P L A N I N F O C A

II THE ANDALUSIAN NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

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E
The natural environment of Andalusia has the territory of the Autonomous Community of Andalusia is framed
entirely within the Mediterranean region, characterized by a very
developed under the influence of
particular, similar from one end to the other and unifier of landscapes
Mediterranean climate, marked by and lifestyles.
It has a large extension and a complicated relief, formed by three basic units.
the effect of summer drought and
Sierra Morena, the depression of the Guadalquivir and the Betic mountain ranges, which contribute-
tempered by the gold variability to give greater diversity to the region.
The Mediterranean climate, which could be described as having two seasons: a summer
territory chart.
warm and dry and a wet and mild winter, determines the existence of a vegetation
They are ecosystems in which fire characterized by the presence of a sclerophyll forest with trees and shrubs with leaves
persistent, small and leathery, where the holm oak and the cork oak predominate
is present and where the effect
various species are represented, including the wild olive and the strawberry tree, which are
anthropic has several thousand of sometimes constitute a high-value thicket, and some frugal conifer formations,
mainly composed of masses of Aleppo pine, black pine, and stone pine.
years of history.
However, due to the complicated orography of the mountainous massifs and to the
influence of the humid-laden Atlantic winds, the aridity can be alleviated in
certain areas, where a sub-dry climate appears that allows for the existence of a type of
meso-xerophytic forest, characterized by leafy marcescent leaves like oaks
goshawks, and other mesophilic leafy trees such as chestnuts, maples, rowans, etc., as well as the silver fir and
the Scots and Corsican pines among the conifers.
In the vicinity of rivers and streams, wet enclaves appear, characterized
by a typically riparian vegetation, with gallery forest formations in the
which include willows, poplars, elms, alders, etc.
Likewise, human action has created forests resulting from artificial reforestation.
officials, where species of pines and eucalyptus predominate.
When the forest has disappeared, the tree formations have been replaced by
scrubland, among which heaths, gorse, thyme, broom, and esparto grass areas stand out.
A peculiar form of oak forests and cork oak forests is the dehesa, a secular result of a
human intervention consisting of the thinning of tree trunks and enhancement of
herbaceous stratum reaching a relatively stable formation, with an important
silvopastoral utilization consisting of firewood, cork, fruits, wood, as products
forestry and extensive livestock farming.
This vegetation constitutes the plant fuel that, when ignited, will lead to the fire.
forest, seeing the start and spread of the fire favored by certain characteristics
characteristics of most species such as high flammability and a high
combustibility and based on them, fuel models are established
that will allow the study of the behavior of fire.

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 II. THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT OF ANDALUSIA

1 IMPORTANCE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN FOREST The Mediterranean mountain has constituted

historically a source of
This set of plant formations that have been described is known as monte.
Mediterranean, which combines its plant variety with the animal one. Indeed, the multiplicity incomes for the societies that
of available foods, the large amount of fruits and berries, the easy access to branches and
they have exploded. Currently de-
leaves make these ecosystems home to a rich fauna, especially insects and birds
and mammals, among which are species as emblematic as the imperial eagle or fulfilling fundamental functions
the lynx. It can therefore be affirmed that the Mediterranean mountain presents great interest
for sustainable development, regu-
due to its high level of biodiversity, as well as its multifunctionality that comes
given the various products and services they provide to Andalusian society, both for lando los ciclos ecológicos, y apor-
the uses and benefits that are made of its resources, such as for the important...
having considerable benefits
ecological, social, and economic implications that its existence represents.
La gestión del monte mediterráneo debe basarse en el principio de sostenibilidad que pre- economic and social.
it has a rational use of its renewable natural resources, in such a way that the
the well-being of present generations does not condition that of future ones, being one of the
fundamental elements of this management its defense against forest fires.

