@article{fdi:010065427,
  title = {{H}ow a new fire-suppression policy can abruptly reshape the fire-weather relationship},
  author = {{R}uffault, {J}. and {M}ouillot, {F}lorent},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{U}nderstanding how the interactions between anthropogenic and biophysical factors control fire regimes is increasingly becoming a major concern in a context of climate, economic and social changes. {O}n a short time scale, fire activity is mainly driven by the variations in weather conditions. {B}ut while the assessment of this fire-weather relationship is an essential step towards fire hazard estimations, reconstructions or projections, still little is known about the impact of human practices on this relationship. {I}n this study, we examined the recent fire history in southern {F}rance where a new fire policy, introduced during the 1980s, suddenly brought new fire suppression and prevention practices. {W}e aimed at assessing the impact of these changes on fire activity and on the relationships between fire and weather, usually assumed to be constant over time. {T}o do so, we used a statistical framework based on spatially explicit daily fire occurrence data, the corresponding weather variables and the associated fuel moisture derived from a process-based model. {O}ur results showed that the introduction of the new fire policy resulted in a sharp decrease in fire activity but also impacted the daily fire-weather relationship in two main ways. {O}n the one hand, fewer wildfires ignited for similar weather conditions. {O}n the other hand, the probability of a fire to spread over significant surfaces shifted from a fuel-dryness driven system to a system driven by the concomitance of fuel dryness and strong winds. {T}hese observations suggest that mid-term (decadal) social factors can affect the short-term (seasonal to daily) relationship between weather conditions and fire activity. {T}hus, the interactions between human and climate factors should be taken into account when reconstructing or projecting fire activity and including the impact of fire policies on the fire-weather relationships in fire models would be an important step towards more realistic fire regimes simulations.},
  keywords = {abrupt changes ; fire regime changes ; fire-suppression policy ; fire weather ; global changes ; large fires ; {M}editerranean ecosystems ; {FRANCE} ; {ZONE} {MEDITERRANEENNE}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{E}cosphere},
  volume = {6},
  numero = {10},
  pages = {art. 199 [19 p.]},
  ISSN = {2150-8925},
  year = {2015},
  DOI = {10.1890/es15-00182.1},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010065427},
}