Current Wildland Fire Patterns and Challenges in Europe: A Synthesis of National Perspectives

Abstract

Changes in climate, land use, and land management impact the occurrence and severity of wildland fires in many parts of the world. This is particularly evident in Europe, where ongoing changes in land use have strongly modified fire patterns over the last decades. Although satellite data by the European Forest Fire Information System provide large-scale wildland fire statistics across European countries, there is still a crucial need to collect and summarize in-depth local analysis and understanding of the wildland fire condition and associated challenges across Europe. This article aims to provide a general overview of the current wildland fire patterns and challenges as perceived by national representatives, supplemented by national fire statistics (2009–2018) across Europe. For each of the 31 countries included, we present a perspective authored by scientists or practitioners from each respective country, representing a wide range of disciplines and cultural backgrounds. The authors were selected from members of the COST Action “Fire and the Earth System: Science & Society” funded by the European Commission with the aim to share knowledge and improve communication about wildland fire. Where relevant, a brief overview of key studies, particular wildland fire challenges a country is facing, and an overview of notable recent fire events are also presented. Key perceived challenges included (1) the lack of consistent and detailed records for wildland fire events, within and across countries, (2) an increase in wildland fires that pose a risk to properties and human life due to high population densities and sprawl into forested regions, and (3) the view that, irrespective of changes in management, climate change is likely to increase the frequency and impact of wildland fires in the coming decades. Addressing challenge (1) will not only be valuable in advancing national and pan-European wildland fire management strategies, but also in evaluating perceptions (2) and (3) against more robust quantitative evidence.

Significance of Urban Vegetation on Lawns Regarding the Risk of Fire

“…Changes in climate, land use, and landscape management impact the occurrence and severity of fires particularly in Europe, where ongoing changes have strongly modified fire patterns over the last decades [23]. This also applies to urban areas and the management of urban green infrastructure.…”

“…Monitoring plant conditions and biomass changes using RS techniques include determining the plant vegetation index, which indicates the amount of chlorophyll in the green parts of plants. Areas covered by drying vegetation, with a low vegetation index, can become flammable, which increases the risk of fire [22,23].…”

The Importance of International Collaboration to Enhance Education for Environmental Citizenship

“…Environmental education in BA receives more attention in the recent decade due to serious threats and ongoing climate changes that affect this region very frequently. Floods, drought, and wildfires are recognized as the main drivers of environmental degradation in BA caused by climate changes [34][35][36][37]. For example, the University of Banja Luka (UBL) implemented the Erasmus project entitled "Soil Erosion and Torrential Flood Prevention: Curriculum Development at the Universities of Western Balkan Countries" focused on improving the existing education system in the forestry study program, aimed to update curricula and answer on torrential floods and soil erosion not only among students but also for practitioners who manage forests and forest land.…”

Factors determining the soil available water during the last two decades (1997–2019) in southern Spain

“…The Mediterranean climate is characterized by dry summers; therefore, the native vegetation must adapt to increasingly frequent and recurring conditions of water stress (Klausmeyer and Shaw 2009;Nardini et al 2014). Some authors claimed that this situation will impact pasture (Dlamini et al 2016;Abdalla et al 2018), crop productivity (Rodrigo-Comino et al 2021), and plant mortality (Peñuelas et al 2001;Bréda et al 2006), and, as a consequence, it will enhance the fuel for forest fires (Vidal et al 1994;Alcasena-Urdíroz et al 2019;Martínez-Torres et al 2019;Fernandez-Anez et al 2021). Thus, an increase in the intensity or frequency of droughts can limit productivity and the ecological and economic values of this fragile ecosystem (Guillot et al 2019;Lobo Do Vale et al 2019).…”