1.1. Current uses and benefits

The use of Mediterranean forests has undergone some variations since the
beginning of civilization, as a consequence of development and the needs of the
population, so that they have currently been abandoned, or have lost importance
economic activity a good part of the traditional uses such as is the case
from the wood and new ones have appeared.
Currently, the main uses of the Mediterranean forest in Andalusia are
the following:
Main resources: wood, cork, pine nuts, hunting, livestock farming, and rural tourism.
Secondary uses: other forest fruits (carobs, chestnuts, etc.)
aromatic plants, medicinal plants, mushrooms and truffles, asparagus, biomass ANDALUCÍAISONEOFTHEMAINPRODUCERSOF
restal and beekeeping. Cork from its cork oak forests.

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1.2 Functions of the Mediterranean mountain

Inadditiontodirectuses,theAndalusianforestplaysanumberofroles.
actions that are considered even more important in today's society, and that by themselves
they would justify their existence and the need for their conservation and defense.

Ecological functions
Regulation of the water cycle.
Containment of desertification.
Decrease of erosive processes.
Safeguarding of biological diversity.
Regulation of atmospheric gas exchange.
Landscape conservation.

Social functions
Recreational, educational and cultural uses.
Job creation in forestry work.
Settlement and establishment of populations in disadvantaged areas.
Promotion of economic activities in depressed areas.
Improvement of habitability and development of the surrounding rural area.

Economic functions
Production of goods and services.
Supply of raw materials.
Protection of reservoirs against siltation.
THE FOREST MASSES ARE DIRECTLY RELA-
Generation of income.
CONNECTED TO THE REGULATION OF THE WATER CYCLE,
SO IMPORTANT FOR ANDALUSIA. Defense of infrastructures and agricultural crops.

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 II. THE ANDALUSIAN NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

2 THE ANDALUSIAN TERRITORY The variability is noteworthy gold-

graphic present in Andalusia,
As has been noted, the Andalusian territory has a complicated orography, with-
formed by three physiographic units: the southern edge of the plateau or Sierra where a large area appears of
Morena, the Betic depression or Guadalquivir valley and the Betic ranges: Subbetic-
plain occupied by agricultural crops
cas and Penibéticas.
Sierra Morena, with the Guadalquivir River at its feet, forms the northern boundary. colas, surrounded by mountain ranges
such as the Bética depression and is separated from the Plateau by a long fault. The surface
mountainous, where predominates
From the Sierra it is formed by hills with eroded slopes in layers and ravines that give
the set has an aspect of rounded peaks separated by small valleys or hollows in the forested lands.
donated, rarely exceeding 1,000 m in altitude.
The depression of the Guadalquivir is the most characteristic element of the Andalusian region.
It has a triangular shape and is boxed in by Sierra Morena to the north and the mountain range.
Betic ranges to the south, according to NE–SW lines. The characteristics of the Betic plain have
made since always potentially very suitable for agricultural cultivation, which has reached
a significant development.
The Betic mountain ranges are southern formations that rose with the folding.
Alpine lying in the Tertiary Era. They are found bordering the southern and eastern part of the
depression of the Guadalquivir. The Subbetic mountain ranges are distinguished, which go from the mountains-
Cadiz rivers to the alignments that are confused with the Iberian-Levantine mountains and
maximum heights of just over 2,000 m and the Penibetic mountains, which extend
forming more abrupt and higher mountain ranges, including the highest elevations in Sie-
Nevada with more than 3,000 m.

2.1 Land uses

The territory of the Autonomous Community of Andalusia covers an area of
8,765,148 ha, in which forest and agricultural systems are almost equally divided at 50%.
land use, as reflected in the following table.

Land uses
TYPE OF USE AREA (HA) % ON THE TOTAL SURFACE

Built surfaces and infrastructures 155.681 1.8%

Wetlands and water surfaces 133.948 1.5%

Agricultural land 4.130.019 47.1%

Forested and natural areas 4.345.500 49.6%

Total 8,765,148 100.0%

The scenario for protection and defense against forest fires of the Community-
The Autonomous Community of Andalusia thus reaches a total area of about 4.35
millions of hectares.

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2.2 The relief

Among the different models that can be obtained from the MDT (Digital Model of the
Land, scale 1:50,000 and resolution of 20 m), the most interesting from the point of view
on the prevention and fight against forest fires, by conditioning the different com-
fire behavior and allows for a rigorous study for proper planning,
it is obtained by considering the following slope intervals:
0%–10%, 10%–20%, 20%–30%, 30%–50% and >50%.
The distribution of slopes, in percentage, for the entire Community
The Autonomous Community of Andalusia is illustrated in the attached graph.

