Assessing spatial uncertainty associated with forest fire boundary delineation

摘要: Uncertainty in managing forested landscapes arises from many sources, including complexities inherent forest ecosystems and their disturbance processes. However, gaining knowledge about at the landscape level is often impeded by limitations collecting comprehensive, representative, as well accurate data sets. Historical reference sets past disturbances are also mostly lacking. In case of ground fires, however, records fires can be obtained analyzing fire scars using dendrochronology. While temporal series determined, there still uncertainty spatial limits individual surface fires. Here, we investigate how a patch-based method (fuzzy set membership) boundary-based (boundary help determine related to events boundary locations. We compare these methods scar ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) sampled 33 1-ha plots 1500-ha study area within Stein River watershed (British Columbia). Patch-based maps, multiple constraints, were derived for years 1785–1937. compared resulting total event maps with method, finding that depending on values chosen negative correlation was present (though very modest: r = − 0.1, p ≤ 0.05) between some maps. significant positive again 0.22, found under least constrained methods, suggesting patches counted more than once riparian zones. Our results suggest two provide complementary information historical size limits. Quantifying location membership contribute not only understanding regimes but providing better estimates burned.