Mapping the risk of forest fires in the watershed of Oued Bougous (Northeast of Algeria)
Mapping the risk of forest fires in the watershed of Oued Bougous (Northeast of Algeria)

Summary/Abstract: The objective of this study is to map the risk of 3 forest fires at the scale of the Oued Bougous watershed in the extreme northeast of Algeria using remote sensing and GIS. We used a fire risk mapping model which is based on a number of parameters, namely: the type of vegetation, the slope, the exposure, the proximity of roads and agglomerations. The result obtained revealed that 79.88% of the study area represents a very high to high risk. This risk is essentially linked to highly flammable vegetation, steep slopes, southern exposure, a dense road network and a significant human presence within the forest. The established fire risk index map is a real decision-making tool, but it remains insufficient, because there are other anthropogenic factors that trigger forest fires that are not taken into account by the adopted model, such as the agricultural practice especially the harvest campaign and the border situation of the watershed with Tunisia.

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