PAPER TITLE :FOREST FIRE RISK ZONE MAPPING FOR DRY SEASONS IN OYO STATE, NIGERIA

JOURNAL Of SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY | VOLUME 9 NUMBER 1 2018

Paper Details

  • Author(s) : BALOGUN, I.A.
  • Abstract:

This study exploits the capabilities of remote sensing and GIS techniques to prepare fire risk zone map for forests in Oyo State, Nigeria. The study area is usually very dry and hot during dry season (December to February), thus making it vulnerable to fire occurrences. Meteorological data, satellite imageries, topographical and other ancillary data were utilised in this study. Colour composite image from the LandSat TM satellite was used for the vegetation mapping. Slope and other coverage (roads and settlements) were derived from topographic maps and field information. The thematic and topographic information were digitised and analysed using ArcGIS. Forest fire risk zones were delineated by assigning subjective weights to the classes of all the layers according to their sensitivity to fire or their fire-inducing capability. Four categories of forest fire risk ranging from very high to low were derived. High fire risk categories areas are those in high slopes with dry deciduous forests while forests situated in moderate slopes / flat areas shows moderate proneness to fire. Although it is observed that most of the forest areas in the state are moderately prone to forest fire during harmattan or dry seasons, about 24% of the study area is estimated to be under very high and high-risk categories. The northern parts are identified as very high risk region, hence provision of fire management services at strategic locations is recommended. Keywords: Forest fires, Risk zones, Remote Sensing, Oyo state