Tharun R

GE4050

Forests are vital for preserving ecosystems and biodiversity, but increasing forest fires, exacerbated by rising temperatures and human activities, pose significant threats globally. Forest fires affect the rich flora and fauna of the forest ecosystem. Dynamic factors such as weather parameters and the state of vegetation influence the fire in most cases. Different factors influence fire in different magnitudes. The relationship between fire occurrence and different influencing factors in a study area will be helpful in analyzing the situation in an area. Uttarakhand, with approximately 40% forest cover, faces frequent fires, impacting wildlife and communities dependent on forests. In this study, the relationship between various fire causative factors and fire occurrence in the state of Uttarakhand is analyzed. Apart from the causative factors, the trend and hotspot analysis of the historic forest fire data from 2013 to 2023 was conducted using the concept of a space-time cube and further with the help of emerging hotspot analysis.