The Studies to Support a Fire Danger Rating System in Turkey

Abstract

Forest fires are a primary damaging agent of Turkey’s forests, and have a significant economic impact. Turkey has a Mediterranean climate, and over half (12 million hectares) of its forests are located in a coastal band area that is160 km wide and 1700 km long. The band starts at the eastern Mediterranean coast and includes the Aegean and Marmara coasts. This band is a fire-sensitive region, with thousands of hectares burned annually. The value of a decision support system, such as the Fire danger Rating System (FDRS), is recognized in Turkey as a key tool in fire fighting and limiting economic impacts. However the information base to implement FDRS does not exist in Turkey. As a result, the study described in this paper was initiated to develop that information