Preparing for Future Forest Fires: Emerging Technologies and Innovations

Forest fires are part of the global ecosystems occurring for a long time in earth history.  These forest fires are part of the processes which establish the ecosystems and directly influence plant species composition within the ecosystems. However, the anthropogenic effect has changed this relationship causing an increasing number of forest fires Human activities have also changed world climate and future climate is expected to increase in temperature with dire consequences on the earth environment. These changes will profoundly impact on the earth’s socio-economic and human well-being. One of the effects of higher global temperature is increasing forest fires occurrences with stronger intensities.  There is a need to develop innovation and new technologies to manage these future fires. This paper aims to review various innovations and new technologies that can be used for the whole spectrum of forest fire management, from forest fire prediction to forest restoration of burnt areas. Emerging technologies such as geospatial technologies, the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence, 5G & enhanced connectivity, the Internet of Behaviors (IoB), virtual and augmented reality, and robotics are discussed and potential applications to forest fire management are discussed. Adaptation of these technologies is vital in the effective management of future forest fires. Key words: Climate Change, Future Fires, InnovationsKebakaran hutan merupakan bagian dari ekosistem global yang terjadi sejak lama dalam sejarah bumi. Kebakaran hutan ini merupakan bagian dari proses yang membentuk ekosistem dan secara langsung mempengaruhi komposisi spesies tumbuhan di dalam ekosistem. Namun, efek antropogenik telah mengubah hubungan ini yang menyebabkan peningkatan jumlah kebakaran hutan Aktivitas manusia juga telah mengubah iklim dunia dan iklim di masa depan diperkirakan akan meningkatkan suhu dengan konsekuensi yang mengerikan pada lingkungan bumi. Perubahan ini akan sangat berdampak pada sosial ekonomi bumi dan kesejahteraan manusia. Salah satu dampak dari peningkatan suhu global adalah meningkatnya kejadian kebakaran hutan dengan intensitas yang lebih kuat. Ada kebutuhan untuk mengembangkan inovasi dan teknologi baru untuk mengelola kebakaran di masa depan ini. Tulisan ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji berbagai inovasi dan teknologi baru yang dapat digunakan untuk seluruh spektrum penanggulangan kebakaran hutan, mulai dari prediksi kebakaran hutan hingga restorasi hutan pada kawasan yang terbakar. Teknologi yang muncul seperti teknologi geospasial, Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence, 5G & konektivitas yang ditingkatkan, Internet of Behaviors (IoB), virtual dan augmented reality, dan robotika dibahas dan aplikasi potensial untuk manajemen kebakaran hutan dibahas. Adaptasi teknologi ini sangat penting dalam pengelolaan kebakaran hutan yang efektif di masa depan. Kata kunci: Perubahan Iklim, Kebakaran di Masa Depan, Inovas

Forest Fuel Inventory in 5 and 9-Year-Old Acacia Mangium Plantations

This study was conducted to determine the fuel components on forest floor of two different age stands and to estimate the fuel loading of the various fuel components. This study was carried out at Bukit Tarek Forest Reserve, Hulu Selangor, Selangor Darul Ehsan, at two stand age of Acacia mangium of 5 and 9-year-old. Fuel components of downed woody material and duff were sampled along transects lines. Shrubs, litter, herbaceous and small trees (1 of total fuel (downed woody material, litter and herbaceous), 1.73 cm of duff depth, 37,030 stem haG1 of shrubs density and 2,175 tree haG1 of small trees. The 9 year-old stand showed 17.42 Mg haG1 of forest fuel, 3.03 cm of duff depth, 39,151 stem haG1 shrubs density and 3,515 tree haG1 of small trees. Downed woody material made up of 89 and 74% of the total fuel weight for 5 year and 9-year-old stands, respectively. Comparison between two different age stands, showed that 5 year old stand has higher quantity of downed woody materials than 9 year-old stand with 20.66 and 12.82 Mg haG1, respectively. Based on diameter class interval, the weight of downed woody material, diameter class of 0-7.6 cm were higher compared to diameter class of >7.6 cm. The fuel weight for 0-7.6 cm diameter class was 12.48 and 9.94 Mg haG1 for 5 and 9-year-old stands, respectively. Statistical analysis showed that the loading of downed woody material on 5-year-old stand was significantly greater than the 9 year-old stand. However, litter loading was greater on the 9-year-old stand than the 5-year-old stand. The study concludes that in terms of fuel loading, 5-year-old stand has higher fire risk than 9-year-old stand. This is due to the silviculture activities in the 5-year old stan

