Estimating the pyrological regime of agricultural lands in the south of the Saratov Trans-Volga region, RF

The largest number of fires was reported in 2005 and 2007. This is a long-term negative trend. The authors evaluate the main factors of fire-occurrence, identify the most fire-hazardous areas, and the features of the pyrological regime of agricultural lands in the southern districts of the Saratov Trans-Volga region, RF (Rivne, Krasnokutsky, Pitersky, Novouzensky, and Alexandrovo-Gaisky), using geoinformation analysis for the period of 2000–2023. The mapping was carried out using Sentinel-2 and Landsat satellite images. During the research period, 4,5 thousand plots with a total area of more than 660 thousand hectares were recorded. Low recurrence of fires was noted for most of the territory. The Alexandrovo-Gaisky district is characterized by extensive and frequently repeated cases. The trend in the area and number of ignitions is due to deterioration of plant growth conditions and accumulation of plant residues against the background of aridization, accompanied by increasing the average area of burnt plots. The factors influencing the occurrence of fires, a favorable hydrological regime promoting the vegetation accumulating; droughts, aridization of the territory and anthropogenic activity were identified