DO FIRE SIZES DIFFER BETWEEN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND BAJA-CALIFORNIA

This paper examines the methods employed in a previous study by Straus s et al. (1989) in which the authors suggested that the degrees of siz e inequality of large fires are much the same in southern California a nd Baja California, Mexico. We found that both the graphical method an d the curve-fitting method employed in that study are inappropriate fo r comparing fire-size frequency distributions. Our examination of fire histories using the analysis of variance and the contingency table an alysis indicates a significant difference in fire-size frequency betwe en these regions. The result implies that spatial strategies of wildfi re management must be established to minimize the potential of unnatur al sizes and that management strategies should be focused on effective preventive treatments.