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What are Megafires?

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By Mariña Fernández From a very simple point of view if we blend a source of heat (point of ignition), some fuels (vegetation) and oxygen (air from atmosphere) in landscape, we obtain a wildfire. If we add to that mixture either extreme weather conditions (unstable atmosphere, strong winds, low moisture), an available heavy load of fuel or a complex topography, then fire will also develop an extreme behaviour and can spread at such a high speed that could threaten not only environment, communication infrastructures or populations, also the safety of suppression personnel. These are what we called mega-fires and are […]
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Mutual learning, a key towards a living with fire

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By Isabeau Ottolini To understand what mutual learning is, we can compare it with another term: traditional learning. Traditional learning is largely one-way communication between an expert (like a teacher) and non-experts (like students). Imagine, an expert teaching you to not make a bonfire on hot, windy days. Maybe you have interesting discussions on the topic, but it is unlikely the expert(s) learn from you. On the other hand, mutual learning is two-way communication between different people (they can be experts or not). In recognising that all of us has valuable experiences and knowledge, everyone learns from each other. Imagine, fire practitioners and shepherds learning from one another on how to combine prescribed fire with […]
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Wildfire mitigation is a way to be prepared for wildfire

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By Nemer Abusamha Imagine you are taking care of your house garden or your farm such as removing dead plants, rearranging the plants in a certain way, harvesting your land. Individuals are responsible for keeping their gardens in good shape and healthy. Wildfire mitigation is the implementation of certain methods to reduce the risk of the wildfire ignition and the impact of fores fires on wildlife, people, and structures. To mitigate that,  fuel treatments and fuel management such as thinning and pruning of trees and shrubs, have certain separation areas between plants in certain areas are common methods. Selecting certain […]
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How easily a material burns?

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By Simona Dossi Flammability is the property which describes how easily a material burns. Non-flammable materials never burn regardless of the conditions: sand, for example, doesn’t ignite but melts into glass at very high temperatures. Highly flammable materials, like gasoline, only require a spark to burst into flames. Wood’s flammability lies in between this spectrum. In addition to the material’s inherent chemical ability to ignite, flammability depends on its condition, geometry, and environment. The wood fuelling our chimneys demonstrates this clearly: Condition: Dry wood burns much more easily than damp wood Geometry: 1 kg of small thin twigs burn more […]
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What makes a community more vulnerable to fire?

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By Carmen Rodríguez Traditionally, in the fire field – listening to the term “community vulnerable to fire” makes us think of a wildland-urban interface (WUI) with wooden houses and a lot of highly flammable trees in a fire-prone area. However, the more Social Science we bring on board to the forest fire debate, the more we realize how narrow that vision is. There is a biophysical component to vulnerability, of course, but there are other economic and especially social considerations that are very often not taken into account. The Hyogo Framework for Action defines vulnerability as: “The conditions determined by […]
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