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This study aimed to explore differences in the perceptions of professional and voluntary firefighters regarding the extreme wildfire events that occurred in Portugal in 2017. We collected a sample of 185 participants, professional and voluntary firefighters, who directly participated in suppression activities for the Pedrógão Grande and October 2017 wildfires in Portugal. They were on duty in 149 fire stations in the Central Region of Portugal. A questionnaire was sent via Google Form to participants, based mainly on close-ended and two open-ended questions. It was structured into topics concerning the characteristics of wildfire events, the problems that occurred during the suppression activity, the emotional response of participants to the events, the lessons learned, and the consequences. We found significant differences between the two groups in their perception of wildfire characteristics and their perception of the worst fires they had ever experienced. Some differences were found in their discussion of the suppression phase and their emotional response to fires. On the contrary, the two groups appear to be homogeneous when it comes to no significant changes after the deadly 2017 experience in terms of the fight against rural fires, organization, training, prevention, and careers. The results underline the inadequacy of the suppression model vs. extreme wildfire events, and also its limits from the point of view of psychological reactions and the perception of management problems occurring in extreme and complex events. There is a research gap and no examples in Portugal about the perception of firefighters of the complex flow of activities that characterize the suppression operation of extreme wildfire events. Our research fills this gap.

Today, a forest is also understood as a real social actor with multiple-scale influences, capable of significantly conditioning the social, economic, and cultural system of a whole territory. The aim of this paper is to reconstruct and interpret the population&rsquo, s perception of the silvicultural activities related to traditional use of forest resources of the southwestern Sardinian Marganai State Forest. The &ldquo, Marganai case&rdquo, has brought to the attention of the mass media the role of this forest and its silviculture. The research was carried out via semi-structured interviews with the main stakeholders in the area. The qualitative approach in the collection and analysis of the information gathered has allowed us to reconstruct the historical-cultural and social cohesion function that the forest plays in rural communities. The results highlight that the main risks concern the erosion of the cultural forest heritage due to the abandonment of the rural dimension (mainly by the new generations, but not only), with the consequent spread of deep distortions in the perception, interpretation, and necessity of forestry activities and policy.

Despite the increasing challenges wildfires are posing around the globe, and the flourishing production of high-quality wildfire scientific knowledge, the ability of fire science to impact knowledge on the ground, for people, society, economy, and the environment, in a way that facilitates change in the current wildfire management system has been limited. We believe that one reason for this limited impact is due to the fragmentation of this scientific knowledge. Therefore, we propose a Translational Wildfire Science (TWFS) as a new field of knowledge that captures the comprehensive dynamics of wildfire events, that provides information relevant, useful, and accessible to practitioners and citizens, and that facilitates the transfer of scientific knowledge into practice. The foundations of TWFS, including the main principles, the overarching characteristics, and the approach of a TWFS scientist, are presented. Finally, the next steps to be undertaken to consolidate TWFS as a new scientific field are identified.

Surface biomass characterization plays a key role in wildfire management. It allows classifying vegetation fuels flammability for fire risk analysis, to define silvicultural prescriptions for fire hazard reduction, to plan prescribed burning, or to model fire behavior and its effects, such as greenhouse gas and pollutant emissions. To facilitate fuel classification and analysis of potential fire behavior and effects in Italy, we harmonized 634 measurements of surface wildland fuels from Alpine, temperate and Mediterranean environments. The dataset provides quantitative data for duff, fine dead fuels and downed woody material, live grasses and shrubs fuel components. Surface fuel data were harmonized by subdividing loads (Mg ha-1) to standard size classes for dead (0-6, 6-25 and 25-75 mm) and live (0-6, 6-25 mm) fuels, collecting percent cover and depth/height (cm) of the various fuel components, and classifying observations into 19 fuelbed categories. To ensure comparability with existing vegetation classification systems, we classified each observation according to the European Fuel Map, the Corine Land Cover classes (level IV), the European Forest Types, and the forest categories of the Italian National Forest Inventory. The dataset and a photo description of each fuelbed category are available as Supplementary material. This dataset is the first step to develop several products at the national scale such as: (i) fuel type classification and mapping; (ii) carbon stock and wildfire emission estimates; (iii) calibration of fuel models for the simulation of fire behavior and effects.

We have recently been made aware by the Forests Editorial Offices of some errors and omissions in the Introduction Section 1 [...]

Forest fires in Algeria are mostly human-caused and result from local social behavior, whether voluntary (arson) or involuntary (negligence). Understanding the reasons why fires start is, therefore, a crucial factor in preventing or reducing their incidence, developing significant prevention efforts and designing specific fire prevention campaigns. The Delphi method is a promising tool for improving knowledge about how fire starts and why, and above all helps reduce the number of fires started by unknown causes, the majority type in Algeria. The Delphi method uses a set of procedures for eliciting and refining the opinions of a panel of experts on a particular subject of interest. This method was used in three case studies, in coastal or inner wilayas (provinces) selected from a highly fire-prone area in north-central Algeria. Results showed the traditional use of fire in agriculture and forestry, in situations related to land use changes and in interpersonal conflicts are the major causes of voluntary fires. For involuntary events (negligence), experts unanimously identified the importance of the restart of fire, caused by fire crews who do not ensure the mopping up of controlled fires (91.49%) and the negligent use of agricultural fires, particularly stubble burning (80.14%). For voluntary fires (arson), results highlight the importance of fires set for land use changes (77.30%), pyromania (67.38%) and honey gathering (62.41%). Illegal dumping and burning of garbage was also mentioned by responders in all study-areas.

