The future of fire management in the British uplands

Davies, Matt G.; Gray, Alan; Hamilton, Amy; Legg, Colin J.

doi:10.3843/biodiv.4.3:1

Cited by 59 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 67 publications

(89 reference statements)

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“…Similar results have been obtained from the established practice of PB in Europe , where problems and solutions were similar to those illustrated for Italy (Fernandes & Botelho 2004, Bernard-Laurent & Weber 2007, Davies et al 2008, Lambert 2010, Lázaro 2010, Vélez 2010. However, as noticed by several authors (Susmel 1973, Calabri 1981, Stefani 1985, Leone et al 1999, PB experiences from foreign countries must be weighted on the existing differences in geographic, environmental and socio-economic conditions.…”

Section: Challenges Of Prescribed Burning In Italysupporting

confidence: 74%

“…In central and northern Europe, PB is used mainly for conservation and forest regeneration purposes. It is applied extensively in the United Kingdom (Davies et al 2008), Sweden (over 4000 ha yr -1 -Granström 2001), Finland (2000 ha yr -1 -Vanha- Majamaa et al 2007), Germany (750 ha yr -1 -Held A., personal communication), while in other countries it has experimental application (Lázaro 2010). In the Mediterranean area, PB programs were designed in the 80s-90s for fire hazard reduction in France, Portugal and Spain, leading to an increase in trained personnel ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Europe, the planned use of fire has a long history of application, e.g., in heathland management in the Atlantic area (Davies et al 2008), understory burning in southern Europe (Lázaro 2010), forest regeneration in Scandinavia (Granström 2001). However, PB as a professional land management technique (i.e., having clear prescriptions and evaluation protocols) developed at the end of 1970s .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Prescribed burning in Italy: issues, advances and challenges

Ascoli¹,

Bovio²

2013

iForest

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Prescribed burning has been carried out since the late 1970s in several southern European countries. Italy hosted some pioneer experiences in the early '80s, but these did not follow up into practical implementation, and few studies and applications were carried out in subsequent years. In the last decade, a new interest arose and several experiences were carried out. We aim to illustrate the limitations, advances and challenges of prescribed burning in Italy by reviewing the national literature of the last 40 years on this subject. Unfavorable land characteristics, conflicting management goals, a hostile socio-cultural environment, and an inadequate regulatory framework have supposedly limited the application of prescribed burning in Italy. Nevertheless, in the last 20 years the legislation at the regional level has been updated to consider the use of fire, and new procedures to authorize prescribed fires allowed for experiments and application, even within National Parks. From 2005 to 2012, prescribed burning programs for fire hazard reduction, forest and range management, biodiversity conservation and firefighter training were implemented throughout Italy. Several vegetation and fuel types were involved (e.g., broadleaved and coniferous forests, Mediterranean and continental shrubland, grassland, slash). Studies on fire behavior and effects helped to set prescriptions for specific objectives and environments. Results were transferred to professionals through training sessions. Some of the challenges ahead are improving the legislative framework, e.g., by introducing a certification for the use of fire, and addressing issues of pastoral fire through conflict resolution programs. Prescribed burning in Italy could be developed by committing to carry out ecological studies on its implications to silviculture, range management and habitat conservation.Keywords: Wildfire, Integrated Fire Management, Biodiversity, Historical Fire Use forest cover by conifers, 19.1% of which has an uneven-aged structure, and 13% by broadleaves (Tab. 2 -INFC 2005). On the other hand, shrub communities usually targeted by PB (i.e., heathlands, Mediterranean scrublands) represent 70% of shrub-type formations in the country (INFC 2005). However, Susmel (1973), a leading Italian ecologist of the 20 th century, maintained that PB could accelerate the degradation of Mediterranean scrublands that had been repeatedly burnt by wildfire between the 50s and the 70s. In a national survey on the awareness and perception of fire by professional foresters (Leone et al. 1999), 72% of the interviewees answered that potential damage to vegetation was the main limit to PB implementation in the field.Calabri (1988) highlighted that PB can be problematic in complex topographies and highly variable wind patterns. Some 66% of Italian forests is located at elevations > 500 m, and one third on slopes > 60% (Tab. ). Here, PB covers ~1600 ha yr -1 and is mainly used for fire hazard reduction, also at the rural-urban interface. Strong efforts have been sustain...

