Small-Scale Analysis of Characteristics of the Wildland–Urban Interface Area of Thessaloniki, Northern Greece
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Description of Study Area
2.2. Determination and Mapping of WUI Areas
2.3. Estimation of Human Population Pressure in the WUI Area of the City of Thessaloniki
2.4. Estimation of Ecological Characteristics in the WUI Area of the City of Thessaloniki
2.5. Statistical Data Analysis
3. Results
3.1. WUI Area of Thessaloniki
3.2. Ecological Characteristics of the WUI Area of the City of Thessaloniki
3.3. Human Pressure in the WUI Area of the Thessaloniki Metropolitan Area
4. Discussion
- Maintaining low levels of ladder fuel loading should be a primary management concern;
- Reduction in crown bulk density and an increase in crown base height through pruning and low thinning in the unburned pure mature forest stands of P. brutia should be carried out;
- Vegetation clearing, pruning, and thinning should take place in the young P. brutia forest, as well as in area occupied by the evergreen vegetation;
- The recommended target stand structure for WUI is mixed stands with components of broadleaves and, thus, complementary plantings with broadleaves are suggested.
5. Conclusions—Special Management Implications Measures for WUI Areas
5.1. Areas’ Prioritization for Taken Intensive Fire Protection Measures
5.2. Determination of the Specific Fire Protection Measures
- In areas with mature Pinus brutia trees, the reduction in crown bulk density and increase in crown base height through pruning and low thinning should be performed [48,49,50,51]. Pruning up to at least to 1/3 of total tree height should be carried out. Thinning should be performed so that the crowns of different trees do not intermix with each other.
- In the young P. brutia forest, thinning, tree pruning, and vegetation clearing should be undertaken.
- In areas occupied by evergreen vegetation, vegetation clearing, pruning, and thinning should be carried out.
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Classes | Value/Code | Land Coverage (%) |
---|---|---|
Agricultural land | 1 | 8.8 |
Burnt area/low vegetation | 2 | 13.22 |
Evergreen vegetation | 3 | 27.79 |
Impervious surfaces/roads/cement | 4 | 5.51 |
Pinus brutia forest | 5 | 22.46 |
Rural area/low vegetation/grass | 6 | 14.33 |
Rural area/low vegetation/shrubs | 7 | 0.36 |
Urban areas/infrastructures | 8 | 7.55 |
Vegetation Type | Building Density | ||
---|---|---|---|
≤2.5 Buildings/ha | 2.5–6 Buildings/ha | ≥6 Buildings/ha | |
Pinus brutia forest | 22.15% | 0.26% | 0.05% |
Evergreen vegetation | 26.92% | 0.64% | 0.22% |
Burnt area/low vegetation | 12.94% | 0.25% | 0.03% |
Vegetation Type | Building Density | ||
---|---|---|---|
≤2.5 Buildings/ha | 2.5–6 Buildings/ha | ≥6 Buildings/ha | |
Pinus brutia forest within the distance of 100 m around the houses and infrastructure | 6.37% | 1.97% | 0.81% |
Evergreen vegetation within the distance of 100 m around the houses and infrastructure | 42.67% | 23.62% | 15.17% |
Burnt area/low vegetation | 46.68% | 26.53% | 17.17% |
Species | Plant Canopy Cover (%) | ||
---|---|---|---|
Pinus brutia Forest | Burnt Forest Area | Evergreen Vegetation | |
Pinus brutia | 54.3 (±7.0) a | 20.3 (±2.6) b | 0.0 (±0.0) c |
Quercus coccifera | 12.1 (±2.2) b | 15.1 (±4.0) b | 38.3 (±5.2) a |
Phillyrea latifolia | 4.0 (±1.2) | 4.5 (±1.3) | 6.5 (±1.1) |
Cistus incanus | 1.6 (±1.0) c | 11.3 (±2.8) a | 7.1 (±2.7) b |
Anthyllis hermaniae | 1.1 (±0.8) | 3.1 (±1.2) | 2.1 (±1.0) |
Asparagus acutifolius | 1.2 (±0.4) | 1.8 (±0.7) | 1.1 (±0.4) |
Sarcopoterium spinosum | 1.3 (±0.9) | 2.6 (±0.6) | 1.2 (±0.6) |
Crataegus monogyna | 0.7 (±0.2) | 0.8 (±0.2) | 1.2 (±0.3) |
Other species | 3.5 (±1.4) | 2.8 (±1.2) | 3.7 (±1.6) |
Total | 79.8 (±8.5) a | 62.3 (±7.7) b | 61.2 (±8.3) b |
Vegetation Class/Soil Characteristics | Soil Layer | Pinus brutia Forest | Evergreen Vegetation | Burned Forest with the Vegetation Established after Fire in 1997 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Soil depth (cm) | 27.5 a | 18.7 b | 27.3 a | |
Organic matter (%) | 0–15 cm 15–30 cm | 3.4 ab 1.4 | 3.1 b 1.2 | 3.8 a 1.5 |
pH | 0–15 cm 15–30 cm | 7.3 7.1 | 7.2 7.1 | 7.2 7.0 |
Nitrogen (%) | 0–15 cm 15–30 cm | 0.21 a 0.10 | 0.18 b 0.09 | 0.22 a 0.13 |
Soil texture | 0–15 cm 15–30 cm | SL * | SL | SL |
Municipality | Total Population | Population Trends for the Last 10 years | Adjacent WUI Area ha | Average Number of a Citizen Visiting WUI y−1 | Total Number of Visiting WUI per Year | Total Pressure N y−1 ha−1 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Thessaloniki | 325,182 | −15.63% | 84.58 | 12.8 a | 4,162,330 a | 49,211.8 a |
Neapolis-Sykeon | 84,741 | −5.08% | 487.91 | 10.1 b | 855,884 b | 1754.2 c |
Pylaia-Hortiatis | 70,653 | +40.44% | 1312.64 | 9.6 b | 678,269 b | 516.7 d |
Pavlou Mela | 99,245 | +13.31% | 318.86 | 9.9 b | 982,526 b | 3081.4 b |
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Ganatsas, P.; Oikonomakis, N.; Tsakaldimi, M. Small-Scale Analysis of Characteristics of the Wildland–Urban Interface Area of Thessaloniki, Northern Greece. Fire 2022, 5, 159. https://doi.org/10.3390/fire5050159
Ganatsas P, Oikonomakis N, Tsakaldimi M. Small-Scale Analysis of Characteristics of the Wildland–Urban Interface Area of Thessaloniki, Northern Greece. Fire. 2022; 5(5):159. https://doi.org/10.3390/fire5050159
Chicago/Turabian StyleGanatsas, Petros, Nikolaos Oikonomakis, and Marianthi Tsakaldimi. 2022. "Small-Scale Analysis of Characteristics of the Wildland–Urban Interface Area of Thessaloniki, Northern Greece" Fire 5, no. 5: 159. https://doi.org/10.3390/fire5050159