CARACTERIZAÇÃO DO MATERIAL COMBUSTÍVEL FINO DA ESTEPE GRAMÍNEO-LENHOSA NO ESTADO DO PARANÁ, BRASIL

The Grassy-Woody Steppe region of Paraná, also known as “Campos Gerais”, covers approximately 20,000 km2 of the state, composing a phytogeographic zone with vegetation adapted to relatively dry environments. It presents high danger of fires, especially after the winter, when the dead fuel accumulation and the meteorological conditions favor the propagation of fire. The present study aimed to characterize the fine fuel material of this vegetation. The research was developed in the Private Natural Heritage Reserve “Caminho das Tropas” (coordinated UTMs 620334 and 7196739), located in Palmeira municipality, Brazil. Fuel collections were done in 35 points distributed in an area of 25 hectares, being carried out 4 samplings during a year in the seasons of autumn, winter, spring and summer. Three classes of fuels were considered for analysis: live fuel, dead fuel and miscellaneous. The average load of thin fuels obtained was 10,985 Mg.ha-1 (megagramm per hectare), which is within the range of values obtained by several authors for field vegetation, which can vary from 4.90 to 13.80 Mg.ha-1. The moisture content remained practically constant for living fuels in the four seasons of the year, while for the other classes the variations were more accentuated in the summer season. For the proportion of live fuel, dead fuel and miscellaneous in relation to the total fuel collected at each season, the dead fuel remained stable while the live fuel and the miscellaneous presented significant statistical differences. The results contribute to the knowledge of the fuel material of the Paraná steppe region, as well as, for the fire behavior evaluation to prevent or control fires that may occur in this vegetation.