Análisis espacio - temporal de incendios forestales ocurridos en el cantón Loja en el periodo 2000-2018

Abstract

Abstract: The forest fires are an environmental and socio-economic problem, whose frequency and affected area have been increasing due to the anthropic activities that take place in the territory. In order to prioritise areas in the implementation of prevention campaigns and to contribute to decision-makers; this study examined the trends in the occurrence and area burned by forest fires in the canton of Loja during the period 2000-2018, data from public entities and other sources of information were used. In addition, the area of greatest susceptibility to forest fires and accessibility of the Loja Fire Department to these areas was determined. According to data from public entities (2006 - 2008), there are an average of 1264.13 hectares and 133 forest fires per year, with higher incidence in rural parishes and during the months of July to September. The areas with high susceptibility to forest fires are those that are close to anthropic areas and that are outside the optimal attention time (5 min) by the Loja Fire Department.