EU-FIRESMARTForest and land management options to prevent unwanted forest fireshttp://www.firesmart-project.eu/

EU-FIRESMARTForest and land management options to prevent

unwanted forest fires

A. Sebastián-López, C. Hernando Lara, R. Planelles, A. Buffoni, C. Boström, R. Alves, M. Jappiot, J. San Miguel Ayanz

EU-FIRESMART FP7 Support Action

7th Framework Programme project

Topic/Area: Forest and Land Management

Options to Prevent Unwanted Forest Fires

/Integrated Forest Research

Financed by the European Commission

FP7 Grant Agreement Nº 243840

Budget: 920.000 €

Duration: Feb 2010- Feb 2012

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EU-FIRESMARTCONSORTIUM

8 PARTNERS: 3 private companies 2 national research centres 1 European research centre 1 national and 1 European

federation of forest owners Project coordinator: GMV

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EU-FIRESMARTThe context 1/4

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Mediterranean forests

EU-FIRESMARTThe context 2/4

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Counter problem

EU-FIRESMARTThe context 3/4

Focus: PREVENTIONProblem: Disperse and fragmented

knowledge about current practices

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EU-FIRESMARTThe context 4/4

Disperse and fragmented knowledge about current practices

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EU-FIRESMART OBJECTIVES

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Integrated forest management plans

EU-FIRESMART Prevention topics

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FIRESMART fire prevention practice Database

• Dynamic instrument: continuously updated by users

• Two kind of users: passive readers vs active DB feeders

• Four local areas (privileged source of information):

Pinhal Interior Norte region Autonomous Region of Valencia

Bouches-du-Rhône Cagliari Province, Sardinia

• Post project maintenance of the DB

EU-FIRESMART CURRENT ACHIEVEMENTS 1/8

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EU-FIRESMART CURRENT ACHIEVEMENTS 2/8

FIRESMART fire prevention practices Database

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…and some more from USA, Canada, Australia, Russia, Israel and South Africa

Agroforestry1% Awareness and

communication actions2%

Actions to conciliate interests and volunteer

programmes 3%

Fire risk/Fire causes17%

Integrated forest management systems

6%

Legislation 5%

Politics1%

Planning23%

Preventive silviculture, use of the fire and

infrastructures 29%

Statistics5% Surveillance

1% Training courses3%

Wildland-Urban interfaces

4%

Scientific collection

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FIRESMART fire prevention practices Database

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SWOT analysis:- Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats

- Scientific and technological documents

Focus on:

EU-FIRESMART CURRENT ACHIEVEMENTS 4/8

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SWOT analysis

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Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats

Incidence of single SWOT observations Agroforestry and Grazingpractices in forest fire prevention (range 0-40): institutional aspects

Incidence of single SWOT observations Agroforestry and Grazing practices in forest fire prevention (range 0-40): Institutional aspects

0

10

20

30

401

2

3

4

1

2

34

1

2

1

2

3

T

O

S

W

The higest strenght detected was in Spain, where regional administration are trying to have agreements between sheepherders and land managers to increase the level of rural activities. The highest weaknes detected was in Spain, where there is not enough communication between the different regions in Spain.The highest opportunity was the support of Common Agricultural Policy to farming systems such as agroforestry.The highest threat detected was in Spain, where the conflicts between sheepherders and forest managers generate reluctance to cooperate.

Highest strenght: in Spain regional administration are trying to make agreements between sheepherders and land managers Highest weakness: in Spain not enough communication between regionsHighest opportunity: support of Common Agricultural Policy to farming systems such as agroforestry.Highest threat: in Spain reluctance to cooperate due to conflicts between sheepherders and forest managers

Impact of Agroforestry and Grazing practices in forest fire prevention(weighted)

22%

46%

21%

11%

Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats

The lack of information on this topic provides a high weight of weaknesses, however strengths and opportunities impact are important against threats.

STAKEHOLDERS QUESTIONNAIRES:

Objective: obtaining information about forest management practicesTarget: managers & researchers

Methods: four blocks, each tackling a series of obstacles for fire prevention

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Map of European countries with respondents to the FIRESMART questionnaires

1854 questionnaires sent460460 completed (25%)

STAKEHOLDERS QUESTIONNAIRES:

Some results.

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1 2 3 4 5

France

Greece

Portugal

Spain

Italy

The progress on scientific and technological knowledge can be applied to forest fire prevention

management

StronglyDisagree

Disagree No strongfeelings

Agree Stronglyagree

OK

1 2 3 4 5

France

Italy

Portugal

Spain

Greece

The transfer of scientific knowledge to the management of forest fire prevention is suitable

StronglyDisagree

Disagree No strongfeelings

Agree Stronglyagree

Why?How?

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FIRESMART Web page: http://www.firesmart-project.eu/

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EU-FIRESMART EXPECTED IMPACT 1/2

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EU-FIRESMART EXPECTED IMPACT 2/2

Technical workshops

28/04/2011: Smart forest fire prevention in Europe, Madrid, Spain School of Forestry Engineering AuditoriumObjective: gather various forest stakeholder to focus on fire prevention

– October 2011: conference in Bruxelles;

Objective: providing recommendations to the EU forest policy makers (CEFP)

– February 2012: conference at European Union JRCObjective: providing scientific, technological, social and administrative results

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http://www.firesmart-project.eu/

firesmart@gmv.es

Thank you for the attention!

Donata Pedrazzani - GMV SA,

on behalf of FIRESMART Consortium