Validation of FARSITE model in Mediterranean area

In the last two decades several deterministic models have been developed in order to provide temporal and spatial variations of fire spread. The most common models, as Behave and FARSITE, are based on the Rothermel's original fire spread equation and describe fire spread as a function of relationships between fuels, terrain and weather conditions. Although the need of simplifications, preliminary assumptions on fire process, and large input data sets, the use of simulation models is an effective way to obtain informations to support decision making on fire management. Nevertheless, much efforts must be addressed on the increase of the number of fuel models, in order to obtain a validation using observed fire growth patterns in a number of fuels and weather conditions; for example, Mediterranean ecosystems, characterized by high specific and structural heterogeneity and complexity, require a local validation of fuel models. In addition, the effect of Mediterranean climate on fire spread should be evaluated. The aim of this study is to analyze and compare the accuracy of FARSITE simulations with different fuel models and meteorological conditions, in order to illustrate the capabilities of FARSITE model in forecasting the fire spread in Mediterranean areas. The analysis was conducted on different case studies occurred in Sardinia, Italy. Spatial inputs data were provided by ArcView as ASCII raster format (10 m resolution). Meteorological data were provided by the Sardinian Agrometeorological Service. Observed burnt area were compared with FARSITE simulations in order to determine the accuracy of the model. Results showed the potential of FARSITE to be used in fire spread simulation in Mediterranean areas.