Abstract: To study the distribution characteristics of forest fires in Wenshan prefecture, forest fire data in Wenshan prefecture from 2012-2019 were selected, and the relationship between residential, roads, river systems, GDP and forest fires was explored using buffer zone analysis and overlay analysis of ArcGIS, and fire distribution maps were drawn to establish residential buffer zones Ⅰ, Ⅱ, Ⅲ, road buffer zones Ⅰ, Ⅱ, Ⅲ, river system buffer Ⅰ, Ⅱ, Ⅲ, Ⅳ, and four GDP buffer zones to analyze the distribution characteristics of forest fires in Wenshan prefecture, Yunnan province. Results showed that, forest fires occurred most frequently in road buffer zone II, residential buffer zone II, river system buffer zone III, and GDP buffer zone I, with the highest fire risk level. During 2012-2015 and 2016-2019, the number of forest fires obeyed a normal distribution within the residential, road and river system buffers. The number of forest fires in road and residential buffer zone II accounted for 60.28%, 62.30%, 53.73% and 59.01%, respectively, and the number of forest fires in buffer zones I and III were below 28%; the number of forest fires in river system buffer zone III accounted for 37.85% and 39.34%, respectively. Other regions are stepped down, it shows that the order of the number of forest fires in Wenshan prefecture river system buffer zone in the first time period is zone Ⅱ > zone Ⅳ > zone Ⅰ, and zone Ⅳ > zone Ⅱ > zone Ⅰ in the second time period. The average fire decline rate from 2012 to 2019 was ranked as GDP buffer > river system buffer >residential buffer > road buffer. the highest forest fire decline rates were 89.74%, 83.67%, and 80% in GDP buffer zone II, residential buffer zone III, and river system buffer zone I, respectively. The priority of forest fire prevention and control is road buffer >residential buffer > river system buffer > GDP buffer; the priority of forest fire prevention and control should be in road buffer zone II, residential buffer zone II, river system buffer zone III, and GDP buffer zone I. The study can provide technical support for forest fire prevention in Wenshan prefecture and Yunnan province.

Key words: forest fire, spatial buffer analysis, overlay analysis, normal distribution