Analysis on The Variation of Flammability-related Characteristics of Common Shrubs in Western Sichuan Forest Regions

Western Sichuan region is one of the high-risk areas for forest fires. Study on the flammability-related characteristics of common shrub species in western Sichuan region is helpful to assess the risk and intensity of wildfires for different shrubs, and facilitate to identify the fire-resistant species for biological fire protection. In this study, twelve common shrub species in western Sichuan region were selected to determine the moisture content, ash content, ignition point and calorific value of shrub branches respectively. In addition, principal component analysis was used to evaluate the variation of flammability-related characteristics of different species. The results showed that there were significant differences in ash content, ignition point and calorific value among different species, and there were also great differences in water content. According to the comprehensive analysis of the flammability-related characteristics, the 12 shrubs could be divided into three categories: strong fire resistance, fire resistance and weak fire resistance. Among them, the southwest wood blue and cotoneaster were shrub species with strong fire resistance; three needles, oak tree (saplings), iron jaundice, honeysuckle, rosemary, scattered cotoneaster Zi and Dian Hazel were fire-resistant shrub species; Rhododendron, Zanthoxylum bungeanum and Potentilla fruticosa were weak fire-resistant shrub species. In this study, the flammability-related characteristics of 12 shrub species from western Sichuan region were measured and analyzed, which provided data for local fire prevention. The flammability-related characteristics of 12 shrub species from western Sichuan region were measured and analyzed, which provided data for local fire prevention.