In general, there is the existence of large surfaces more or less

flat areas (slopes <10%), which correspond to almost half of the territory of the Comu-
nidad (41%). The more abrupt physiography (slope >30%) extends over 22% of
the geographic surface of Andalusia.
As can be seen, the province with the most rugged topography is Granada.
with slopes greater than 30% in 34% of its geographic area. In the other
the province of Sevilla is located with slopes of less than 10% in the
67% of its surface.

Distribution in the Andalusian Community of the area by slope interval

10% 41%
0%

20% 25%
10%

30% 12%
20%

50% 18%
30%
4%
>50%

Distribution by provinces of the area according to slope range

PROVINCE 0%–10% 10%–20% 20%-30% 30%–50% > 50% TOTAL

Almería 223.634 212.012 127.324 260.111 54.154 877.235

Cádiz 342.297 190.746 99.095 99.933 14.459 746.530

Córdoba 658.677 392.804 138.083 166.372 20.764 1,376,701

Granada 358.247 311.043 173.949 328.580 92.201 1.264.021

Huelva 536.418 267.438 84.495 119.724 7.360 1.015.435

Jaén 352.278 421.388 197.860 296.022 81.302 1,348,851

Málaga 153.696 162.245 98.664 228.716 87.486 730.806

Seville 945.363 267.142 89.207 96.110 7.746 1,405,566

Andalusia 3,570,612 2.224.818 1.008.677 1.595.568 365.472 8.765.148

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 II. THE ANDALUSIAN NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

3 VEGETATION La vegetación forestal actual es el

result of the cli conditions
3.1 Uses and vegetation covers of the soil
mathematics and physics of the medium in the
The forest systems of the Autonomous Community of Andalusia are classified as
fixed, according to the legend of the Map of land use and vegetation cover of Anda- que han tenido gran trascendencia
lucía (Land cover), as follows:
the interactions produced by the
• Dense wooded formations. Includes forested tree formations with
a tree cover or area fraction covered above 50%. man throughout history,
Dense shrub formations with tree cover. Formations with coverage of
creating artificial ecosystems and
Shrubland over 50% and tree cover between 5% and 50%.
• Dispersed shrub formations with tree cover. Formations with coverage of varying ecological successions.
shrubland covering between 20% and 50% and tree cover included
between 5% and 50%.
Grassland formations with tree cover. Grassland formations with tree cover.
area ranging from 5% to 50% and shrub cover below 20%. The
vegetation cover is above 20%.
• Herbaceous crops with oak trees. Includes those spaces with tree cover.
of superior oak over 5%, developed on herbaceous crop plots.
Recent logging and forest plantations. Corresponds to a stage of exploitation.
of forest crops, in which the extraction of the production has been carried out by
cut at the foot in relatively large extensions of the exploitation. It is distinguished the
new planting although the size of the trees does not allow for their identification.
• Shrubland without trees. It includes those spaces devoid of trees or cover.
a rate lower than 5%, and coverage of the shrubbery above 20%.
• Non-forested grasslands. This includes those areas with superficial vegetation cover.
prior to 20%, and predominance of grass, in which tree coverage is less than
5% and the shrubland less than 20%.
• Open spaces with little or no vegetation. Natural spaces are included or
forestales con una cobertura vegetal inferior al 20%, y las áreas que han sufrido IN EASTERN ANDALUSIATHERE ARE LARGE EXTENSIONS
recent fires. OF LAND THAT LACK VEGETATIVE COVER.

