WILDFIRE HAZARD EVALUATION IN THE METROPOLITAN AREA OF CONCEPCIÓN -
CHILE CENTRAL
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.