Performance Evaluation of Five Drought Models for the Study of the Vegetation Moisture Content Trend in Two Mediterranean Broadleaf Ecosystems

Field measurements of moisture content of several fine fuels (shrub vegetation and live foliage) were performed monthly in Tuscany (Italy) for two years. Seasonal and inter-annual variations of live fine fuels of several species in two plots of Quercus ilex L. and mixed broadleaves forest are analyzed. The species represent two sets (shrubs and trees) of vegetation typology according 14 to their relatively high and seasonal variability. Meteorological data from nearby stations were 15 collected in each study area and used in the evaluation of some indicators of fuel moisture, including the Drought Code (DC) used in the Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System. It was found that in the summer season the slow response of live fine fuel moisture content (LFMC) to meteorological conditions, namely to precipitation, was well described by the DC. Empirical correlations between LFMC and DC for each species and site are proposed