Historical analysis of wildfire frequency, intensity, size, season, and type helps to determine the fire regime and the impacts of human activity in a region. Information about the temporal and spatial distribution of forest fires can help guide the formulation of integrated fire management policies. Mt Kenya Forest provides ecosystem services that sustain the livelihoods of local communities. However, forest fires have negatively affected sustainability of these services. This study describes recent fire patterns in the Mt Kenya forest. Field observations recorded by the Kenya Forest Service from 1980 to 2015 are analyzed. In addition, trends in fire occurrence over time and in relation to vegetation type are described. Key findings evidence a fire-prone period in February and March and a decrease of total burned area during the study period. Bush and grassland were the most fire-prone vegetation, and the fire regime varied in each forest station. Further, field observations were compared with satellite data. Some discrepancies between the field and satellite fire data were observed, especially for larger fires. These findings confirm the importance of monitoring efforts by the Kenya Forest Service to inform wildfire management. Recommendations are made on ways to improve fire monitoring and fire suppression efforts.

中文翻译：

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森林火灾特征以支持肯尼亚山森林的监测和管理

对野火频率、强度、规模、季节和类型的历史分析有助于确定一个地区的火灾状况和人类活动的影响。森林火灾时空分布信息有助于指导综合火灾管理政策的制定。肯尼亚山森林提供维持当地社区生计的生态系统服务。然而，森林火灾对这些服务的可持续性产生了负面影响。这项研究描述了肯尼亚山森林最近的火灾模式。分析了肯尼亚林业局从 1980 年到 2015 年记录的实地观察结果。此外，还描述了火灾发生随时间和与植被类型相关的趋势。主要发现证明了 2 月和 3 月的火灾多发期，以及研究期间总燃烧面积的减少。灌木和草原是最易发生火灾的植被，每个森林站的火灾状况各不相同。此外，现场观察与卫星数据进行了比较。观察到现场和卫星火灾数据之间存在一些差异，特别是对于较大的火灾。这些发现证实了肯尼亚林务局监测为野火管理提供信息的重要性。就如何改进火灾监测和灭火工作提出了建议。这些发现证实了肯尼亚林务局监测为野火管理提供信息的重要性。就如何改进火灾监测和灭火工作提出了建议。这些发现证实了肯尼亚林务局监测为野火管理提供信息的重要性。就如何改进火灾监测和灭火工作提出了建议。