Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF DROUGHT FACTORS IN THE MCARTHUR FOREST FIRE DANGER INDEX IN INDONESIAN FOREST

A.S. Hadisuwito and F.H. Hassan

Abstract

The calculation method used in Australia in assessing the forest fire hazard index is the McArthur Forest Fire Danger Index (MFFDI). One important component in the MFFDI calculation is the drought factor. The original MFFDI calculation method formulates the drought factor using parameters of temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed, or is given a constant value of 10 with certain conditions. The use of this parameter is not effective because the calculation of drought factors and index calculation, in general, is used at one time. The development of a suitable forest fire hazard index specifically implemented for forests in Indonesia is urgently needed. The character of forests in Indonesia is relatively different due to the influence of weather and climate that requires adjustments in its application. In the present work, a comparative study will be conducted by comparing the original drought factor of MFFDI, the drought factor of the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI), and the drought factor of the Mount’s Soil Dryness Index (MDSI). The output generated from this study is the McArthur calculation method using drought factor’s KBDI is the most suitable method to be used to calculate the forest fire hazard index in Indonesia.