Risk of Forest Fire; Evaluation and Detection Using Multicriteria Analysis and Spatial Data (Application to the Sidi Bel Abbes Forest Massif)

Forest fires are one of the primary environmental concerns, and Sidi Bel Abbes massif is particularly susceptible to recurring outbreaks. Between 2010 and 2022 there were 218 fires. The objective of this study was to assess the fire risk of the Sidi Bel Abbes forests before the summer season during two periods 2014-2020 using GIS tools and remote sensing. The cartographic model used is based on the Turkish model and employs multi-criteria AHP analyses. The integration of natural and human factors that influence fire behavior, such as plant biomass, morphology, accessibility, and urbanization, is crucial. According to GIS analysis, the combination of these parameters indicates that 45.52% of the massif had a high fire risk in 2014, which is related to the significant fuel. Due to the severe degradation of the massif, this area was reduced by about 16% in 2020. These results are essential for forest managers to consider.