Estimation of the Fuel Load Present in the El Hacha Sector of the Guanacaste National Park, Costa Rica

Estimation of the Fuel Load Present in the El Hacha Sector of the Guanacaste National Park, Costa Rica

Authors

  • Yarenis Chavarría-Valverde Universidad Estatal a Distancia. San José, Costa Rica
  • Javier Rodríguez Yáñez Universidad Estatal a Distancia. San José, Costa Rica

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22458/rb.v33i1.4289

Keywords:

fuel load, forest fires, savannas, vegetation, density, physicochemical properties

Abstract

The Guanacaste Conservation Area (GCA) in Costa Rica, has a sector called El Hacha, where certain spots are vulnerable to forest fires, mainly due to anthropogenic causes. These sites present a savannah ecosystem, where two work areas were selected for the purpose of this research: one affected and the other unaffected by fire. The predominant tree vegetation in these areas is the nance (Byrsonima crassifolia) with a total of 22 individuals and raspaguacal (Curatella americana) with 131 individuals, while the rest corresponds to herbaceous graminoids (HG). The HG reach a degree of coverage of 95, 4 % in the unburned site, while in the burned site, bare soil predominates by 79,0 %. Regarding physicochemical properties, it is observed that the highest calorific value is possessed by raspaguacal with 17, 2 ± 0, 6 KJ g-1, followed by nance and HG. In contrast, the HG have the greatest capacity to lose moisture. They spread the flames at a lower speed, both horizontally and vertically, but for a longer period and with a low level of opacity, compared to the tree components. The estimated fuel load of both sites corresponds to  9149 MJ m-2 in the unaffected site and 1650 MJ m-2 in the site affected by the fire, being HG the greatest fire contribution factor in the El Hacha sector.

Author Biographies

Yarenis Chavarría-Valverde, Universidad Estatal a Distancia. San José, Costa Rica

Programa de Investigación para la Promoción del Trabajo en Red (ProRed) y Red Estudiantil de Restauración Ecológica (RERE). Universidad Estatal a Distancia. San José, Costa Rica

Javier Rodríguez Yáñez, Universidad Estatal a Distancia. San José, Costa Rica

Laboratorio de Ecología Urbana. Universidad Estatal a Distancia. San José, Costa Rica

Published

2022-06-30

How to Cite

Yarenis Chavarría-Valverde, & Javier Rodríguez Yáñez. (2022). Estimation of the Fuel Load Present in the El Hacha Sector of the Guanacaste National Park, Costa Rica. Biocenosis, 33(1). https://doi.org/10.22458/rb.v33i1.4289
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