Fostering Post-Fire Research Towards a More Balanced Wildfire Science Agenda to Navigate Global Environmental Change

Fire, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 8(2), P. 51 - 51

Published: Jan. 26, 2025

As wildfires become more frequent and severe in the face of global environmental change, it becomes crucial not only to assess, prevent, suppress them but also manage aftermath effectively. Given temporal interconnections between these issues, we explored concept “wildfire science loop”—a framework categorizing wildfire research into three stages: “before”, “during”, “after” wildfires. Based on this partition, performed a systematic review by linking particular topics keywords each stage, aiming describe one quantify volume published research. The results from our identified substantial imbalance landscape, with post-fire stage being markedly underrepresented. Research focusing is 1.5 times (or 46%) less prevalent than that “before” 1.8 77%) “during” stage. This discrepancy likely driven historical emphasis prevention suppression due immediate societal needs. Aiming address overcome imbalance, present perspectives regarding strategic agenda enhance understanding processes outcomes, emphasizing socioecological impacts management recovery multi-level transdisciplinary approach. These proposals advocate integrating knowledge-driven burn severity ecosystem mitigation/recovery practical, application-driven strategies policy development. supports comprehensive spans short-term emergency responses long-term adaptive management, ensuring landscapes are better understood, managed, restored. We emphasize critical importance “after-fire” breaking negative planning cycles, enhancing practices, implementing nature-based solutions vision “building back better”. Strengthening balanced focused will ability close loop involved improve alignment international agendas such as UN’s Decade Ecosystem Restoration EU’s Nature Law. By addressing can significantly restore ecosystems, resilience, develop suited challenges rapidly changing world.

Language: Английский

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Burned Areas Mapping Using Sentinel-2 Data and a Rao’s Q Index-Based Change Detection Approach: A Case Study in Three Mediterranean Islands’ Wildfires (2019–2022)

Remote Sensing, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 17(5), P. 830 - 830

Published: Feb. 27, 2025

This study explores the application of remote sensing-based land cover change detection techniques to identify and map areas affected by three distinct wildfire events that occurred in Mediterranean islands between 2019 2022, namely Sardinia (2019, Italy), Thassos (2022, Greece), Pantelleria Italy). Applying Rao’s Q Index-based approach Sentinel-2 spectral data derived indices, we evaluate their effectiveness accuracy identifying mapping burned wildfires. Our methodological implies processing analysis pre- post-fire imagery extract relevant indices such as Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR), Mid-infrared Index (MIRBI), Difference Vegetation (NDVI), Burned area for (BAIS2) then use (the classic approach) or combine them (multidimensional detect using a technique. The Copernicus Emergency Management System (CEMS) were used assess validate all results. lowest overall (OA) classical mode was 52%, BAIS2 index, while multidimensional mode, it 73%, combining NBR NDVI. highest result reached 72% with MIRBI 96%, NBR. combination consistently achieved across areas, demonstrating its improving classification regardless characteristics.

Language: Английский

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Governance drivers hinder and support a paradigm shift in wildfire risk management in Italy

Regional Environmental Change, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 24(1)

Published: Jan. 13, 2024

Abstract Fire is a fundamental social-ecological process, but combination of changing climate, land use and values at risk increasing the incidence large wildfires with high societal biodiversity impacts. Academic practitioner understanding now converging around need to manage fire as an outcome intersecting governance regimes, comprising geohistorically defined institutions decision-making pathways shaped by earlier wildfires. We investigate this proposition through case study Italy, country greatly affected wildfire characterised strong organisational, socio-cultural geographical variation nationally. To best our knowledge, first collecting analysing qualitative data on how different national sub-national procedures interrelate promote particular management strategies, support or impede adaptive change. Participants in key agencies were consulted across seven nationally representative regions. Findings show highly fragmented institutional structure, where policy responsibilities are increasingly allocated disparate organisations variety scales. Local stakeholder participation has been displaced shift extra-local actors networks. While formally committed adopting precautionary approach risk, practice, emergency response remains default choice, result patchy uncoordinated legislation. Notably, wider international (EU) regulatory context plays muted role governing present results novel action research agenda for Italy southern Europe more generally, emphasising urgent develop new anticipatory systems closer integration cross-scale arrangements.

Language: Английский

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Harnessing Natural Disturbances: A Nature-Based Solution for Restoring and Adapting Dry Forests in the Western USA to Climate Change

Fire, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 6(11), P. 428 - 428

Published: Nov. 9, 2023

Natural disturbances (wildfires, droughts, beetle outbreaks) shaped temperate forests for millennia, including dry of the western USA. Could they now best restore and adapt to climate change while protecting nearby communities? Mechanical fuel-reduction treatments (e.g., thinning) reduce landscape heterogeneity appear ineffective since <1% treated area encounters fire each year fires are still increasing. We propose analyze a nature-based solution (NbS), using natural disturbances, see whether it is feasible, how long might take, could more effectively change. compared 2010–2019 disturbance rates on ~16 million ha federal with historical data. evaluated much adaptation achieved by comparing trees selected disturbances. found an NbS, which works prioritizes community protection, feasible in USA occurring mostly within rates. unlike mechanical treatments, select survivors that likely be genetically adapted survive future change, perpetuating ecosystem services. also ecologically forest heterogeneity, better maintain carbon storage, management needs. A fully developed disturbance-based NbS ~30–40 years if active reprioritized protect built environment communities near public forests.

Language: Английский

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Framing Coherence Across EU Policies Towards Integrated Wildfire Risk Management and Nature-Based Solutions

Fire, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 7(11), P. 415 - 415

Published: Nov. 13, 2024

Wildfire risk has been exacerbated across Europe by climate change favoring more damaging and severe wildfire events. This evolving context interacts with a broad landscape of EU policies including those on nature conservation, forestry, bioeconomy or energy, all which may increase reduce fire hazard the level exposure vulnerability values at risk. Coherently addressed, support disaster management synergistically while reducing potential dysfunctions. research conducts content analysis initiatives under European Green Deal respect to integrated related nature-based solutions. The results show that consistent policy framework address reduction in synergic way exists, no major conflicts design. Nevertheless, better guidance fire-smart land practices conceptualization wildfire-related solutions enhance coherent implementation. Additional suggestions around legal status protection ‘whole government’ governance frameworks are discussed. Notably, within laws, analyzed, beneficial side addressed is either missing not explicitly mentioned, although it considered policy-related supporting guidelines.

Language: Английский

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Bridging wine and forestry sectors to reduce wildfires: wine actors’ perceptions, their role in risk reduction and externality labelling

Trees Forests and People, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown, P. 100835 - 100835

Published: March 1, 2025

Language: Английский

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Land Cover Implications on Ecosystem Service Delivery: a Multi-Scenario Study of Trade-offs and Synergies in River Basins

Environmental Management, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 73(4), P. 753 - 768

Published: Dec. 8, 2023

Language: Английский

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Will fire-smart landscape management buffer the effects of climate and land-use changes on fire regimes?

Ecological Processes, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 13(1)

Published: Aug. 1, 2024

Abstract Background Long-term farmland abandonment has increased fuel build-up in many Euro-Mediterranean mountainous regions. The high hazard these landscapes, combined with ongoing climate change, is increasing the frequency of extreme wildfires, thus altering contemporary fire regimes. Mitigating loss landscape’s capacity to regulate large and intense fires crucial prevent future harmful effects fires. As such, effective strategies manage fire-prone landscapes are needed. Yet, further understanding their performance under global change scenarios required. This study assessed fire-smart management on landscape dynamics, regulation (FRC), regime a Mediterranean Portugal (30,650 ha) undergoing long-term land scenarios. For that, we applied LANDIS-II model (RCP 4.5 8.5) (2020–2050) according three focused prevention compared business-as-usual (BAU) strategy based suppression. Results Future activity dynamics resulted changes that fostered heterogeneity fragmentation favoured fire-adapted forests agroforestry systems while decreasing dominance shrublands croplands. FRC decreased over time, particularly RCP 8.5 BAU strategy. In turn, better prevented than strategy, but effectiveness 8.5. burned area frequency, which predicts shift from regimes more markedly Conclusions Fire-smart outperformed averting current intensification. Merging forest- silvopasture-based most promising approach taming activity. Our underlines planning policies mountain must integrate decrease buffer impact

Language: Английский

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Spatiotemporal patterns and drivers of extreme fire severity in Spain for the period 1985–2018

Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 358, P. 110185 - 110185

Published: Oct. 9, 2024

Language: Английский

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Assessing the Effect of Community Preparedness on Property Damage Costs during Wildfires: A Case Study of Greece

Fire, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 7(8), P. 279 - 279

Published: Aug. 8, 2024

The current study attempts to assess the effect of community preparedness on property damage costs during wildfires. focus is primarily how various aspects preparedness, such as early warning systems, risk assessment, emergency response plans, and fire-resistant landscaping, influence extent For this purpose, data were collected from 384 Greek residents different regions country using an online questionnaire. In case, analysis was performed utilizing SPSS version 22.0. According findings, survey respondents replied that fire suppression most common cost associated with wildfire. contributes existing knowledge by providing insights into specific factors affect expenditure wildfires, specifically intricate relationship between expenses loss caused wildfires preparation. study’s findings can be utilized policymakers communities improve plans consequently decrease impact people.

Language: Английский

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