Wildfires at la primavera forest, Jalisco, Mexico: an approach to possible causes and consequences

The Flora and fauna Protection Area La Primavera (APFFLP), located in Jalisco, Mexico, presents a forest fire rate which has varied between 0 and 60 incidents per year in the last 15 years, but it has no program for preventing and mitigating the effects, due to the lack of documented information on the possible causes and consequences, as well as the processes of change in the coverage that has presented. In this paper, 12 maps were created about burned zones within La Primavera in a time period from 1998 to 2012; with the use of cover and data from fire affected areas and their manipulation through a Geographical Information System (GIS). The forest loss anual rate due to wildfires was 1.31 %. Maps showed that localities which are burned more often were: Los Chorros de Tala, La Lobera, Agua Dulce, La Primavera, Las Tinajas and El Tecuán. Whithin the main causes highlights the agronomic practice of burning crops sugarcane to increase performance during the harvest (zafra) which causes fires in nearby forest areas to places where they are made. Another cause of fires is the fuel accumulation, which combined with environmental conditions of extreme drought and high winds, cause large fires magnitudes. The fires historic trends at APFFLP, during the studied time period, showed an increase in the forest area loss due to fire. It is necessary the risk and prevention maps generation, as well as to promote the correct use of fire at localities and establish mechanisms for decision making on land use. El Área de Protección de Flora y Fauna La Primavera (APFFLP), ubicada en Jalisco, México, presenta una tasa de incendios forestales que ha variado entre 0 y 60 incidentes por año en los últimos 15 años, pero se carece de un programa para la prevención y mitigación de efectos, debido a la falta de información documentada sobre las posibles causas y consecuencias, así como de los procesos de cambio de la cobertura que ha sufrido. En este estudio se generaron 12 mapas de las zonas incendiadas de la APFFLP del período comprendido de 1998 a 2012, a partir del empleo de coberturas y datos de las áreas afectadas por los incendios y su manejo en un Sistema de Información Geográfica (SIG). La tasa de pérdida anual de masa forestal producto de los incendios fue de 1.31 %. Los mapas generados indicaron que las localidades que con mayor frecuencia se incendian fueron: Los Chorros de Tala, La Lobera, Agua Dulce, La Primavera, Las Tinajas y El Tecuán. Entre las principales causas