Papers by Alexandros Dimitrakopoulos
The Fire Management Working Papers report on issues addressed in the work programme of FAO. These... more The Fire Management Working Papers report on issues addressed in the work programme of FAO. These working papers do not reflect any official position of FAO. Please refer to the FAO website (www.fao.org/forestry) for official information. The purpose of these papers is to provide early information on on-going activities and programmes, and to stimulate discussion. Comments and feedback are welcome. For further information please contact: Mr. Petteri Vuorinen, Forestry Officer (Forest Fire Management)
Tree-Ring Research, 2012
The past fire regime of European black pine (Pinus nigra Arn.) forests in Valia Kalda in Greece w... more The past fire regime of European black pine (Pinus nigra Arn.) forests in Valia Kalda in Greece was investigated by standard dendrochronology methods. The sampled trees contained a record of fires from the early 14th Century through the late 19th Century with the last fire recorded in 1891. Evidence of non-lethal surface fires over the past seven centuries suggests that in addition to its destructive power, fire also plays a role in ecological functioning of the region. This is the first fire history study in Greece and can provide a basis for development of the first fire history network in the region. It also provides insight and perspective that may be useful for planning and justifying future ecosystem management programs.
Abstract: A small number of fires escape initial attack suppression efforts and become large, but... more Abstract: A small number of fires escape initial attack suppression efforts and become large, but their effects are significant and disproportionate. In 1983, of 200,000 wildland fires in the United States, only 4,000 exceeded 100 acres. However, these escaped fires accounted for roughly 95 percent of wildfire-related costs and damages (Pyne, 1984). Thus, future research efforts logically will focus on the difficult and complicated task of modeling large fires. Large fires often demonstrate higher fireline intensities, different modes of propagation and different distribution patterns through time than do steady-state fires. It is essential, although difficult, to simulate, model, and predict large fire management considerations. In the future, wildland fire modeling efforts are likely to focus on the concepts and peculiarities that large fires present in terms of behavior, suppression and control attributes. This paper reviews the problems that large fires pose to fire analysts. CO...
A small number of fires escape initial attack suppression efforts and become large, but their eff... more A small number of fires escape initial attack suppression efforts and become large, but their effects are significant and disproportionate. In 1983, of 200,000 wildland fires in the United States, only 4,000 exceeded 100 acres. However, these escaped fires accounted for roughly 95 percent of wildfire-related costs and damages (Pyne, 1984). Thus, future research efforts logically will focus on the difficult and complicated task of modeling large fires. Large fires often demonstrate higher fireline intensities, different modes of propagation and different distribution patterns through time than do steady-state fires. It is essential, although difficult, to simulate, model, and predict large fire management considerations. In the future, wildland fire modeling efforts are likely to focus on the concepts and peculiarities that large fires present in terms of behavior, suppression and control attributes. This paper reviews the problems that large fires pose to fire analysts. Presented at...
Abstract This study investigated post-fire fuel composition and dynamics in a phryganic ecosystem... more Abstract This study investigated post-fire fuel composition and dynamics in a phryganic ecosystem, three years after fire. The study site was a phryganic community dominated by Sarcopoterium spinosum, located at the island of Crete, Greece. The following fuel (live ...
Thermochimica Acta, 2002
The ignitability of various forest species was measured with a specifically designed apparatus, u... more The ignitability of various forest species was measured with a specifically designed apparatus, under precisely controlled temperature and airflow conditions. The ignitability tests were based on ignition delay time versus temperature measurements using five different forest species: Pinus halepensis, Pistacia lentiscus, Cupressus sempervirens, Olea europaea, Cistus incanus. These species are common in the Mediterranean region and frequently devastated by forest fires. The ignition characteristics of the forest fuels examined were related to thermogravimetric analysis data. The DTG curves showed that the mass changes related to cellulose decomposition in the temperature range of 320-370 8C are greatly responsible for the ignition behavior of the species tested. In addition, the mass of volatiles evolving between 120-160 8C has a significant effect on the ignitability. On the contrary, the inorganic ash content of forest fuels, measured by atomic absorption spectroscopy, seems to play an insignificant role on the ignitability characteristics of the forest fuels examined.
Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 2001
Abstract Twelve dominant Mediterranean plant species were subjected to thermogravimetric analysis... more Abstract Twelve dominant Mediterranean plant species were subjected to thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) in air medium, in order to study their thermal degradation process and assess their potential combustibility as natural fuels. Statistically significant differences were observed among the values of the pyrolytic parameters of the species analyzed. The mean volatilization rate values resulted in meaningful ranking of the species into vegetation types of similar combustibility, as verified by observations during actual wildfires. The use of TGA as a method for assessing the combustibility of individual plant species seems justified.
Our study analyzed the fire (pyric) environment (vegetation or fuels, meteorology, topography, su... more Our study analyzed the fire (pyric) environment (vegetation or fuels, meteorology, topography, suppression time) of the large forest fires (greater than 1,000 ha) that occurred in Greece during 1990-2003. Statistical analysis of 84 large fires (representing 0.37% of the total number of fires) revealed that they usually spread under moderately to low relative humidity (21-40%) in the presence of strong to moderate northern winds. Approximately one-fourth of all large fires occur during heat waves (i.e. air temperature higher than 30oC and air relative humidity 21-40%). Large fires occur as both surface and crown fires and usually spread in dense vegetation with a continuous duff layer. Successful containment requires a combination of both ground and aerial fire suppression forces. Although large forest fires usually have short initial attack time (less than 30 minutes), the suppression time is variable. The main differences between the large fires and all the others lie in the prevai...
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Papers by Alexandros Dimitrakopoulos