BUSCADOR RECOLECTA

Despite the abundant firefighting resources deployed to reinforce the fire exclusion policy, extreme events continue to cause substantial losses in Mediterranean regions. These catastrophic wildfires question the merely-reactive response, while science-based decision-making advocates for a paradigm shift towards a long-term solution to coexist with fire. Comprehensive management solutions integrate multiple efforts to minimize the number of escaped wildfires in fire ignition hotspots, restrict large fire spread across the landscape, and prevent losses to valued resources and assets. This study develops a wildfire management zone (WMZ) delineation framework to inform decision-making in fire-prone Mediterranean landscapes. First, we combined modeling outcomes of wildfire occurrence, initial attack success, and wildfire transmission to communities to segment the landscape in WMZ blocks. We assumed the worst-case scenario in terms of fire simultaneity and weather conditions to implement the models. The geospatial outcomes were assembled and classified into four primary archetypes, and we then designated the most suitable risk mitigation strategies for each management unit. The WMZs included (1) comprehensive management, (2) human ignition prevention, (3) intensive fuel management, and (4) fire reintroduction areas. Finally, we downscaled within zones to assign specific management prescriptions to the different areas. The results were presented in a set of cross-scale maps to assist in designing risk management plans and raise social awareness. The methodological framework developed in this study may be valuable to help mitigate risk in fire-prone Mediterranean areas, but also in other regions in which similar total suppression policies fail to reduce catastrophic wildfire losses., This work has been financed by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, postdoctoral ‘Juan de la Cierva Formación’ research grant (FJCI-2016-31090) awarded by Marcos Rodrigues. The work was partially funded by the projects FirEUrisk “DEVELOPING A HOLISTIC, RISK-WISE STRATEGY FOR EUROPEAN WILDFIRE MANAGEMENT”. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101003890; and CLIMARK “Forest management promotion for climate mitigation through the design of a local market of climatic credits” (LIFE16 CCM/ES/000065).

Remotely sensed vegetation indices have been widely used to estimate live fuel moisture content (LFMC). However, marked differences in vegetation structure affect the relationship
between field-measured LFMC and reflectance, which limits spatial extrapolation of these indices. To
overcome this limitation, we explored the potential of random forests (RF) to estimate LFMC at the
subcontinental scale in the Mediterranean basin wildland. We built RF models (LFMCRF) using a
combination of MODIS spectral bands, vegetation indices, surface temperature, and the day of year
as predictors. We used the Globe-LFMC and the Catalan LFMC monitoring program databases as
ground-truth samples (10,374 samples). LFMCRF was calibrated with samples collected between 2000
and 2014 and validated with samples from 2015 to 2019, with overall root mean square errors (RMSE)
of 19.9% and 16.4%, respectively, which were lower than current approaches based on radiative
transfer models (RMSE ~74–78%). We used our approach to generate a public database with weekly
LFMC maps across the Mediterranean basin., This study was funded by the MICINN (RTI2018-094691-B-C31), European Union’s Horizon 2020-Research and Innovation Framework Programme under grant agreement no. 101003890 project FirEUrisk, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (U20A20179, 31850410483), and the talent proposals in Sichuan Province (2020JDRC0065) from Southwest University of Science and Technology (18ZX7131)

This work has received funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (U20A20179, 31850410483), the Talent Proposals in Sichuan Province (2020JDRC0065), from Southwest University of Science and Technology (18ZX7131), the MICINN (RTI2018-094691-B-C31) and European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 101003890 project FirEUrisk.