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Specifying with a greater level of detail, it can be said that the tree cover
Denso covers 5.1% of the regional area, which means a little more than
10% of the total forest area. Of this dense wooded forest area, the
most of it belongs to coniferous forests, being the dense forests of foliage-
it is half, in area, that of conifers. In this regard, while the
dense tree masses only constitute 10.3% of the forest area, the fo-
Tree formations with bushes constitute 37.0% (18% in the
absolute scope of the region), and herbaceous formations with tree cover 13.70%
from forest surfaces. Shrublands, herbaceous formations without trees, and others
areas with scarce vegetation cover account for 39.2% of the forest area
19.6% of the regional area.
As for the dehesa, and the spatial distribution of this type of formation
Regarding the territory, it is worth mentioning that Sierra Morena is the proper domain of the dehesa.
Throughout the width of the Sierra, there is a relative continuity of this formation that links
natural wooded vegetation and soil cultivation. In this sense, the large area stands out.
ADHERED FORMATIONS IN THE CORDOBA AREA
areas that the dehesas cover in the provinces of Córdoba (19.3%) and Huelva (17.3%)
FROM SIERRA MORENA. followed by the province of Seville (10.6%) and then, very far behind, Jaén (4%). In the rest of pro-
these types of formations are isolated and have a testimonial character within the distribution
spatial distribution of plant formations.
In total, the forest lands, which as we have indicated before knew-
in an area of more than 4.3 million hectares, they are distributed provincially
as shown in the table.

Distribution of forest lands

PROVINCE AREA (HA) REGARDING THE PROVINCIAL SURFACE

Almería 586.276 66.9

Cádiz 373.670 50.0

Córdoba 657.430 47.7

Granada 575.564 45.6

Huelva 787.737 77.5

Jaén 620.126 46.0

Málaga 322.696 44.2

Seville 422.001 30.0

Total 4.345.500 49.6

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 II. THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT OF ANDALUSIA

3.2. Distribution of vegetation by species

The forest vegetation of Andalusia is distributed according to the main species.
that they occupy, such that the forested area exceeds by just over
21% to the deforested area, that is, 60.8% compared to 39.2%, with predominance of
oaks and conifers as the most widespread vegetation formations with 34.8% and the
19.0% respectively.

The forest vegetation of Andalusia

LANDS SPECIES AREA (THOUSANDS OF HA) % ABOUT FOREST LAND

Tree-covered Oak 1,511.3 34.8

Conifers 824,7 19.0

Eucalyptus forest 202.1 4.6

Other leafy and mixed 103.0 2.4

Total tree-covered land 2,641.1 60.8

Disarmed Noble Mediterranean scrub 242.0 5.6

Scattered shrubs 306.2 7.0

Other training 1,156.2 26.6

Total deforested land 1,704.4 39.2

Total forest 4,345.5 100.0

Forest masses
The oaks, forming wooded areas that are not cleared, are unevenly distributed.
through Sierra Morena, forming wide patches to the northeast of Huelva, northeast
from Seville and Sierra de Hornachuelos, in Córdoba. In the rest of the sectors of Sierra Morena
and the Betic mountain ranges only show scattered patches of little superficial importance,
if we exclude the extensive oak forest that extends through the nearby mountains
but near the Strait of Gibraltar, which constitutes one of the largest cork oak forests
extensive and better preserved in the world.
The coniferous tree masses are predominantly concentrated in territories.
determined, of which the largest continuous area is constituted by the pine forests of
the Sierras de Cazorla, Segura and the Villas. Large areas of pine forests cover both
a good part of the massif and foothills of Sierra Nevada, as well as some sierras
Mediterranean pre-coastal areas (Gádor, Guájares, Tejeda, Montes de Málaga, Sierra de Mijas)
and Sierra Bermeja) .
The Andalusian coast preserves pine forests on the coasts of Huelva and Cádiz. In the
Mediterranean coast practically only has small units more or less.
less isolated from this type of vegetation formations.
Inside the region, the wooded masses of conifers are present in
scattered spots across all the Subbética mountains (from Grazalema, in OAK FOREST IN THE NATURAL PARK OF THE
Cádiz, up to Sierra María, in Almería). In Sierra Morena, the areas occupied by conifers... ALCORNOCALES, CÁDIZ.

