Fire

Global change requires new fire management to preserve biodiversity

More than 4,400 terrestrial and freshwater species are threatened by changes in the fire regime. While many species are at risk by the increased frequency and intensity of fire, its suppression can be harmful to some life forms and ecosystems.

Alejandra morán @en Andrea duane @en Biodiversity Ecosystems Fire Fire management Lluis brotons @en Luke kelly @en Mediterranean Núria aquillué Virgilio hermoso @en Wildfires

Creating less flammable landscapes would as much as halve the area expected to be affected by fire in the next 30 years

Using mathematical models, a joint Spanish and Portuguese study has shown that altering the landscape, so as to reduce vegetation density and combustibility for example, and promoting farming activities of high natural value would drastically reduce the amount of land damaged by fire.

Combustibility Ecosystem services Fire Fire-smart management Forest fire Lluis brotons @en Núria aquillué Silvana país University of santiago de compostela

Riding resilience

The use of the term 'resilience' has been extended. But success entails risks. When dealing with complex concepts encapsulated in a word, the risk translates into confusion. It is therefore worth entertaining the passage and meditate for a while.

FL01_ENG_Resiliencia

To María Ángeles,

The weaknesses of ecological resilience

Climate Climate change Disturbances Droughts Ecology Environment @en Fire Forests Francisco lloret @en Gale Psichology Resilience Socioecology Sociology Vegetation

One year after the Òdena forest fire: regeneration is better in areas thinned before the fire

Anoia and Bages suffered a large forest fire in July 2015, which burned 1,235 ha. Areas of Aleppo pine that had been thinned previously are recovering better than non-thinned areas in terms of resprouting species of trees and shrubs. The regeneration of the Aleppo itself has been more modest and sparse, but they can be found throughout the burnt area.

Aleppo pine Fire Forest management Ifodena @en Josep maria espelta @en Major forest fires Òdena @en Population dynamics Shrubs

Fire itself can be a vaccine against catastrophic forest fires

A recent study from CREAF, CTFC, and the UAB warns that if the continuity of forest vegetative cover over large parts of the territory is not reduced with urgency, catastrophic fires will become more and more common. Allowing some spontaneous fires to burn under controlled conditions could help to resolve this problem. 

Ctfc @en Fire Fires Global change Major forest fires Models @en Uab @en

Firefighters are the main factor that determines the current patterns of forest fires in Catalonia

A new model of landscape evolution, developed by a group of Catalan and Canadian researchers, identifies that the ability to extinguish fire is essential in the explanation of the fire patterns in Catalan territory. The model also shows that, if current climate trends continue, the burned area could increase by more than 60% in the next 20 years.

Climate change Ctfc @en Fire Forest ecology Forests Lluis brotons @en Modeling