Relationships and Modeling of Cerrado Grassland Fuel in Jalapão, Tocantins state, Brazil

Abstract

The aim of this study was to understand the relationships between different destructive (grass and 1-h fuel load) and non-destructive fuel variables (grass height, litter height, number of species, and number of individuals), in order to develop models for estimating fuel load and moisture and analyzing fuel consumption. This study was carried out in a protected area located in the Cerrado biome, in the Jalapão region, Tocantins state, Brazil. The non-destructive characteristics of the vegetation were sampled to determine the live and dead fuel loads in different time-lag classes. Equations were obtained to estimate these loads, with values of R²aj, varying from 0.12 to 0.73. The considerable influence of dead grass fuel load on modeling could be observed, which is regarded as the main determining factor for a greater consumption of vegetation by fire.

Keywords

• forest fires
• fuel consumption
• fuel load estimation