Litter flammability of French Mediterranean vegetation types : a cross-substratum analysis
Résumé
Assessing the flammability of litters in fire-prone ecosystems of major importance to quantify the wildland fire hazard. We compared undisturbed litter samples typical of French ecosystems on the two main types of substratum, i.e. acidic versus limestone, to investigate to which extent their characteristics and flammability may differ. We measured in the laboratory several flammability parameters on oven-dried samples that mimic the high fire hazard level in summer. On average, litters on limestone were much denser and had higher biomass than those on acidic soils. They also ignited more slowly, but they burned much more completely. The different components of flammability (i.e. ignitability, combustibility, sustainability, and consumability) have been correlated to the characteristics of the litters such as biomass and bulk density. We discuss to which extent the management of these ecosystems could limit the fire ignition hazard.
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