Mediterranean forests and fire regimes are closely intertwined. Global change is likely to alter both forest dynamics and wildfire activity, ultimately threatening the provision of ecosystem services and posing greater risks to society. In this paper we evaluate future wildfire behavior by coupling climate projections with simulation models of forest dynamics and wildfire hazard. To do so, we explore different forest management scenarios reflecting different narratives related to EU forestry (promotion of carbon stocks, reduction of water vulnerability, biomass production and business-as-usual) under the RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 climate pathways in the period 2020–2100. We used as a study model pure submediterranean Pinus nigra forests of central Catalonia (NE Spain). Forest dynamics were simulated from the 3rd National Forest Inventory (143 stands) using SORTIE-nd software based on climate projections under RCPs 4.5 and 8.5. The climate products were also used to estimate fuel moisture conditions (both live and dead) and wind speed. Fuel parameters and fire behavior were then simulated, selecting crown fire initiation potential and rate of spread as key indicators. The results revealed consistent trade-offs between forest dynamics, climate and wildfire. Despite the clear influence exerted by climate, forest management modulates fire behavior, resulting in different trends depending on the climatic pathway. In general, the maintenance of current practices would result in the highest rates of crown fire activity, while management for water vulnerability reduction is postulated as the best alternative to surmount the increasingly hazardous conditions envisaged in RCP 8.5., This work was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Inno- vation, projects FIREPATHS (PID 2020-116556RA-I00) and UMBRA-CLIM (PID 2019-111781RB-I00), and by the ERANET FORESTERRA project INFORMED (grant number: 29183). LEM was funded with a scholarship by the MSc in European Forestry Programme at the Uni- versity of Lleida. This work was also funded by project FirEUrisk - DEVELOPING A HOLISTIC, RISK-WISE STRATEGY FOR EUROPEAN WILDFIRE MANAGEMENT, which has received funding from the Eu- ropean Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101003890.

Wildland fire effects are strongly associated with fire regime characteristics. Here, we developed the first
European pyrogeography based on different fire regime components to better understand fire regimes across the continent. We identified four large-scale pyroregions: a non-fire-prone (NFP) pyroregion featuring nominal fire activity across central and northern Europe; a cool-season fire (CSF) pyroregion scattered throughout Europe; a fire-prone (FP) pyroregion extending mostly across southern Europe; and a highly fire-prone (HFP) pyroregion spanning across northern Portugal, Sicily, and western Balkans. Land cover analysis indicates that pyroregions were first shaped by vegetation and then by anthropogenic factors. On interannual timescales the spatial extent of pyroregions was found to vary, with NFP
showing more stability. Interannual correlations between climate and burned area, fire frequency, and the length of fire period exhibited distinct patterns, strengthening in fire-prone pyroregions (FP and HFP) and weakening in NFP and CSF. Proportion of cool-season fires and large fires were related to fuel accumulation in fire-prone pyroregions. Overall, our findings indicate that such a pyrogeography should allow a more accurate estimate of the effects of climate on fire regimes while providing an appropriate framework to better understand fire in Europe, This work was funded by project MED-Star, supported by the European Union under the Operational Program Italy/France Maritime (project number CUP E88H19000120007). Marcos Rodrigues has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101003890, FirEUrisk – DEVELOPING A HOLISTIC, RISK-WISE STRATEGY FOR EUROPEAN WILDFIRE MANAGEMENT.

Mediterranean forests and fire regimes are closely intertwined. Global change is likely to alter both forest dynamics and wildfire activity, ultimately threatening the provision of ecosystem services and posing greater risks to society. In this paper we evaluate future wildfire behavior by coupling climate projections with simulation models of forest dynamics and wildfire hazard. To do so, we explore different forest management scenarios reflecting different narratives related to EU forestry (promotion of carbon stocks, reduction of water vulnerability, biomass production and business-as-usual) under the RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 climate pathways in the period 2020–2100. We used as a study model pure submediterranean Pinus nigra forests of central Catalonia (NE Spain). Forest dynamics were simulated from the 3rd National Forest Inventory (143 stands) using SORTIE-nd software based on climate projections under RCPs 4.5 and 8.5. The climate products were also used to estimate fuel moisture conditions (both live and dead) and wind speed. Fuel parameters and fire behavior were then simulated, selecting crown fire initiation potential and rate of spread as key indicators. The results revealed consistent trade-offs between forest dynamics, climate and wildfire. Despite the clear influence exerted by climate, forest management modulates fire behavior, resulting in different trends depending on the climatic pathway. In general, the maintenance of current practices would result in the highest rates of crown fire activity, while management for water vulnerability reduction is postulated as the best alternative to surmount the increasingly hazardous conditions envisaged in RCP 8.5., This work was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, projects FIREPATHS (PID 2020-116556RA-I00) and UMBRACLIM (PID 2019-111781RB-I00), and by the ERANET FORESTERRA project INFORMED (grant number: 29183). LEM was funded with a scholarship by the MSc in European Forestry Programme at the University of Lleida. This work was also funded by project FirEUrisk - DEVELOPING A HOLISTIC, RISK-WISE STRATEGY FOR EUROPEAN WILDFIRE MANAGEMENT, which has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101003890.

