The charcoal morphology of different vegetation types in the wildfire

Abstract. Wildfires are a crucial element in the earth's ecosystem, playing a significant role in maintaining ecological balance. Charcoal, a key product of fires, can be examined for its morphological traits to distinguish between various fuel sources. This analysis helps in understanding the relationship between regional vegetation environments and fire dynamics. However, current research on charcoal morphology heavily relies on simulation experiments, lacking real-world data from natural wildfires. This study delves into the morphological characteristics of charcoal formed under wildfire conditions by investigating samples from four distinct vegetation types. By sidestepping the uncertainties of simulation experiments, the research uncovers intriguing patterns. The findings indicate a gradual decrease in charcoal size across different ecosystems, such as evergreen coniferous forests, warm-humid herbs, evergreen broad-leaf forests, and grasslands. The length-to-width (L/W) ratio of charcoal alone is insufficient for classifying fuel types accurately. To address this issue, a decision tree model was crafted to effectively categorize various charcoal types, achieving an impressive accuracy rate of 72.44 %. This paper presents a thorough examination of charcoal morphology within diverse vegetation landscapes, offering valuable insights for fuel type identification based on charcoal characteristics. Ultimately, this research contributes to enhancing our knowledge of the intricate interactions between natural wildfires and vegetation dynamics.