands (thermophilous)

12 Alpine open shrublands (conifers)

Shrubland fuel types7 Mediterranean moors and heathlands

8 Temperate, Alpine and Northern moors and heathlands

9 Mediterranean open shrublands (sclerophylous)

10 Mediterranean shrublands (sclerophylous)

11 Deciduous broadleaved shrublands (thermophilous)

12 Alpine open shrublands (conifers)

2010 Thermo‐Mediterranean xerophilous shrublands 2013 Palm (Phoenix theophrasti) alluvial shrublands 2018 Anatolian and aegean Pinus nigra subsp. pallasiana shrublands 2021 Juniperus thurifera open Mediterranean shrublands 2022 Montane presteppe Juniperus excelsa shrublands 2027 Mediterranean Quercus pyrenaica shrublands (partially with Sorbus spp., Acer spp.) 2028 Quercus pyrenaica‐ Quercus ilex shrublands 2029 Quercus canariensis shrublands 2030 Quercus trojana shrublands 2012 Mediterranean shrublands dominated by Quercus coccifera 2033 Luso‐extremadurian Quercus ilex open shrublands 2034 South Iberian Quercus ilex shrublands 2037 Quercus suber shrublands 2038 Quercus alnifolia shrublands 

Shrubland fuel types7 Mediterranean moors and heathlands

8 Temperate, Alpine and Northern moors and heathlands

9 Mediterranean open shrublands (sclerophylous)

10 Mediterranean shrublands (sclerophylous)

11 Deciduous broadleaved shrublands (thermophilous)

12 Alpine open shrublands (conifers)

2019 Mediterranean Pinus brutia shrublands 2011 Mediterranean coastal shrublands (Ceratonia spp., Juniperus spp.) 2031 Mediterranenan coastal Quercus ilex shrublands 2032 Central Iberian Quercus ilex shrublands 2035 East Iberian Quercus ilex shrublands 2036 South east european Quercus ilex shrublands 2039 Wild olive tree (Olea europaea) shrublands 

Transitional shrubland/forest fuel types

13 Shrublands in Mediterranean conifer forests

14 Shrublands in Mediterranean sclerophylous forests

15 Shrublands in Mediterranean montane conifer forests

16 Shrublands in thermophilous broadleaved forests

17 Shrublands in beech and mesophytic broadleaved forests

18 Northern open shrublands in broadleaved forests

19 Shrublands in Alpine and Northern conifer forests

Conifer forest fuel types20 Mediterranean long needled conifer forest (mediterranean pines)

21 Mediterranean scale‐needled open woodlands (juniperus, cupressus)

22 Mediterranean montane long needled conifer forest (black and scots pines)

23 Mediterranean montane short needled conifer forest (firs, cedar)

24 Temperate conifer pantation

25 Alpine long needled conifer forest (pines)

26 Alpine short needled conifer forest (fir, alp. spruce)

27 Northern long needled conifer forest (scots pine)

28 Northern short needled conifer forest (spruce)

Broadleaved forest fuel types

29 Mediterranean evergreen broadleaved forest

30 Thermophilous broadleaved forest

31 Mesophytic broadleaved forest

32 Beech forest

33 Montane beech forest 

34 White birch boreal forest

Mixed forest fuel types

35 Mixed mediterranean evergreen broadleaved with conifers forest

36 Mixed thermophylous broadleaved with conifers forest

37 Mixed mesophytic broadleaved with conifers forest

38 Mixed beech with conifers forest

Aquatic vegetation fuel types

39 Riparian vegetation

40 Coastal and inland halophytic vegetation and dunes

41 Aquatic Marshes

Agro-forestry areas fuel types

Peat bogs fuel types

42 Agro‐forestry areas

1 Peat bogs 

2 Wooded peatbogs

Initial foreseen usage of the fuel map in EFFIS

• Improve fire danger assessment

• Feed the new EFFIS fire emission and atmospheric

dispersion module

• Input into long term fire risk map of Europe

• Study on climate change impact on forest fires

ConclusionsFuel mapping is a challenging exercise, highly dependent

upon the context and objectives

The Fuel Map of Europe has been developed with a method adapted to the coarse scale and the intended use of the product

The Fuel Types identified can constitute a baseline for future applications. Work is still on going to assess quantitative properties of fuel types

Fuel maps developed at finer scales may consider the reference fuel classification scheme but should follow methodologies focused on the local application