Spatial-temporal characteristics of more than 50,000 wildfires in Japan from 1995 to 2020

Abstract

The spatial-temporal characteristics of wildfires were summarized based on fire reports covering 55, 863 wildfires with a total burned area of 289.91 km² from 1995 to 2020 in Japan. The long-term decreasing trend was largely influenced by changes in social aspects, while the annual fluctuation was determined by large-scale events. The wildfire season started around early January in the southern part and gradually shifted northward over approximately three months. A total of 98.77% of cases were human-induced, and 1.23% were caused by lightning. Regarding response time after receiving the call, firefighting was started within 30 min in 89% of cases and controlled within 1 h in 85% of cases, where spatial characteristics were insignificant. Full-time fire departments utilized artificial water sources primarily in 72% of cases and natural water sources in 28%, while the rate using natural water sources increased as the burned area increased. Natural water sources from ponds and rivers exhibited regionalities. Cluster analysis revealed five wildfire regions reflecting natural and anthropogenic factors. Furthermore, the Mann–Kendall trend test concluded that the initiation process decreased almost uniformly across the country, while regional differences existed regarding the expansion process. Additionally, only human-induced wildfires had a significant decreasing trend.