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CONIFEROUS MASS IN THE SIERRAS NATURAL PARK

DE CARDEÑA AND MONTORO, CÓRDOBA.

they cover very large areas to the north of the Hornachuelos Natural Park, and
in the Cardeña–Montoro area, in Córdoba. In Jaén, the largest mass of pine forests is located,
more than in Cazorla, in the surroundings of the Despeñaperros Natural Park. In Huelva, its-
relatively extensive surfaces in El Andévalo and the north of the Doñana marshes,
they complete the regional picture.
As for the eucalyptus forest, it occupies large areas of the western sector of
Sierra Morena, and part of the Doñana environment. In Huelva, these plantations, which
they make up 87% of the total eucalyptus in Andalusia, they nearly constitute the totality of
of the broadleaf forest, with the exception of the areas covered by chestnuts and
quercus sp. in the Sierra de Aracena and sectors of the Andévalo, and this type only repeats
plantations in small territories of the province of Seville.

Deforested lands
Regarding the deforested lands, in addition to the noble Mediterranean scrub with
great diversity of species and with high density, other shrubby areas of lower inte-
ecological networks and formations represented by grasslands and abandoned agricultural land.
These deforested lands occupy about 39% of the region, which-
slightly above the average Almería (79%), Granada (53%) and Málaga (50%)
while Córdoba, Jaén, and Sevilla were far below these percentages and
Huelva and Cádiz offer values similar to the regional average.
The shrubland masses without trees are distributed heterogeneously throughout.
and wide of Sierra Morena, always dominating the dense thickets. This same thing happens
from the Sierra of the Campo de Gibraltar, but throughout the Mediterranean coast and over
Everything in the provinces of Almería and Granada, are the formations of scattered scrub.
that occupy the largest part of these areas modified by human activity since
hundreds of years ago. This is how, in Almería, the scattered scrub and areas of sparse
Vegetation cover accounts for more than 70% of the provincial surface area and in Granada the
50% of its territory, being these lands where the xeric steppe is sub-desertic, with the typical
broom fields reach their maximum expansion.

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 II. THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT OF ANDALUSIA

4 PROTECTED NATURAL SPACES Andalusia has a high

percentage of its forest area
The Autonomous Community of Andalusia has an extensive network of natural spaces.
with some form of protection. In total, the protected area amounts to 1,596,297 under some type of pro-
which represents 18.2% of the geographical area of the Community.
protection. This implies a greater
In addition to the figures established in Law 4/1989 of March 27 on Conservation
Protection of Natural Spaces and Wild Flora and Fauna, Law 2/1989 of 18 of control over the activities that
July by which the Inventory of Protected Natural Spaces of Andalusia is approved.
are carried out on the medium and with-
it establishes the different protection regimes in Andalusia: Natural Areas,
Peri-urban parks and agreed natural reserves. Similarly, the qualification is added. contributes to sustainable development of
Natural captive to the figure of a Park regulated in the basic state legislation.
the Autonomous Community.
TheNetworkofProtectedNaturalSpacesofAndalusiaismadeupof127Spaces
Protectednaturalareasthataredistributedacrosstheterritoryasshowninthefollowingtable:

Distribution of the Network of Protected Natural Spaces in Andalusia

TYPE NUMBER AREA (HECTARES) About total protected surface

National parks 2 136.928 8.00

Natural parks 23 1,375,601 86.10

Natural places 31 63.183 4.00

Natural reserves 28 14.531 1.00

Consolidated natural reserves 3 671 0.04

Peri-urban parks 17 5.270 0.30

Natural monuments 23 641 0.04

Fuente: Medio Ambiente en Andalucía. Informe 2002 y RENPA (Red de Espacios Naturales Protegidos de Andalucía).

Network of protected natural spaces

National Parks

Natural Parks

Other Protected Areas

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Provincial distribution of protected area in Andalusia

PROVINCE AREA (HA) % ABOUT TOTAL PROTECTED AREA

Almería 94.126 5.9

Cádiz 234.204 14.7

Córdoba 144.459 9.1

Granada 249.358 15.6

Huelva 281.080 17.6

Jaén 305.627 19.1

Málaga 100.622 6.3

Seville 187.349 11.7

Andalusia 1.596.825 100.0

Source: Environment in Andalusia. Report 2002 and RENPA (Network of Protected Natural Areas of Andalusia).

