@article{fdi:010065885,
  title = {{F}ire history and the global carbon budget : a 1 degrees x 1 degrees fire history reconstruction for the 20th century},
  author = {{M}ouillot, {F}lorent and {F}ield, {C}.{B}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{A} yearly global fire history is a prerequisite for quantifying the contribution of previous fires to the past and present global carbon budget. {V}egetation fires can have both direct (combustion) and long-term indirect effects on the carbon cycle. {E}very fire influences the ecosystem carbon budget for many years, as a consequence of internal reorganization, decomposition of dead biomass, and regrowth. {W}e used a two-step process to estimate these effects. {F}irst we synthesized the available data available for the 1980s or 1990s to produce a global fire map. {F}or regions with no data, we developed estimates based on vegetation type and history. {S}econd, we then worked backwards to reconstruct the fire history. {T}his reconstruction was based on published data when available. {W}here it was not, we extrapolated from land use practices, qualitative reports and local studies, such as tree ring analysis. {T}he resulting product is intended as a first approximation for questions about consequences of historical changes in fire for the global carbon budget. {W}e estimate that an average of 608 {M}ha yr(-1) burned (not including agricultural fires) at the end of the 20th century. 86% of this occurred in tropical savannas. {F}ires in forests with higher carbon stocks consumed 70.7 {M}ha yr(-1) at the beginning of the century, mostly in the boreal and temperate forests of the {N}orthern {H}emisphere. {T}his decreased to 15.2 {M}ha yr(-1) in the 1960s as a consequence of fire suppression policies and the development of efficient fire fighting equipment. {S}ince then, fires in temperate and boreal forests have decreased to 11.2 {M}ha yr(-1). {A}t the same time, burned areas increased exponentially in tropical forests, reaching 54 {M}ha yr(-1) in the 1990s, reflecting the use of fire in deforestation for expansion of agriculture. {T}here is some evidence for an increase in area burned in temperate and boreal forests in the closing years of the 20th century.},
  keywords = {},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{G}lobal {C}hange {B}iology},
  volume = {11},
  numero = {3},
  pages = {398--420},
  ISSN = {1354-1013},
  year = {2005},
  DOI = {10.1111/j.1365-2486.2005.00920.x},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010065885},
}