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Section: Challenges Of Prescribed Burning In Italysupporting

confidence: 74%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Prescribed burning in Italy: issues, advances and challenges

Ascoli¹,

Bovio²

2013

iForest

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“…The reintroduction of traditional burning practices by prescribed burning (FAO 2006), integrated with rational grazing has been applied in many heathland management programs throughout Europe (Hobbs & Gimingham 1987, Goldammer et al 2007, Davies et al 2008, and testing its feasibility for tree control and heathland conservation management in north-west Italy is currently the object of experimental studies ). The debate over burning prescriptions, namely the fire-treatment frequency, season and behaviour presents the next research questions to be addressed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tree encroachment dynamics in heathlands of north-west Italy: the fire regime hypothesis

Ascoli¹,

Bovio²

2010

iForest

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Tree encroachment is one of the primary conservation issues in Calluna-heathlands, a priority habitat in Europe. Improving understanding of the ecological factors that trigger transitions to woodlands is key to developing strategies for heathlands management. The irrational use of fire has been recognized as one of the key factors that drives the loss of heathlands of north-west Italy. The effect of high frequency pastoral burning on the replacement of heathlands by grasslands has been documented by several studies. The relationship between fire and tree encroachment is less clear. The paper examines the effect of the fire regime on the encroachment of Populus tremula L. and Betula pendula Roth. in the heathland. The study was carried out at the Managed Nature Reserve of Vauda (7° 41’ E, 45° 13’ N), which includes one of the most valuable heathlands of north-western Italy. The experimental design consisted of analysing the age structure, dendrometric variables and the species composition of three aspen and birch stands, circular-shaped and isolated within the heathland matrix. From 1986 to 2009 all stands experienced the same fire regime due to pastoral burning. Wildfires of similar behaviour occurred in 1998, 2003 and 2008 and determined the stand structure observed in 2009. The results evidenced that fire acts as a catalyst not only for seedlings establishment, as previously documented, but also for woodland expansion in the heathland. After initial establishment, stands showed a concentric encroachment dynamic, mainly due to aspen root suckering after post-fire stem mortality, whose steps of expansion coincided with the return interval of wildfires. Moreover, aspen determined the loss of heathland characteristic species, whose relative abundances were inversely correlated to aspen density along a gradient from the stands centre to the surrounding heathland. The regulation of current burning practices by prescribed burning, integrated with rational grazing, presents the next research questions to be addressed

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“…Similarly, prescribed fire is used for Calluna vulgaris heathlands preservation (Davies et al, 2008).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of fuel treatments and backfiring on the recovery of an obligate seeder-dominated heathland

Fernández

Hidalgo

2016

For. syst.

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Aim of the study: To evaluate how a plant community responded to a backfire that occurred four years after application of different types of fuel-reduction treatments.Area of study: Erica umbellata Loefl. (L.)-dominated heathland in Galicia (NW Spain). Main results: Shrub total cover recovered quickly after the backfire in both the treated and untreated areas, and the pre-treatment values were reached four years after the fire. Post-wildfire resprouting species cover recovery was not affected by fuel treatments. As a contrast, Erica umbellata cover reached levels similar to those in the untreated plots only in the areas treated by prescribed burning. After the wildfire, grasses cover recovery was greater in the treated than in the untreated areas and the effect lasted until the end of the study.Research highlights: Prescribed fire and backfire was favourable for Erica umbellata regeneration compared to clearing and mastication.Keywords: prescribed burning; clearing; mechanical shredding; Erica; wildfire. Citation: Fernández, C., Vega, J.A. (2016). Effect of fuel treatments and backfiring on the recovery of an obligate seederdominated heathland. Forest Systems, Volume 25, Issue 3, eSC12. http://dx

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The future of fire management in the British uplands

Cited by 59 publications

References 67 publications

Prescribed burning in Italy: issues, advances and challenges

Prescribed burning in Italy: issues, advances and challenges

Tree encroachment dynamics in heathlands of north-west Italy: the fire regime hypothesis

Effect of fuel treatments and backfiring on the recovery of an obligate seeder-dominated heathland

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