It is worth noting the existence of the Sierra Nevada National Park with 86,208 ha.
distributed among the provinces of Granada and Almería and the Doñana National Park
with 50.720 hectares in the provinces of Huelva and Seville.
It is also worth noting the large area occupied by the Natural Parks, covering about
of 1.4 million hectares in extent.
As can be seen, Jaén is the province with the largest protected area with
305.627 ha, followed by Huelva (281.080 ha), Granada (249.358 ha) and Cádiz
(234.204 ha). At the other extreme, the province with the smallest protected area is Alme-
it has 94,126 hectares.

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 II. THE ANDALUSIAN NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

5 FOREST FUELS The establishment of the models

of fuel and knowledge
5.1 Vegetation as Fuel
of the combustibility of the mis-
Forest fuel is defined as any plant-based material that can burn.
Naturally,plantmaterialisalwayscombustible,however,itsflammabilityvaries. allows us a better estimation
fundamentallywiththemoisturecontentithas,fromthetissuesthatcompriseit
of the structural risk of fires
or the structure and density in which it is arranged across the land. There are two key aspects for
understanding the spread of fire through vegetation: flammability and ignitability. and facilitates, through programs of
Combustibility is the ability of vegetation to burn, releasing
simulation, the design of the plans
sufficient energy to consume itself and provoke the inflammation of the neighboring vegetation
propagating the fire. of fire attack.
Flammability is defined as the temperature at which a fuel is capable of
emit gases that form flames when they come into contact with a pilot thermal source.
If that flame spreads to the fuel, it oxidizes with inflammation.

5.2 The fuel models

The spread of fire depends among other factors, on the characteristics of the
combustibility of vegetation, as well as its spatial distribution, its continuity
horizontal or vertical and the fuel load.

Models of forest fuels (% of forest area in Andalusia)

1. Continuous grassland, fine, dry and low, with height below 0.43%
from the knee.

2. Grassland with shrub or open woodland that covers about13,78

10 %
and 20 cm from the surface.

5.32%
3. Thick and tall grassland (around one meter).

4. Very dense scrub or young woodland, 7.85%

about 2 m tall.

5. Dense but low scrub with a height not exceeding 24.03%

0.6 m.

6. Thicket older than in model 5, with height 5.15%

between 0.6 and 1.2 m.

Flammable scrub from 0.6 to 2 m in height, 28.87%

that propagates the fire under the trees

9.31%
9. Leaf litter in dense coniferous or broadleaf forest

10. Leaf litter in a dense coniferous or broadleaf forest forming 0.99%

soft foam layer not very compact with a lot of air interposed.

[Link] light remains of silvicultural treatments 2.31%

or exploitations.

1.97%
No fuel within forested area.

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The classification of vegetation according to fuel models devised by ROTHERMEL,

and used by the U.S. Forest Service, allows to determine such flammability and inter-
predict the possible behavior of fire. This classification considers 13 distribution models
divided into four large groups, depending on what the main means of propagation is
fire on the grass, the brush, the leaf litter, under the trees or the remnants of cutting.
Each group comprises three or four models that differ from each other by quantity.
of fuel, composition, and structure of vegetation. For the Spanish territory the
ICONA adapted the following classification.

Vegetation classification adapted by ICONA

GRUPO MODEL OF MODEL DESCRIPTION
FUEL

Pasture 1 Fine, dry, and low grass that completely covers the ground.
Some scattered woody plants may appear covering less than 1/3 of the surface.
Amount of fuel (dry matter): 1–2 t/ha
2 Fine, dry, low grass that completely covers the ground
The scattered woody plants cover 1/3 to 2/3 of the surface, but the spread of fire occurs
through the grass Amount of fuel (dry matter): 5–10 t/ha
3 Thick, dense, dry, and tall grass (> 1 m)
There may be some scattered woody plants
Fuel quantity (dry matter): 4–6 t/ha
Scrubland 4 Thicket or very dense young plantation; over 2 m in height; with dead branches inside
Fire propagation through the crowns of plants
Fuel quantity (dry matter): 25–35 t/ha
5 Dense and green scrub, less than 1 m in height
Propagation of fire through the underbrush and grass
Amount of fuel (dry matter): 5–8 t/ha
6 Similar to model 5, but with more flammable species or with cuttings and larger plants.
Propagation of fire with moderate to strong winds
Fuel quantity (dry matter): 10–15 t/ha
7 Shrubland of highly flammable species; from 0.5 to 2 m in height, located as an understory in conifer stands.
Amount of fuel (dry matter): 10–15 t/ha
Leaf litter under trees 8 Dense forest, without underbrush

