Publications

Safdary, R; Monavari, SM; Kafaky, SB; Kiadaliri, H (2025). The effect of spatiotemporal characteristics of drought and wet years on the development of fire occurrence in natural regions of western Iran (Lorestan Province). ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT, 197(4), 398.

Abstract
Understanding the spatiotemporal relationships of droughts and fires in natural regions is very important to improve decision-making in fire management. For this purpose, the natural regions of Lorestan Province in the west of Iran were selected. Fire data from MODIS satellite products and monthly rainfall data of the province were extracted to estimate the SPI and PDSI for the statistical period of 2000 to 2021. The study examined the annual and monthly correlation between fires and droughts in the province. The results showed that June and July had the highest frequency of fires. The annual fires in the natural regions have been an increasing trend. 2019 experienced the highest number of fires. Winter and spring drought events had a significant correlation with spring and summer fires. In the wetness year of 2019, the frequency of fires was higher than in the dryness year of 2005. The highest fire events were observed in poor to moderate rangelands (0.05 < NDVI < 0.15) in wetness conditions. Despite the smaller area of high-fire risk areas in wetness conditions, a higher frequency of fires can be expected due to the availability of plant biomass during the peak fire period. Although drought is clearly a contributing factor in the spread of fires in the Zagros, the relationship between drought and fire is influenced by more local factors. The map of areas with high fire risk in this study can be used as a preliminary map to identify high-risk areas, especially during critical seasons, and be prioritized by planners.

DOI:
10.1007/s10661-025-13843-8

ISSN:
1573-2959