Research on the influencing factors and prevention measures of long-term forest fire risk in Northeast China

[Display omitted] •The forest fires probability of L. palustre, P. Sylvestris and R. dauricum was high.•The flammability of young and middle-aged forests was higher than other forests.•Temperature and precipitation had significant effects on forest fire.•Lightning strikes have been the focus of forest fire monitoring in recent years.•The June and August were the fire outbreak periods due to lightning factors. Forest fires damage ecological environment and increase carbon emissions. To reduce the adverse effects of fire on forests, the long-term (2002–2022) fires data were analyzed in the Great Xing'an Mountains region of Northeast China. The important influencing factors of forest fires were revealed by analyzing different combustibles, meteorological, climatic factors, and the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of forest fires. The results showed that Ledum palustre, Pinus silvestris L., and Rhododendron dauricum L. were the main tree species with high probability of forest fires according to the flammability difference of combustibles. The young and middle-aged forests accounted for more than 60% of the total forests, which were high flammability. Based on the regression analysis of meteorological data, temperature and precipitation had significant effects on forest fires. Affected by the lightning strikes, the total number of fires in 2017–2022 was high, and the high frequency of fires was in June and August. Because the fires were influenced by factors such as surface vegetation combustibles, precipitation, temperature, and ground slope, the north and southwest slopes had the highest fire incidence rates. In addition to the resource utilization of dead branches and leaves, planting tree species with high fire resistance is an important measure. Artificial precipitations are taken in an extremely dry environment. The management of old trees are strengthened in the western region of Great Xing'an Mountains. The types of fires that cause negative impacts on forests are the focus of monitoring and prevention. This study is of great significance in reducing forest fire risk, improving forest carbon sequestration function, increasing wood resources, and improving the public climate environment.