Propagation of fire through very compact litter

Fuel quantity (dry matter): 10–12 t/ha
9 Similar to model 8, but with less compact foliage, formed by long needles and
rigid or foliage of broadleaf trees with large leaves
Amount of fuel (dry matter): 7–9 t/ha
Short remains 10 Forest with a large amount of firewood and fallen trees, as a result of gales, intense pests, etc.
and silvicultural operations Amount of fuels (dry matter): 30–35 t/ha
Remains of cutting and forestry operations
11 Clear and heavily thinned forest. Remains of pruning or thinning.
Amount of fuel (dry matter): 25–30 t/ha
12 Predominance of the remains over the tree cover
Pruning or thinning residues covering the entire soil.
Fuel quantity (dry matter): 50–80 t/ha
13 Large accumulations of thick and heavy debris, covering the entire ground
Amount of fuel (dry matter). 100–150 t/ha

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 II. THE ANDALUSIAN NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

The Department of the Environment, based on the land use and cover map
soil vegetables of Andalusia 1995, has determined the different models of com-
fuels present in the territory of the Community, resulting in the distribution that
figure in the chart: 'Forest fuel models of Andalusia'.
The grassland models (1, 2, and 3) are composed exclusively of combustion-
fine herbaceous plants, dry or nearly dry and the fires that develop in them are characterized by
these are characterized by propagation speeds ranging from moderate to high and low or moderate.
intensity, which increases with the thickness of the fuel layer, greater in model 3
than in others.
The shrub models (4, 5, 6, and 7) have a significant proportion of combust.
live crops, which raises their moisture content compared to the grassland group, even-
that the greater fuel load causes the propagation speed and length
expected llamas to be moderate to high. Model 4, typical of abandoned areas
there, where the scrub has aged and has a high proportion of dead parts
fires produce high intensity and high propagation speed. The models
from scrubland, they therefore present, as a whole, high combustibility and in them, as
In grasslands, most of the fires begin.
CONIFEROUS FOREST ADJOINING EXTENSIVE
The fires in the forest models (8 and 9) are of low intensity and reduced speed. AGRICULTURAL PLAINS.

spread dad.
Lastly, the fires that originate in areas with fuel model 11 (res-
heavy loads or slow fuels), have high intensity although moderate speeds.
of propagation.
The larger models are the 7 and the 5, yielding a percentage, between
both, close to 53%.

Forest fuel models of Andalusia

GRUPO MODEL MODEL DESCRIPTION AREA (HA)

Grass 1 Continuous fine, dry, and low grassland. Height below the knee. 18.718

2 Grassland with shrub or open woodland that covers

between 1/3 and 2/3 of the entire surface 600.785

3 Thick and tall grassland, around 1 meter in height 231.915

Scrubland 4 Shrubland or young woodland, very dense and about 2 meters tall 342.124

5 Dense but low shrubland, with a height not exceeding 0.6 m 1,047,640

6 Scrub older than model 5, with a height between 0.6 and 1.2 m 224.506

7 Flammable scrub from 0.6 to 2 m in height,

what propagates the fire under the trees 1.244.208

Leaf litter under the trees 8 Leaf litter in dense coniferous or broadleaf forest 405.968

9 Leaf litter in a dense broadleaf forest forming a

spongy yet compact layer with a lot of air trapped in between 43.171

Remnants of silvicultural treatments 11 Predominance of light residues from silvicultural treatments or

or benefits exploitation, covering a large part of the soil 100.742

Without fuel within forested area 85.732

Total forest 4,345,500

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