INTERMEDIATE-SCALE MAPPING OF COMBUSTIBLE FOREST MATERIALS ALONG THE LOWER ANGARA VALLEY

Abstract

The author outlines a cartographic method for assessing and predicting the fire hazard in different types of forest vegetation, using the landscapes of the lower Angara valley in Krasnoyarsk Kray as an example. More specifically, maps of combustible plant materials and of basic fire-conducting materials are compiled at intermediate scales based on air photo interpretation and field studies. These maps in turn are a part of a complex of tools (maps of actual dryness values at specific times of year, knowledge of the location of topographic and other barriers to the spread of fire, and information about particular sources of fire) that can be used to assess the potential consequences of forest fires and to plan measures for combating them. Translated from: Geografiya i prirodnyye resursy, 1995, No. 2, pp. 146-152.