EUSTAFOR Approach Towards an Integrated Fire Prevention

Forest fire prevention and preparedness must be a central element of Europe’s climate resilience and environmental strategies, as combined effects of climate change and land use change are increasing the frequency, intensity, and scale of wildfires across many regions, as well as its danger for people. The risk of catastrophic megafires is worryingly increasing. While emergency response remains important, effective fire prevention depends primarily on proactive forest management and strategic land-use planning that reduce vulnerability before fires occur.

The risk of wildfires has been increasing during the last decades driven by landscape changes, mostly due to land abandonment and countryside depopulation. In addition, climate change is also a key factor contributing largely to the increased risk, leading to already experienced severe droughts, extended summer periods and more recurrent and extreme heat-wave episodes. Many countries have now to extend their forest fire protection measures beyond the summer periods and in areas previously not at risk, and other ones are just facing a problem that they did not have to invest in and prioritise until now.

Land use and landscape/territorial scale approaches play a decisive role in shaping fire risk and fire behaviour. Landscape homogenisation, land abandonment leading to unmanaged afforestation, and the expansion of continuous, dense shrub or forest covers can significantly increase fuel loads and fire severity. In contrast, diversified land-use mosaics, with managed forests, with low density stands, combined with agriculture, grazing areas, and other open or semi-open landscapes, act as natural fire breaks, limit fire intensity, provide opportunities for firefighting and improve access for prevention and suppression activities. Prevention is crucial not only in terms of avoiding fires but also to reduce their severity and increase the suppression possibilities.