Dinâmica dos incêndios florestais no Complexo da Serra de Carrancas, Minas Gerais

Abstract

This study described the spatial and temporal profile of fires in an area proposed for creating a Conservation Unit (UC) in the Microregion of Serra de Carrancas, Minas Gerais. Images from the LandSat 5 and 8 satellites, TM and OLI sensors, were used between the years 2002 and 2015. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the NDVI difference were calculated to detect burned areas. In addition, we used a density point approach to characterize the spatial distribution of the fi res. The land cover classes analyzed were a) agriculture and pasture; b) native forests; c) planted forests; and d) cerrado. To analyze the fire-fighting efficiency, the polygons were grouped into the following size classes: I (<0.1); II (0.1 -4); III (4.1 -40); IV (40.1-200); V (> 200) hectares. We used the variables accumulated precipitation, the average temperature, and relative humidity to analyze the fire occurrences in the temporal aspect. We detected 2,747 polygons of burned areas, totaling 18,320.14 hectares. From this total, 758 polygons occurred within the UC with an area of 6,696.74 ha. The months with the highest records were August, September, and October. The years 2003, 2009, 2011 and 2014 had the highest occurrences and burned areas in the analyzed period. The grouping in size classes showed a higher frequency of burned areas in classes II and III. Therefore, the implementation of this UC should accompany a policy for preventing and fighting forest fires to preserve the ecological integrity of the region.