We focused on assessing current fire risk conditions. Several products were developed and showcased in several PS, including a mobile application to help citizens improve their awareness of fire risk conditions and enlist their help in characterizing ground fuels and fire outbreaks. Maps at ET or PS scale, for fuel, fire line intensity, live fuel moisture content, and ecosystem services and values, among many other products are presented in deliverable D5.12.
We explored risk reduction strategies with a focus on extreme fires. This included reduction of human caused ignitions through improved citizen awareness and education, and the impacts of prescribed burning on fuel flammability. Other outputs are ET-scale mapping of the suitable areas to adopt each land-management strategy, evaluation of processes associated with extreme fire behaviour, guidelines to improve the training of firefighters in the management of large fires, as well as reports on large fires in 2021 and 2022 produced in collaboration with the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre.
We researched on adaptation, producing future climate and socioeconomic scenarios, to predict the future fire situation in the EU, and maps were created based on key scenarios. Several other products were developed, which are also listed in D5.12.
The integration of the project outcomes was a major effort throughout the Project. It included managing the FirEUrisk Observatory, a group formed by European experts and managers that provided advice for the project development. The conceptual integration of the project was completed for the risk assessment activities, which were the backbone of FirEUrisk project, and critical for the overall fire risk assessment framework and complementary developments. In addition, FirEUrisk developed an Open Platform to share data and products as well as a Display Viewer to facilitate its use by end-users. Lastly, a Roadmap for an integrated fire risk management strategy for Europe was proposed and is being further developed together with other EU fire-related projects from the Green Deal call. The integration scheme has identified the need to enlarge the model to integrate fire risks with other non-fire hazards
Several demonstration events were held in Spain, Portugal, Central Europe, Sweden, and Greece, as well as one devoted to the ET territory held with pertinent stakeholders from EFFIS/JRC. These events were an opportunity to co-develop FirEUrisk products with relevant end-users. Sixty-two products are now available, structured in three service portfolios adjusted to the territorial scale.
More than a dozen webinars were held on relevant topics: fire risk, reduction strategies, data management, future fire regimes, biodiversity, and past fires. In addition, several training courses were organized in relevant topics like fuel mapping, and decision support tools. Communication activities included a wide range of actions and tools: logos, templates, booklets, web pages, infographics, a motion graphic animation and a final video, as well as social media: the X account, LinkedIn, and press activities with great numbers achieved.
Policy Briefs were produced on “Advancing wildfire management in a climate change context: A call for Integration of Holistic Ecosystem and Landscape Management Frameworks in EU Policies” and “Policy Brief on shifting to a holistic approach in the national wildfire management country: Italy”.
Collaboration with the EC project Firelogue and the Innovation Actions was carried out, and several dissemination initiatives were held - #EUFireProjectsUnited.
