Assessing wildfire susceptibility in Iran: Leveraging machine learning for geospatial analysis of climatic and anthropogenic factors

This study investigates the multifaceted factors influencing wildfire risk in Iran, focusing on the interplay between climatic conditions and human activities. Utilizing advanced remote sensing, geospatial information system (GIS) processing techniques such as cloud computing, and machine learning a...

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Main Authors: Ehsan Masoudian, Ali Mirzaei, Hossein Bagheri
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-03-01
Series:Trees, Forests and People
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666719325000020
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author Ehsan Masoudian
Ali Mirzaei
Hossein Bagheri
author_facet Ehsan Masoudian
Ali Mirzaei
Hossein Bagheri
author_sort Ehsan Masoudian
collection DOAJ
description This study investigates the multifaceted factors influencing wildfire risk in Iran, focusing on the interplay between climatic conditions and human activities. Utilizing advanced remote sensing, geospatial information system (GIS) processing techniques such as cloud computing, and machine learning algorithms, this research analyzed the impact of climatic parameters, topographic features, and human-related factors on wildfire susceptibility assessment and prediction in Iran. Multiple scenarios were developed for this purpose based on the data sampling strategy. The findings revealed that climatic elements such as soil moisture, temperature, and humidity significantly contribute to wildfire susceptibility, while human activities—particularly population density and proximity to powerlines—also played a crucial role. Furthermore, the seasonal impact of each parameter was separately assessed during warm and cold seasons. The results indicated that human-related factors, rather than climatic variables, had a more prominent influence during the seasonal analyses. This research provided new insights into wildfire dynamics in Iran by generating high-resolution wildfire susceptibility maps using advanced machine learning classifiers. The generated maps identified high-risk areas, particularly in the central Zagros region, the northeastern Hyrcanian Forest, and the northern Arasbaran forest, highlighting the urgent need for effective fire management strategies.
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spelling doaj-art-280ec83d6314427fac4425f4bdae28572025-08-20T02:00:33ZengElsevierTrees, Forests and People2666-71932025-03-011910077410.1016/j.tfp.2025.100774Assessing wildfire susceptibility in Iran: Leveraging machine learning for geospatial analysis of climatic and anthropogenic factorsEhsan Masoudian0Ali Mirzaei1Hossein Bagheri2School of Surveying and Geospatial Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, IranFaculty of Civil Engineering and Transportation, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, IranFaculty of Civil Engineering and Transportation, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran; Corresponding author.This study investigates the multifaceted factors influencing wildfire risk in Iran, focusing on the interplay between climatic conditions and human activities. Utilizing advanced remote sensing, geospatial information system (GIS) processing techniques such as cloud computing, and machine learning algorithms, this research analyzed the impact of climatic parameters, topographic features, and human-related factors on wildfire susceptibility assessment and prediction in Iran. Multiple scenarios were developed for this purpose based on the data sampling strategy. The findings revealed that climatic elements such as soil moisture, temperature, and humidity significantly contribute to wildfire susceptibility, while human activities—particularly population density and proximity to powerlines—also played a crucial role. Furthermore, the seasonal impact of each parameter was separately assessed during warm and cold seasons. The results indicated that human-related factors, rather than climatic variables, had a more prominent influence during the seasonal analyses. This research provided new insights into wildfire dynamics in Iran by generating high-resolution wildfire susceptibility maps using advanced machine learning classifiers. The generated maps identified high-risk areas, particularly in the central Zagros region, the northeastern Hyrcanian Forest, and the northern Arasbaran forest, highlighting the urgent need for effective fire management strategies.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666719325000020WildfireMachine learningClimateHuman activityRemote sensingCloud computing
spellingShingle Ehsan Masoudian
Ali Mirzaei
Hossein Bagheri
Assessing wildfire susceptibility in Iran: Leveraging machine learning for geospatial analysis of climatic and anthropogenic factors
Trees, Forests and People
Wildfire
Machine learning
Climate
Human activity
Remote sensing
Cloud computing
title Assessing wildfire susceptibility in Iran: Leveraging machine learning for geospatial analysis of climatic and anthropogenic factors
title_full Assessing wildfire susceptibility in Iran: Leveraging machine learning for geospatial analysis of climatic and anthropogenic factors
title_fullStr Assessing wildfire susceptibility in Iran: Leveraging machine learning for geospatial analysis of climatic and anthropogenic factors
title_full_unstemmed Assessing wildfire susceptibility in Iran: Leveraging machine learning for geospatial analysis of climatic and anthropogenic factors
title_short Assessing wildfire susceptibility in Iran: Leveraging machine learning for geospatial analysis of climatic and anthropogenic factors
title_sort assessing wildfire susceptibility in iran leveraging machine learning for geospatial analysis of climatic and anthropogenic factors
topic Wildfire
Machine learning
Climate
Human activity
Remote sensing
Cloud computing
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666719325000020
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AT hosseinbagheri assessingwildfiresusceptibilityiniranleveragingmachinelearningforgeospatialanalysisofclimaticandanthropogenicfactors