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Scientia Silvae Sinicae ›› 2023, Vol. 59 ›› Issue (6): 149-158.doi: 10.11707/j.1001-7488.LYKX20220265

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A Review of Recent Progress in Fire Management of Wildland-Urban Interface

Xiaorui Tian1,*(),Xuezheng Zong2,3,Mingyu Wang1   

  1. 1. Key Laboratory of Forest Protection of National Forestry and Grassland Administration Ecology and Nature Conservation Institute, CAF Beijing 100091
    2. Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100101
    3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100049
  • Received:2022-04-19 Online:2023-06-25 Published:2023-08-08
  • Contact: Xiaorui Tian E-mail:tianxr@caf.ac.cn

Abstract:

The urbanization process and living environment improvement have led to more and more expansion of wildland-urban interface (WUI) areas throughout the world, and most WUIs face severe fire risks. The impact of WUI fires on ecosystem and society has attracted worldwide attention, and fire management in WUI area has become a challenge for current regional development. Over the last 30 years, WUI fire research has become an important research hot topic. WUI fires have also occurred frequently in China in recent years, but there is little research on such fires. This paper systematically introduces the research achievements on WUI fire from three aspects, such as the definition of WUI and its fire regime, fire risk assessment, and risk mitigation measures. Fire risk assessment of WUI area especially emphasizes the exposure and vulnerability of fires, and the fire impact on the environment and society. The risk mitigation strategy needs to be developed based on the fire risk assessment results, which includes reducing the potential fire intensity and exposure of WUI area through fuel management, improving the construction materials and design of houses and other infrastructure, enhancing fire resistance capacity, heightening the fire awareness and fire resistance capacity of residents, and improving the fire fighting ability and comprehensive disaster resistance capacity of the community. The future research trend is to develop WUI fire spread model, smoke transmission and economic loss model, fuel management technology in WUI area, and WUI planning and relevant management standards. It is needed to carry out interdisciplinary and international research. The research achievements will provide reliable fire risk assessment methods and mitigation technologies, which should provide the supports for formulating corresponding management strategy and risk mitigation schemes for WUI areas with different characteristics. China also needs to improve the fire adaptability of WUI community by formulating relevant technical standards and procedures for WUI fire management, and make targeted fire management plans according to reliable fire risk assessment method and mitigation technology.

Key words: wildland-urban interface, fire management, risk assessment, risk mitigation, fire research

CLC Number: