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WILDFIRE HAZARD EVALUATION IN THE METROPOLITAN AREA OF CONCEPCIÓN - CHILE CENTRAL
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  • carolina g. ojeda,
  • Edilia Jaque,
  • Rodrigo Fuentes,
  • alfonso fernandez
carolina g. ojeda
Universidad Catolica de la Santisima Concepcion

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Edilia Jaque
Universidad de Concepcion
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Rodrigo Fuentes
Universidad de Concepcion
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alfonso fernandez
Universidad de Concepcion
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Abstract

The hazard of wildfires in Chile is latent, especially in densely populated urban centers that are embedded in a Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI). As an example of that is Concepción which is the second most populated conurbation in Chile. This kind of hazard is strengthened by development models that end up conflicting as is the case of the Chilean Forest Model (MFC) and the Urban Development Model (MDU). Both models are based on liberalized economic principles and spatial growth that have been contributed to the construction of wildfire risk scenarios. In this work, the complexity of the wildfire hazard in the Metropolitan Area of Concepción is addressed. LANDSAT-8 and ASTER satellite images are used to evaluate the danger of wildfires. The anthropic factors (soil cover, road network, controlled burning points, camping), and natural factors (topography, flammability, insolation, altitude) that influence the hazard are analyzed. To corroborate the detected hazard zones and WUI according to satellite data, the foci of fires provided by the forestry management government agency (CONAF) are also spatialized. Finally, the main structural agents that can contribute to wildfire hazard in the area are discussed, specifically: the closeness between land cover associated with monocultives and the areas resulting from urban expansion; and the economic incentives given by the government that have increased the area of the plantations and the housing area.