Abstract ID: 3.12674 | Accepted as Talk | Talk | TBA | TBA

This study analyzes land cover patterns in the Biobío region, Chile, which was heaviy affected by wildfires events in February 2023. The affected area is in the low mountain region of the Cordillera de la Costa in the Biobío region, in the south-central part of Chile. Using a GIS and remote sensing-based approach, it evaluates the influence of land cover on the severity of infrastructure damage. Wildfires in Chile have increased in intensity and frequency due to climate change and landscape characteristics. The wildland-urban interface (WUI) is particularly vulnerable, as it combines human settlements with highly flammable vegetation, such as forestry plantations. In this context, this study focuses on three severely affected municipalities: Nacimiento, Santa Juana, and Tomé, where significant destruction of homes and land was recorded. Using remote sensing data and spatial analysis, pre-fire land cover in affected and unaffected areas was examined. A buffer analysis around destroyed and undamaged buildings was applied to determine spatial relationships between land cover types and fire propagation. The results indicate that proximity to forestry plantations (predominantly eucalyptus and pine) significantly increased the likelihood of home destruction. Within a 30-meter buffer, the average proportion of forestry plantations was 51% in Nacimiento, 53% in Santa Juana, and 73% in Tomé, compared to significantly lower values in unaffected homes. In contrast, areas with agricultural and pasture mosaics exhibited a protective effect, with lower destruction rates. Findings suggest the need to integrate land-use planning into wildfire risk management by promoting natural barriers and reducing flammable vegetation near settlements. Public policies should include regulations on minimum distances between structures and forestry plantations, as well as incentives for the use of agricultural land and pasture as buffer zones. This study contributes to the literature on wildfires and risk management by providing a replicable framework for assessing the vulnerability of settlements in the wildland-urban interface. The integration of spatial data and proximity analysis enables the development of evidence-based mitigation strategies with applications in other fire-prone regions.