One of the most important environmental issues in Europe is the expansion of wildland-urban interfaces (WUIs) and how this trend may affect the occurrence of wildfires. Land use changes, the abandonment of farmland, and reduced grazing has led to an increase in forested areas with an accumulation and continuity of surface fuels available for combustion. Policies based exclusively on extensive fire suppression have become ineffective in different parts of Europe. To reduce the threat of damaging and costly wildfires, European countries must develop integrated fuel management programs. This approach has proven to be one of the most cost-effective for preventing wildfires and reducing economic loss. To this end, we have conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis to estimate how much fuel must be treated to determine fuel load removals with the lowest cost per hectare of unaffected WUIs threatened by wildfires in southern Italy (Apulia region). The analysis was carried out in three stages: (i) simulation of fire behavior in different fuel load reduction and wind direction scenarios; (ii) estimation of WUIs affected by wildfires within the study landscape; and (iii) the application of a cost-effectiveness ratio. Our results highlight the need to provide a method to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of fuel removal given the increasing number and extent of WUIs in the Mediterranean landscape of Europe. Optimizing the cost-effectiveness analysis of fuel removals offers the basis for appropriately assessing wildfire prevention and budgeting financial resources. Further, this method may be readily applied toward allocating any type of intervention in landscape management.

Mediterranean communities have been historically conditioned by fire and have therefore developed adaptive traits. Serotiny is a strategy that increases fire resilience by storing seeds in the canopy, protecting them from heat and delaying their dispersion. Aleppo pine is an important serotinous tree species in the low altitude, near-coastal Mediterranean Basin. Differences in serotinous and non-serotinous cones have been detected previously but in order to resolve a gap in the knowledge on seed adaptation to fire, we focused this study on two fire-prone habitats in southern Italy. Several cones were sampled and opened in an oven at two different temperatures in order to group seeds according to provenance and cone type (serotinous or non-serotinous). The sampled seeds were weighed and their coats were removed. Seed size, embryo diameter and nutritive tissue thickness were recorded. We found that seeds with greater weight and size came from the more humid site and from non-serotinous cones. Also, we observed wax and cutine cells formed a thicker seed coat in seeds from the more humid site using a scanning electron microscope. The scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy showed higher Si and Ca concentrations in the covers of serotinous seeds. Seeds from different provenance and cone types have anatomic and morphological differences that confer different properties against heating. This knowledge can improve post-fire management and promote restoration tools.

Pinus halepensis Mill., a widespread, low elevation conifer common in Mediterranean Basin, shows a dual reproductive strategy: post-fire obligate seeder (from serotinous cones) and an early coloniser (from non-serotinous cones). Release of seeds encased in serotinous cones is induced either by fire (pyriscence, serotiny or bradychory) or by drying (xeriscence). Morphological differences in serotinous and non-serotinous cones in natural populations of P. halepensis in Southeastern Italy were analyzed. Relationships between tree size (diameter class) and serotiny were checked by counting and sampling serotinous and non-serotinous cones. The macro and microscopic characteristics that could affect cones’ opening were measured in sampled cones. Protection against high temperatures offered by wood scales was also evaluated by applying different temperatures and time exposures, and following the inner thermal raise. Results showed that non-serotinous cones had bigger resin ducts and more separate scales. Also it was highlighted that ovuliferous scales of serotinous cones were bigger and thicker. These scales had more lamellated (multilayered) sclereid cells, and were significantly thinner with a shorter lumen diameter. Continuous temperature-monitoring heat tests inside cones showed that temperatures close to the cone axis were rather low, so seed germination was not influenced. Results confirm that serotinous cones are more compact, rigid and consistent than non-serotinous cones. These characteristics explain the lower insulation, seed protection and the ease opening of non-serotinous cones as well. In conclusion, opening mechanism of pinecone scales under the effect of fire or dry conditions seem related to anatomic differences and it provides seeds with an efficient protection against heat.

[1] The main problem encountered when applying remote sensing and geographic information systems techniques for wildfire risk assessment is the necessity to integrate different data sources. The methods applied so far are usually based on regression techniques or on coefficients relying on experts' knowledge. Hence fire managers are seeking an unbiased statistical model able to highlight the multivariate spatial relationships between the predictor variables, yielding understandable output readily accessible to end users. The present research aims to test the capability of classification and regression trees (CART) analysis to assess long-term fire risk at a local scale. The CART analysis is a nonparametric statistical technique which generates decision rules in the form of a binary tree, for a classification or a regression process. A fire-prone study area was selected in the southeast of Italy. Fire ignition points, relative to a 7 year period (1997-2003), were used to derive a fire occurrence map through a kernel density approach. The resulting map was then used as input response variable for the CART analysis with fire danger variables used as predictors. The rules induced by the regression process allowed the definition of different risk levels, expressed as 30 management units, which is useful for producing a fire risk map. The result of the regression process (r = 0.77), the capability of the CART analysis to highlight the hierarchical relationships among the predictor variables, and the improved interpretability of the regression rules represent a possible tool useful for better approaching the problem of assessing and representing fire risk.