Forest fire risk zoning in the municipality of Itinga, Jequitinhonha Valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract

The present study aimed to develop the zoning of the risk of forest fires for the municipality of Itinga-MG. For this, a risk map was prepared with the aid of the QGIS software, by superimposing maps of the variables: appearance, slope, distance from municipal headquarters, proximity to roads and land use and occupation. In each map, polygons susceptible to the occurrence of fires were defined, where each category received a score value. For the variables related to relief, data from the Digital Elevation Model (MDE) were used, and for the classification of land use and land cover, images from the Landsat 8 satellite were used. The results indicated that approximately 54% of the areas of the municipality were classified as at risk. “Medium” risk of fires, followed by the “Low” risk class with 26%, “High” risk with 19%, “Very High” risk with 1.00% and, finally, the “Very Low” risk class” with 0.15%. The areas most susceptible to forest fires are located in the central region of the municipality. The results presented here can help managers in the decision-making process and in the planning of studies aimed at minimizing the damage caused by forest fires, not only in the city of Itinga, but throughout the Jequitinhonha Valley.