The households and sample size.

Despite the numerous negative effects of tropical forest fires in Tanzania, the sources and effects remain insufficiently documented. This study aimed to develop an integrated approach that combines geospatial tools and socio-economic data to assess the sources and effects of forest fires and map burn severity and its trends over 10 years in West Usambara Mountain Forests. Three approaches including Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), satellite image analysis, and direct observation were used to generate information on spatial and temporal forest fire severity. Findings revealed that farm preparation (38.2%) and charcoal preparation (21.2%) are the primary source of these forest fires. Burn severity maps showed 32.12% to 20.31% of combined high and low severity areas, with a total burned area of 3,296.96 hectares, accounting for 15.86% of the reserves. The differenced Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (dNDVI) maps revealed 36.30% to 21.10 of high and low severity areas, while post-fire NBR and NDVI time series indicated a significant vegetation loss (0.21 to 0.36). This study demonstrates the integration of remote sensing and socio-economic approaches to enhance forest fire management, conservation, policy enforcement, and community awareness that can be upscaled to other forest areas for effective management.

尽管坦桑尼亚的热带森林火灾已造成诸多负面影响，但其起火根源与危害效应仍未得到充分的文献记录。本研究旨在构建一套整合地理空间工具与社会经济数据的综合研究方法，用以评估西乌桑巴拉山地森林的森林火灾成因与危害，并绘制该区域十年间的火烧烈度及其变化趋势图谱。研究采用参与式农村评估（Participatory Rural Appraisal, PRA）、卫星影像分析与实地观测三种手段，获取森林火灾烈度的时空分布信息。研究结果显示，农田开垦（38.2%）与木炭制备（21.2%）是此类森林火灾的主要起火源。火烧烈度地图表明，高、低烈度火烧区域的占比区间为20.31%至32.12%，总过火面积达3296.96公顷，占该森林保护区总面积的15.86%。差值归一化植被指数（differenced Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, dNDVI）图谱显示，高、低烈度火烧区域占比区间为21.10%至36.30%；而灾后归一化燃烧比率（Normalized Burn Ratio, NBR）与NDVI时间序列数据则表明，区域植被出现了显著退化，损失幅度介于0.21至0.36之间。本研究证实，将遥感技术与社会经济研究方法相结合，可有效提升森林火灾管理、生态保护、政策执行与社区防火意识，该研究框架可推广至其他林区以实现高效的森林资源管理。