Article by Dr. Stefanie Linser (BOKU) Across Europe, forests are expected to do more than ever: protect wildlife, cope with climate change, provide many benefits to people, and stay…
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What if I told you that Iceland, a land known for glaciers, snowstorms, and volcanic fury, is quietly becoming a frontier in wildfire risk? It sounds contradictory. Yet, that’s exactly what we experienced during a two-and-a-half-day FoRISK wildfire workshop held from October 7 to 9, in Selfoss, southern Iceland. This training was hosted by the Icelandic Civil Protection, under the Technical Assistance Financing Facility (TAFF) of the European Commission’s Directorate General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO, the World Bank and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR).
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Change doesn’t happen overnight. To facilitate the shift toward healthier forests that store more carbon and restore biodiversity, it is vital to work closely with the people who manage, use and work with forests.
To share scientific insights and knowledge with those who have the power to influence forest management in the field, a set of training sessions have been designed by the Forest Ownership Centre (CPF), a forest administration in Catalonia, to address “multipliers” such as forest professionals and other public forest workers who work hand in hand with small private forest owners in the region. The first session took place in El Montmell, a village in the Tarragona province, for a group of 26 forest rangers. The training took place in an Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) forest to show how sustainable forest management can help capture more carbon and reduce CO₂ emissions while preventing wildfires. The site is an area partly affected by a wildfire in 1976 that has since grown back naturally and now consists of a dense cover of Aleppo pine regeneration. These young forests are especially at risk of burning again, and repeated fires can cause permanent tree and soil loss. Forest management can lower this risk by reducing excess biomass and helping stronger trees grow faster and produce seeds in a shorter cycle. This approach prevents fires, enhances the chances of tree recovery in case of a new fire and helps capture more carbon from the atmosphere.
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“Millions are being invested in trying to find the right solution to wildfires. And yet, we are further away than ever from it,” says Carmen Rodriguez. Some are even starting to talk about “the wildfire crisis”. As a scientist exploring the socio-political dimension of wildfires, the question driving Carmen’s research parts ways from cutting-edge AI models, sophisticated drones, and high-tech sensors to ask herself and the wildfire community: Are we looking for solutions in the right places?
Carmen’s research challenges mainstream conceptualizations of the wildfire problem, seeking to see “beyond the flames.” Understanding wildfires as a territorial problem shifts the focus away from emergency response and broadens it to incorporate the complexity of the territories where wildfires occur, including the ecological, social, and economic dynamics that shape them. By shifting the narrative, and placing not wildfire suppression but rather societal needs at the centre, new pathways for (social) innovation and enhanced resilience emerge. Watch the video to learn more.
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The Resilience for Mediterranean Landscapes MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) is a groundbreaking online course developed as part of the ResAlliance Project. This free and accessible resource addresses the growing challenges of climate hazards in the Mediterranean region, focusing on innovative solutions in forestry and agriculture.
Featuring contributions from experts at 16 leading European research institutions and real-world case studies from Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece, and Cyprus, this MOOC combines cutting-edge research with practical knowledge.
Whether you’re a professional in forestry or agriculture, a student, a policymaker, or simply someone passionate about environmental resilience, this course equips you with the tools and insights to understand and tackle the impacts of climate change by exploring practical solutions at various levels to enhance resilience, especially in forestry and agriculture. Learn about initiatives in different contexts, connect with practitioners and experts, and engage in collaborative discussions to share and develop effective solutions for addressing climate-related challenges.
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Die Bewirtschaftung eines Waldes kann zu Konflikten führen, die in den unterschiedlichen Bedürfnissen an den Wald begründet sind. Für die einen steht zum Beispiel die Förderung der Biodiversität im Vordergrund, für die anderen die Holznutzung, und wiederum andere priorisieren die Rolle des Waldes als Kohlenstoffsenke. Jede Perspektive ist wichtig, jedes Bedürfnis kritisch, aber es ist nicht immer leicht, einen gemeinsamen Nenner zu finden. Deshalb benötigen wir adaptive Politiken und Strategien, die diese verschiedenen Prioritäten zusammen- und – wenn möglich – miteinander in Einklang bringen
Um diese Herausforderungen zusammen zu erforschen, laden wir Sie zu unserer Workshopreihe „Waldbewirtschaftung in Zeiten von klimabedingtem Stress und Störungen: Umsetzung von Politikszenarien für resiliente Wälder“ ein. Mit diesen Workshops, die gemeinsam vom European Forest Institute (EFI) und der Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg organisiert werden, untersuchen wir die Auswirkungen verschiedener politischer Szenarien auf die Waldbewirtschaftung, die biologische Vielfalt und die Reaktionen verschiedener Waldökosysteme auf (klimabedingten) Stress und Störungen.
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Extreme droughts are expected to increase in frequency and severity and together with rising temperatures weaken trees, threatening forest ecosystems and the services provided. Extensive…
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Climate change and its impacts on forest ecosystems, such as the increase of pests, poses a great threat to oaks. Fortunately, several ecological measures are available to improve oak vitality. Parasitoid insects, for example, are natural antagonists of leave-eating caterpillars and can help control forest pests. In the “Oak Resilience” project, the state agency Wald und Holz NRW investigated parasitoids in selected study areas in North-Rhine Westphalia
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Drought events are expected to be more frequent and more extreme in the forthcoming decades due to climate change. Already in the past decade we…
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Waldbrandexperte Alexander Held im Gespräch mit G’Scheitholz! über Waldbrand, Prävention und Bekämpfung
Waldbrände prägen seit Jahrhunderten die mediterranen Landschaften in Südeuropa. Aber auch in Mitteleuropa werden Waldbrände immer häufiger und riskanter. Sowohl Klimawandel als auch Trends in der Landnutzung und Landschaftveränderungen führen weltweit zu extremer Feueraktivität und stellen die verschiedenen Regionen vor neue Herausforderungen.
Die Prävention von Waldbränden müsste noch mehr zur Zielsetzung werden, meint Waldbrandexperte Alexander Held vom European Forest Insitute im Gespräch mit dem österreichischen Klimaschutz-podcast G’Scheitholz!. Zwar können wir nicht alle Feuer verhindern, doch eine gute Prävention kann dafür sorgen, dass die Feuer, die auftreten, beherrschbar bleiben für die Feuerwehr. Das bedeutet beispielsweise die Brandlast, also die Menge an Brennmaterial, an Waldwegen zu reduzieren und mehr Pufferzonen zu schaffen.
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