Dr. Rama Chandra Prasad Pillutla and his student K V Suresh Babu wrote a chapter on Evaluation of Forest Fire Susceptibility in Mizoram State Utilizing Analytical Hierarchy Processes and Frequency Ratios in the book Forest Fire and Climate Change, Insights into Science, published by Springer. The editors of this book are Hukum Singh and Narendra Kumar.

Here is the summary of the book chapter as explained by Dr. Rama Chandra Prasad Pillutla and K V Suresh Babu: The forest cover in Mizoram State is essential for the region’s socioeconomic development and environmental sustainability. This state features abundant natural resources and diverse biodiversity, predominantly harbored within its forests. However, forest fires pose a significant risk, especially during dry seasons. Factors such as human activities, weather conditions, and traditional bamboo and Jhum cultivation practices contribute to the occurrence of forest fires in Mizoram. It’s crucial to map forest fire susceptibility to manage this risk effectively. This proactive approach enables better fire management, reduces risks, and facilitates informed decision-making. By identifying areas vulnerable to wildfires, it’s possible to promote sustainable land use practices, preserve ecosystems, and safeguard people and property. Statistical techniques such as frequency ratio (FR) and analytic hierarchy process (AHP) are used to generate the fire susceptibility maps for Mizoram based on satellite datasets. The MODIS Terra and Aqua active fire points (MCD14) are the basis, divided into training and testing datasets. AHP and FR techniques establish relationships between the training dataset and fourteen key factors, including slope, aspect, curvature, elevation, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Multiband Drought Index (NMDI), rainfall, temperature, wind speed, and proximity to settlements and roads. Various datasets such as MODIS Terra (surface reflectance, land surface temperature, vegetation indices), SRTM Digital Elevation Model, ERA5, and CHRS are utilized in this study. The accuracy of the susceptibility maps generated by FR and AHP is validated

July 2025