Using forest fire experts’ opinions and GIS/remote sensing techniques in locating forest fire lookout towers

Timely detection of fire and early warning to fire stations are crucial functions in fire-suppression and controlling efforts. The most effective way for early detection of forest fires is monitoring from fire lookout towers. This study aimed to develop a geographical information system (GIS) method to determine proper points for installing fire lookout towers based on using forest fire experts’ opinions to determine effective criteria and sub-criteria on locating fire lookout towers and to weigh them via analytical hierarchy process (AHP) technique. The study area, including four sub-catchments with an area of 32,446 ha, is located in Sardasht, NW Iran, in which no tower has been constructed so far. The results revealed that the most effective criteria in order of priorities are elevation, distance from roads, distance from previous burned areas, slope, and distance from residential areas. This method proposed 4 points for erecting fire lookout towers together covering about 60% of the total study area, while this coverage was more than 75% in sub-catchment number four. Based on the results, the use of forest fire experts’ opinions can lead to good results in determining and weighing (i.e., via AHP) the effective criteria on fire lookout towers locating and a GIS based method to determine optimal points for establishing fire lookout towers.