Despite the abundant firefighting resources deployed to reinforce the fire exclusion policy, extreme events continue to cause substantial losses in Mediterranean regions. These catastrophic wildfires question the merely-reactive response, while science-based decision-making advocates for a paradigm shift towards a long-term solution to coexist with fire. Comprehensive management solutions integrate multiple efforts to minimize the number of escaped wildfires in fire ignition hotspots, restrict large fire spread across the landscape, and prevent losses to valued resources and assets. This study develops a wildfire management zone (WMZ) delineation framework to inform decision-making in fire-prone Mediterranean landscapes. First, we combined modeling outcomes of wildfire occurrence, initial attack success, and wildfire transmission to communities to segment the landscape in WMZ blocks. We assumed the worst-case scenario in terms of fire simultaneity and weather conditions to implement the models. The geospatial outcomes were assembled and classified into four primary archetypes, and we then designated the most suitable risk mitigation strategies for each management unit. The WMZs included (1) comprehensive management, (2) human ignition prevention, (3) intensive fuel management, and (4) fire reintroduction areas. Finally, we downscaled within zones to assign specific management prescriptions to the different areas. The results were presented in a set of cross-scale maps to assist in designing risk management plans and raise social awareness. The methodological framework developed in this study may be valuable to help mitigate risk in fire-prone Mediterranean areas, but also in other regions in which similar total suppression policies fail to reduce catastrophic wildfire losses. © 2021 The Author(s)

[Methods] We first defined eight large ecoregions based on their environment and vegetation: Mediterranean, Arid, Atlantic, Mountains, Boreal, Steppes, Continental, and Tundra. These ecoregions were defined by aggregating 81 WWF ecoregions with the help of the bioregions (https://www.oneearth.org/bioregions-2020/). We provide the shape files with these ecoregions.

Then we intersected each ecoregion with individual-fire data obtained from remote sensing hotspots to estimate fire regime parameters for each environment. Specifically, we computed the following fire statistics for each ecoregion and year (2001-2019): area burnt; mean fire size; fire intensity; fire season; fire patchiness (CV of the fire intensity in each fire); fire recurrence and pyrodiversity. This data was estimated based on individual-fire data provided in GlobFire (Artés et al. 2019) except fire intensity that was estimated using MODIS hotspots (Collection 6 Active Fire Products from Terra and Aqua satellites, dataset MCD14ML; downloaded from the University of Maryland, USA; period 2001-2021). Fire recurrence for each ecoregion was estimated as the number of times each patch was burnt. The pyrodiversity of each ecoregion (i.e., fire-caused landscape heterogeneity) was estimated as the Shannon diversity of fire patches, that is, considering the relative abundance (sizes) of fire-produced patches in each ecoregion. The data provided is the average by ecoregion and year, except for patchiness we provide the area of each patch in each ecoregion, and the number of times the patch burned. More details are provided in the original article.

[Usage Notes] The ecoregion map is in "shape" format and can be opened with most GIS softwares (e.g., QGIS). The data is provided as comma-delimited files (csv; ASCII) and can be opened with most softwares for numerical analysis (e.g. in R using the function read.csv) or with a spreadsheet (e.g., LibreOffice Spreadsheet)., We characterised fire regimes and estimated fire regime parameters (area burnt, size, intensity, season, patchiness, pyrodiversity) at broad spatial scales using remotely sensed individual-fire data. Specifically, we focused on the western part of the Palearctic realm, i.e., Europe, North Africa, and the Near East. We first divided the study area into eight large ecoregions based on their environment and vegetation (ecoregions): Mediterranean, Arid, Atlantic, Mountains, Boreal, Steppes, Continental, and Tundra. Then we intersected each ecoregion with individual-fire data obtained from remote sensing hotspots to estimate fire regime parameters for each environment. This allowed us to compute annual area burnt, fire size, fire intensity, fire season, fire patchiness, fire recurrence, and pyrodiversity for each ecoregion. We then related those fire parameters with the ecoregions’ climate and analysed the temporal trends in fire size. The results suggest that fire regime parameters vary across different environments (ecoregions). The Mediterranean had the largest, most intense, and most recurrent fires, but the Steppes had the largest burnt area. Arid ecosystems had the most extended fire season, Tundra had the patchiest fires, and Boreal forests had the earliest fires of the year. The spatial variability in fire regimes was largely explained by the variability of climate and vegetation, with a tendency for greater fire activity in the warmer ecoregions. There was also a temporal tendency for fires to become larger during the last two decades, especially in Arid and Continental environments. In conclusion, fire regime characteristics of each ecoregion are unique, with a tendency for greater fire activity in warmer environments, and for increasingly large fires in recent decades., European Commission, Award: GA 101003890 (fireUrisk)., Peer reviewed