Microclimate of Ayer Hitam Forest, Selangor

Forest microclimatology is the study of physical processes in the forest atmospheric boundary layer over time. An understanding of these biophysical principles is essential in the development of sustainable forest management system in which forest resources can be utilized for ecological protection, timber resources, recreation, water resources and aesthetic appreciation. The objective of this paper is to characterise the microclimate of Ayer Hitam Forest. The study was conducted at Compartment 6 of the Ayer Hitam Forest. Parameters such as soil temperature, light, humidity, wind velocity and air temperature were monitored hourly during the study period. Data on the same parameters (except light) were also obtained from the Universiti Putra Malaysia, meteorological station. The UPM meteorological station had higher mean hourly air temperature, recorded higher maximum and lower minimum compared to Ayer Hitam Forest. Mean relative humidity at Ayer Hitam was higher than at UPM meteorological station while daily range relative humidity was higher at UPM meteorological station compared to Ayer Hitam. Mean soil temperatures at all depths in Ayer Hitam Forest were lower compared to the UPM meteorological station. Result from the study shows that microclimate of Ayer Hitam is different from UPM meteorological station

Temporal Analysis of the Keetch-Byram Drought Index in Malaysia: Implications for Forest Fire Management

In this study, daily KBDI values were calculated and temporal trends were analyzed at four selected stations; Kota Bharu, Kuching, Sandakan and Subang in Malaysia for the period 1990-1995 using a KBDI software. The highest monthly mean KBDI values were 1550 in February, 1120 in July, 1355 in April, 1370 in July and the lowest were 380 in November, 240 in January, 380 in December, 680 in December at Kota Bharu, Kuching, Sandakan and Subang, respectively. In the frequency analysis, Kota Bharu had 773 Moderate Fire Danger (MFD) days and 684 Low Fire Danger (LFD) days. Kuching had 1497 LFD days and 120 High Fire Danger (HFD) days while Sandakan had 1056 LFD days and 424 HFD days. Subang had 926 MFD days and 366 HFD days. In terms of forest fire management perspectives, the Kota Bharu station faces higher risk in January compared to the other stations in the same month. On the other hand, areas within the Kuching station faces the lowest risk of fire in January compared to the other stations in the same months

Defining fire issues in Malaysia and Indonesia through recent satellite technology: a review on MODIS fire detection and burned mapping

Forest fire, a global phenomenon, often leads to environmental degradation such as habitat damage and trans-boundary haze. In response to growing concerns over the burning of peat swamp forests, researchers have begun developing methods of detecting and mapping forest fire. In addition, substantial progress has been made in forest planning and fire management, as well as in developing fire detection method using modeling techniques. This paper reviews current forest fire detection and burned area mapping methods that have been applied and studied in most affected area in Malaysia and Indonesia. This paper is also discussing other methods of remote sensing in forest fire detection and burned area mapping. Future research of using MODIS remote sensing technology in forest fire detection and mapping in both countries were also deeply described

Public attitudes and perceptions toward forest fire in Selangor, Malaysia

This study attempted to assess the attitudes and perception of three groups of people affected by forest fire i.e public, fire fighters and villagers affected by forest fire. Likert questionaire is used to elicit repondents attitudes and perception by asking the degree to which the individual agree or disagree with the statement. Respondents from all three groups agreed that forest fire would cause air pollution, soil erosion, green house effect and thick haze, so indirectly cause disease like asthma, respiratory disease, skin infection. Villager affected by forest fire supported immediate fire suppression and agree that forest fire is a big problem in this country. However the public and fire fighter did not agree with this perception. The findings from this study will help the relevant authorities to formulate fire prevention and educational campaign

Biomass and carbon estimation of Eugeissona tristis

Plant biomass represents a sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide, which is one of the most important greenhouse gas. Eugeissona tristis (Bertam) is a common palm species found in tropical lowland forest contributing to carbon and biomass stock estimation. However, the species has been neglected in most studies because of differences in sampling procedures and lack of equations. The objective of this study was to develop an allometric equation in estimating biomass and carbon content of Eugeissona tristis. This study was conducted in 10 20 m × 50 m plots in Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve (AFHR). Carbon content was estimated using carbon analyzer. The results showed AHFR contained 104 clumps/ha and distribution of E. tristis was not influenced by slope. The aboveground biomass of E. tristis was estimated to be 0.879 t ha-1 corresponding to 1096 t for AHFR area (0.4% from total aboveground biomass). It contains 51% of carbon which contributes about 0.44 t C ha-1 and 548 t C for the whole area, depicting that this species contributed to the overall carbon stock to a reasonable extent in AHFR

Growth and physiological responses of Asplenium nidus to water stress

Pot experiment conducted in the nursery of Faculty of Forestry, University Putra Malaysia during the periods from May to August, 20006 to investigate the effect of water stress on Asplenium nidus growth performance, transpiration rate and chlorophyll content in fronds. The plants were subjected to five water stress levels; control-watered every day, T1-watered every three days, T2-watered every seven days, T3-watered every fourteen days and T4-suspended without watering. Growth parameters were measured every week for a period of sixteen weeks. At the end of experiment, transpiration rate and chlorophyll content were measured as well as dry matter of plants. The results showed that levels of watering did not significantly affect all growth and physiological parameters of Asplenium nidus except T4 which decreased all growth parameter and some physiological responses. T1 had the highest dry matter production. The plants allocated more growth to the shoot under optimum conditions but more growth to the root under stress conditions. This plant was able to adapt and survive without watering for 16 weeks and demonstrate that it can survive in water limited condition