Monitoring changes in Forest Fire Pattern in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Western Ghats India, using Remote Sensing and GIS

Shanmuganathan Jayakumar; Dr. Satyam Verma; Kuimi Tampeimi Vashum; Sathya Mani

Authors

Shanmuganathan Jayakumar
Dr. Satyam Verma
Kuimi Tampeimi Vashum
Sathya Mani

forest fire; spatial pattern; temporal pattern; remote sensing; GIS

Abstract

This study was aimed to evaluate the spatial and temporal patterns of forest fire between 1999 and 2014 using remote sensing and GIS in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Western Ghats. Remote Sensing and GIS are very effective tools in detecting active fire, mapping burned area, analyzing fire risk and preparing improved management plans. We used Landsat TM, ETM+, OLI-TIRS and Fire location data for this study. In our study, we found that the annual rate of fire was 3141.46 hectare year -1 (9.78%) with an average number of 22 fire incidences per annum. Maximum area was burned in 2004 (10451 hectares) whereas in 2013, we did not record any fire incidence through Lands at images. Fire occurred between January and May and utmost incidences in February and March (93.64%). However, 58.86 % of detected fire incidences were in February alone.

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Monitoring changes in Forest Fire Pattern in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Western Ghats India, using Remote Sensing and GIS. (2015). Global Journal of Science Frontier Research, 15(39), 13-19. https://journalofscience.org/index.php/GJSFR/article/view/

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Author Biography

Dr. Satyam Verma

Dr. Satyam Verma is an accomplished environmental scientist specializing in fire ecology and environmental management. He earned his PhD from Pondicherry University's Department of Ecology & Environmental Sciences, where his research focused on forest fire patterns and spatial-temporal distribution using remote sensing and GIS technologies. Dr. Verma has held prestigious positions including a Fulbright-Kalam Climate Fellowship as a Visiting Scientist at the University of Washington (2021-2022), and served as a Project Scientist at the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun (2018-2021). Currently, he serves as an Assistant Professor in Environmental Sciences at SRM University. His work has been widely recognized, with 46 publications, 677 citations, an h-index of 13, and an i10-index of 16. Dr. Verma is an active member of the International Association of Wildland Fire, the Indian Society of Geomatics, and the Indian Regional Association of Landscape Ecology, reflecting his commitment to advancing the understanding of forest fire dynamics and landscape ecology.

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