Seite 228 Eastaugh, Vacik 129. Jahrgang (2012), Heft 3-4, S. 228 – 247 Fire size/frequency modelling as a means of assessing wildfire database reliability Analyse der Zuverlässigkeit von dokumentierten Waldbranddaten anhand von Häufigkeit und Flächengröße Eastaugh CS 1,* and Vacik H 1 Key words: forest fire, power law, size, trend, Austria Stichworte: Waldbrand, power law, Fläche, Trend, Öster- reich Abstract Many jurisdictions around the world have recently begun compiling data- bases of wildfire records, in an effort to determine patterns, quantify risks and detect possible changes in fire regimes. Such datasets, if valid and com- prehensive, could be used for fire hazard model validation, detection of trends and risk modelling under current and future climatic conditions. It may be however that data quality issues can hinder these efforts. In parti- cular, older records may be less comprehensive, and smaller fires may have a greater chance of being unrecorded. A database of Austrian wildfires has been compiled, based on historic documentary records from a variety of sources that cover different time periods or geographical regions. The non- comprehensive and non-random nature of such datasets (both spatially and temporally) makes the direct analysis of wildfire patterns impossible, ne- 1 Institute of Silviculture, Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, BOKU University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Peter Jordan Str. 82, A-1190 Wien, Österreich * Corresponding author