The Effect of Forest Road Distance on Forest Fire Severity (Case Study: Fires in the Neka County Forestry)
The effect of forest roads on the extent and type of fire damage occurred in forests and rangelands of the Neka County in Mazandaran province was investigated. For this purpose, all fire spots, stand number, percentage and type of injury and damage to tree species, and average diameter at breast height (DBH) were noted with 100% inventory; area and geographic location of access roads were determined using GPS. The results showed that distance from the main access road had a significant correlation with the area of fire spots, but no significant correlation existed between the distance from the strip roads, skid ways, town of Neka and the area of fire spots. The factors influencing fire severity were analyzed using the stepwise regression model. Model also showed that just the distance from the main access road affected the area of fire spots. For every one meter increase in the distance from the main access roads, the area of fire spot was increased by 1.545 m. Further, the extent of fire can be controlled by reducing the distance from the main access roads.