The ecoregion map is in "shape" format and can be opened with most GIS softwares (e.g., QGIS). The data is provided as comma-delimited files (csv; ASCII) and can be opened with most softwares for numerical analysis (e.g. in R using the function read.csv) or with a spreadsheet (e.g., LibreOffice Spreadsheet)., We characterised fire regimes and estimated fire regime parameters (area burnt, size, intensity, season, patchiness, pyrodiversity) at broad spatial scales using remotely sensed individual-fire data. Specifically, we focused on the western part of the Palearctic realm, i.e., Europe, North Africa, and the Near East. We first divided the study area into eight large ecoregions based on their environment and vegetation (ecoregions): Mediterranean, Arid, Atlantic, Mountains, Boreal, Steppes, Continental, and Tundra. Then we intersected each ecoregion with individual-fire data obtained from remote sensing hotspots to estimate fire regime parameters for each environment. This allowed us to compute annual area burnt, fire size, fire intensity, fire season, fire patchiness, fire recurrence, and pyrodiversity for each ecoregion. We then related those fire parameters with the ecoregions' climate and analysed the temporal trends in fire size. The results suggest that fire regime parameters vary across different environments (ecoregions). The Mediterranean had the largest, most intense, and most recurrent fires, but the Steppes had the largest burnt area. Arid ecosystems had the most extended fire season, Tundra had the patchiest fires, and Boreal forests had the earliest fires of the year. The spatial variability in fire regimes was largely explained by the variability of climate and vegetation, with a tendency for greater fire activity in the warmer ecoregions. There was also a temporal tendency for fires to become larger during the last two decades, especially in Arid and Continental environments. In conclusion, fire regime characteristics of each ecoregion are unique, with a tendency for greater fire activity in warmer environments, and for increasingly large fires in recent decades., Funding provided by: European Commission, Award Number: GA 101003890 (fireUrisk)., Peer reviewed

[Aim] The aim was to characterize fire regimes and estimate fire regime parameters (area burnt, size, intensity, season, patchiness and pyrodiversity) at broad spatial scales using remotely sensed individual-fire data., [Location] Western part of the Palaearctic realm (i.e., Europe, North Africa and the Near East)., [Time period] 2001–2021., [Methods] Initially, I divided the study area into eight large ecoregions based on their environment and vegetation: Mediterranean, Arid, Atlantic, Mountains, Boreal, Steppes, Continental and Tundra. Next, I intersected each predefined ecoregion with individual-fire data obtained from remote sensing hotspots to estimate fire regime parameters for each environment. This allowed me to compute annual area burnt, fire size, fire intensity, fire season, fire patchiness, fire recurrence and pyrodiversity for each ecoregion. I related those fire parameters to the climate of the ecoregions and analysed the temporal trends in fire size., [Results] Fire regime parameters varied across different environments (ecoregions). The Mediterranean had the largest, most intense and most recurrent fires, but the Steppes had the largest burnt area. Arid ecosystems had the most extended fire season, Tundra had the patchiest fires, and Boreal forests had the earliest fires of the year. The spatial variability in fire regimes was largely explained by the variability of climate and vegetation, with a tendency for greater fire activity in the warmer ecoregions. There was also a temporal tendency for large fires to become larger during the last two decades, especially in Arid and Continental environments., [Main conclusion] The fire regime characteristics of each ecoregion are unique, with a tendency for greater fire activity in warmer environments. In addition, fires have been increasing in size during recent decades., This work was inspired by meetings of the FIRELink Cost Action (European Commission CA18135) and performed under the framework of the fireUrisk project (European Commission GA 101003890; European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme)., Peer reviewed