Scholarly record
EXPLORING CORRELATIONS BETWEEN FIRE HAZARD AND EXPOSURE ACROSS ALBANIAN REGIONS
Abstract
Albania faces increasing wildfire pressure amid hot, dry summers, where extreme temperatures and prolonged drought intensify fire danger. To assess how meteorological fire-danger signals correspond to real wildfire outcomes, this study examines the coherence of the Fire Weather Index (FWI) with two key indicators fire occurrence and fire extension using daily data for July August 2017 2021. FWI values were derived from EFFIS daily rasters for all twelve qarks. At the same time, fire counts and burned-area data were obtained from the National Civil Protection Agency and processed through GIS-based elaborations. Results show a strong and consistent relationship between FWI and maximum daily temperature, confirming the index s sensitivity to extreme heat. At the national scale, FWI presents a moderate but significant association with fire occurrence, indicating that meteorology partly influences ignition likelihood. A stronger coherence is observed with fire extension, suggesting that higher FWI values better capture the potential for significant, fast-spreading fires in Albania s steep and heterogeneous landscapes. Overall, the findings demonstrate that FWI reliably reflects short-term fire danger, while also highlighting the need to integrate territorial and human-driven factors for a fuller understanding of wildfire dynamics. The study offers practical insights for strengthening early warning systems and improving wildfire risk assessment frameworks amid increasingly frequent heatwaves and drought.
Publication Impact Profile
Publication details
References7
B ndnis Entwicklung Hilft, IFHV (Institute for International Law of Peace, and A. Conflict), WorldRiskReport 2019: Focus Water Supply, 2019, Bochum, Germany. Available: https://weltrisikobericht.de/english/
E. Toto and M. Massabo, Historical collection of disaster loss data in Albania 2014. https://www.preventionweb.net/files/36736_historicalcollectionofdisasterlossd.pdf
K. Zaimi and O. Jaupaj, Flood Forecasting in the Western Lowland of Albania with Application of the Hydrological Modeling, Journal of International Environmental Application and Science, vol. 15, no. 4, pp. 216 223, 2020.
O. Jaupaj and A. Jaupaj, Wildfire hazard and activity patterns in Shkodra, Albania, Agriculture and Forestry, vol. 71, no. 3, pp. 71 86, 2025, doi: 10.17707/ AgricultForest.71.3.04 DOI: 10.17707/agricultforest.71.3.04
Y. Zhao, Y. Huang, X. Sun, G. Dong, Y. Li, and M. Ma, Forest Fire Mapping Using Multi-Source Remote Sensing Data: A Case Study in Chongqing, Remote Sens (Basel), 2023, DOI: 10.3390/rs15092323.
D. de Rigo, G. Libert , T. Houston Durrant, T. Art s Vivancos, and J. San-Miguel-Ayanz, Forest fire danger extremes in Europe under climate change: variability and uncertainty. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2017.
X. Tian, D. J. McRae, J. Jin, L. Shu, F. Zhao, and M. Wang, Wildfires and the Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index System for the Daxing anling Region of China, 2011. DOI: 10.1071/wf09120.
View or Download full articleAccess options
SWS access login
Login as SWS Scientific CommitteeLogin as SWS Scientific PartnerLogin as SWS AuthorAuthors and approved SWS contributors will read and export their own linked papers after identity matching by SWS profile, email and SGEM GlobalID.
For librarian assistance: [email protected]
Purchase Instant Access
- Article can be downloaded after successful payment.
- Article may be used according to SWS library access terms.
- Article cannot be redistributed.