LONG-TERM SPATIAL PATTERNS CREATED BY FIRE - A MODEL ORIENTED TOWARDSBOREAL FORESTS

Fire is one of the most important factors structuring boreal forests. A spatial simulation model based on a cellular automata approach was b uilt to obtain insights into the spatial pattern of successional stage s. Two scenarios are compared: 1. constant flammability and 2. flammab ility increasing during succession. Spatial structure strongly depends on the specific form of age-dependent flammability. The fine structur e of single fires generated by the model is analyzed by five different measures and is in agreement with empirical evidence.