Vegetation Fuel Mapping
All vegetation sites as objects of burning are structural complexes of various fuels. Especially complex are forest biogeoceonoses. For practical use, pyrological characteristics of vegetation are reflected on plans and maps showing both general one-sided estimations with site descriptions (for example, their fire hazard) and detailed multi-sided characteristics of all compounds in the vegetation fuel complexes. The latter become basic maps for obtaining various pyrological estimations and are called vegetation fuel maps. Vegetation fuel (VF) mapping can be made using two methodological approaches: first, by distinguishing pyrological vegetation categories as standard complexes; second, by individually characterizing each vegetation site in terms of VF. Obviously, the standard VF characteristic of sites can be only approximate and rough, since the possible number of studied site categories is limited. For large-scale mapping, the detailed individual characteristic of vegetation sites in terms of VF is more preferable and precise but more expensive. Therefore, historically, the first approach to VF mapping got its development, i. e. distinguishing and mapping of certain vegetation categories with standard characteristics. Foreign and Russian methodical approaches to vegetation fuel (VF) classification and mapping are considered. Examples of VF mapping at different scales and guidelines for their use are given.