The Development, Systems, and Evaluation of Forest Fire Danger Rating: A Review

The present paper reviews several topics on fire danger research in the world. First, sources of fire danger that consist of research in fire hazard and fire risk are reviewed, Second, studies in the development of fire danger rating, including history of different countries, approaches of devising fire danger rating, and fire danger modeling are described. Third, fire danger rating systems that are currently used around the world are compared. Fourth, studies in evaluation of the fire danger rating systems are analyzed. From the literature, it is known that research in forest fire danger rating systems commenced in the 1930s in North America. It is a complex task that requires integrating knowledge from biological, climatic, physical, and behavioral fields. There are various approaches to developing fire danger rating, such as the statistical approach, biophysical approach, social survey and observation, and GIS. Through decades of efforts, laboratory experiments have led to the development of various fire danger rating models based on physical principles or other factors. Based on these theoretical models, various fire danger rating systems have been established to provide guide-lines for various fire management needs.