An integrated framework for habitat restoration in fire-prone areas. Part 2 – fire hazard assessment of the different land management scenarios

R. Vaz; P. Maia; J. Keizer; P. Fernandes; S. C. Pereira; D. Carvalho

doi:10.1071/WF24044

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

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An integrated framework for habitat restoration in fire-prone areas. Part 2 – fire hazard assessment of the different land management scenarios

R. Vaz ^A ^* , P. Maia ^B , J. Keizer ^C , P. Fernandes ^D , S. C. Pereira ^A and D. Carvalho ^A

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Department of Physics and Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, Aveiro, 3810-193, Portugal. Email: susana.cardoso@campus.ua.pt, david.carvalho@ua.pt

^B Department of Biology and Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Universidade de Aveiro, 8 Campus Universitário de Santiago, Aveiro, 3810-193, Portugal. Email: paula.maia@ua.pt

^C Department of Environment and Planning and Geobiotech, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário 19 de Santiago, Aveiro, 3810-193, Portugal. Email: jjkeizer@ua.pt

^D UTAD – University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto-Douro, CITAB and CoLAB ForestWISE – Collaborative Laboratory for Integrated Forest & Fire Management, Vila Real, 5000-801, Portugal. Email: pfern@utad.pt

^* Correspondence to: ricardojorgevaz@ua.pt

International Journal of Wildland Fire 33, WF24044 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF24044

Submitted: 7 March 2024 Accepted: 25 September 2024 Published: 7 November 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of IAWF. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

Background

Climate change has increased the occurrence of fire-prone weather and extreme weather events in Europe. Improving resilience of forests to reduce fire hazard has become an imperative challenge to tackle.

Aims

This study aims to incorporate extreme fire events from future climate projections in developing forest planning and land management scenarios, evaluating fire risk mitigation potential.

Methods

Using the wildfire–atmosphere coupled modelling system WRF-SFIRE, land management scenarios for the Lombada Forest Intervention Region (ILMA) in northeast Portugal were assessed under a business-as-usual future climate scenario. The Fire Weather Index (FWI) was used as a predictor of fire danger to select two fire events.

Results

Agricultural areas can function as barrier for wildfire conditions under cooler weather. Management of the existing pine forest yielded a reduction in fire spread speed and intensity, namely in lower wind speed regimes, significantly improving suppressive capabilities.

Conclusions

Fuel treatment of maritime pine performed best in reducing fire spread rate, intensity and improving suppression capability. Replacing agricultural areas with oak-based land cover can promote higher fire intensity and spread rates in the younger stanges or if left unmanaged.

Implications

This framework can be used to provide additional tools for forest management across different landscapes reducing fire hazard and vulnerability and improving forest resilience, under climate change.

Keywords: alternative landscape scenarios, climate change, fire modelling, fire propagation, fireline intensity, fuel models, land management strategies, WRF-SFIRE.

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