We assessed the moisture dynamics in spruce–feather moss and spruce–Sphagnum organic soil layers during an extreme fire season. We used this information to project the effects of climate change on potential depth of burn in these stands. Results suggest that climate change will increase depth of burn in spruce–feather moss stands, but not in spruce–Sphagnum stands.

The effect of varying wind speed on the transition of surface fire to live shrub crown fuel composed of chamise was studied in an open-topped wind tunnel. Increasing wind speed from 1.5 to 1.8 m s^–1 enhanced heat transfer to the crown fuel, promoting crown fire ignition and spread.

Wildfires currently represent one of the most critical environmental concerns that Spain has to face. This study aims at evaluating the potential economic savings that can be obtained by the use of a meteorological fire risk index to decide when to adopt fire preventive actions in two zones of Spain.

A smartphone application to assess the amount of fuel in a wildland–urban interface area was used by volunteers with varying levels of forest measurement experience and the data quality was evaluated. We conclude that the approach was successful and if implemented may lead to improved fire management decision making.

Negative binomial models predicting the daily number of bushfires occurring within management regions of south-west Western Australia were developed and tested with data from incident records. The models had reasonable fits but did not show enough prediction variation to be of practical use in areas with few fires.

Alternatives to mass evacuation during a wildfire are being increasingly considered in the United States. We examine how individuals in four communities considering an alternative assess the issues. The tension between increasing safety and reducing uncertainty for emergency responders versus for residents is a key consideration in choosing a preferred strategy.

We present findings from a survey of the Australian wildland fire sector on the actual and potential role of economics in supporting wildland fire management decisions. Analysis of the survey results informed several recommendations on ways to improve the integration of economics into wildland fire management.

A methodology to obtain isochrones at different stages of a wildfire through temporal georeferencing of aerial fire photographs is proposed. This methodology has been applied to two large wildfires (1098 and 4609 ha) that occurred in Spain. This study revealed a rate of propagation much higher than expected.

Daily values of fire danger for Tasmania, Australia, were generated using a regional climate model at ~10-km resolution, for 1961–2100. Regional and seasonal changes in the occurrence of high fire danger were evident over time, and days with pressure patterns associated with high fire danger became more frequent.

Fire has been excluded from many high elevation sagebrush communities because of current management policies. Fire, however, may be important in these ecosystems. We found that fire creates spatial and temporal heterogeneity in soil nutrients, arthropods and plant diversity. This suggests that fire exclusion may have some negative effects and that management may need to include infrequent fire.

In tropical grasslands and savannas, fire is used to reduce woody vegetation expansion. Woody vegetation in these biomes is often patchily distributed with unknown consequences for fire effects. Tree seedlings at the leeward side of wooded patches were less affected by fire, suggesting a ‘safe zone’ promoting woody vegetation expansion.

Many residents of at-risk areas delay committing to defence or evacuation as their response to wildfire threat. This study compared several plausible causes of decision delay and determined that householders’ delay was best predicted by the difference in perceived values of defending v. evacuating, resulting in decision delay when both options get closer in attractiveness.

The scientific basis for wildland firefighter safety zone guidelines is summarised. Experimental and theoretical studies are reviewed. Current understanding is evaluated within the context of a selection of wildland fire entrapments. Recommendations are presented for additional work needed to more completely address the question of what constitutes an effective wildland firefighter safety zone.

This study explores the evacuation preferences of Flathead County, Montana, US residents at risk from wildfire. We found differences in the performance of vegetation management among residents who plan to evacuate or remain at home. Evacuation preferences can be partially explained by characteristics such as demographics.

Visual fuel assessments can be used to parameterise fire behaviour models. Vesta visual fuel assessments in eucalypt woodlands were strongly correlated with quantitative measurements, indicating that visual assessments adequately captured time-since-fire changes in fuel. Issues limiting the wider application of the Vesta methodology were mainly associated with differences between communities in their responses to fire.

In the Canary Islands, wildfires are recurrent in pine forests, and have been reported by the media as an ecological disaster. We investigated fire effect on vegetation and soil nutrients in a well-preserved Canarian pine forest. Results indicated positive effects of fire, such as increased soil organic matter and forest regeneration 4 years after fire.

We evaluated the potential use of very low-density airborne LiDAR data (0.5 first returns m^–2), which is freely available for most of the Spanish territory, to estimate canopy fuel characteristics in Pinus radiata stands in north-western Spain.

Forest floor (litter, fermentation and humus) load, composition, depth, bulk density and mineral content were studied in Jeffrey pine–white fir forests. Forest floor fuels varied spatially in relation to distance from tree boles. The structural and compositional diversity in these fuels underscores our need to better understand forest floor fuels.

The role of forest fuel management for wildfire prevention in Spain was assessed by means of a quantitative SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis. Existing obstacles hindering the implementation of effective fuel management are identified and preliminary recommendations are provided to overcome them.

The aim of the study was to investigate, using the canopy chamber method, the effect of fire on the recovery of grassland vegetation in terms of C fluxes from and to the ecosystem. Two years of investigation showed that the grassland under study can recover quite quickly after fire, although the dynamics of recovery are largely dependent on water availability.

The results of a field experiment for grass fire propagation and the effects on wooden constructions and peat layers are provided. Fire characteristics and conditions for wooden construction ignition are investigated. Practical recommendations are given to minimise the probability of grass fires spreading to wooden constructions.

We developed an approach to derive continuous maps of daily fire progression using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) active fire and thermal anomaly data. The method outperformed the temporal reporting accuracy of two MODIS burnt area products. Remote sensing data on fire progression have the potential to improve our understanding of climate and vegetation controls fire behaviour and emissions.

Time series of low-resolution satellite imagery were analysed with the use of the Breaks for Additive Seasonal and Trend (BFAST) method. Trend changes were identified after a fire event in southern Greece, resulting in the mapping of the burned area and illustration of the post-fire vegetation recovery trend.

Central Australia has experienced many large summer fires over the past five to six decades. However, over the last two decades increased rainfall promoted herbs and soft grasses and resulted in higher fire frequency. This study documents the relationship between fire return interval and mulga regeneration.

This study explores four metrics to describe both widespread fire years and potentially extreme individual fires derived from a case study of wildland fires from 1984 to 2009 in the north-western United States. A combination of percentile-based thresholds is used for each of the metrics to define individual fires as extreme events.

Burned areas were investigated ~20 years after fire events in Greece. Results indicated that the synergy of multi-temporal optical and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images could provide valuable information for monitoring long-term post-fire vegetation recovery.

This research proposes a process to generate a fuel map for large areas, using the Fuel Characteristic Classification System. Fuelbeds were built to represent fuels across the continent of South America. Fire potentials including indexed values of surface fire behaviour, crown fire and available fuels were computed and mapped, enabling users to assess fire hazard, predict fire behaviour and calculate fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

This study investigates the selectivity of fire in relation to land cover type and topography in Southern Europe. Shrubland and grassland are more fire prone, whereas agricultural areas and artificial surfaces are less susceptible to burn. There are significant differences between countries and regions. Slopes >25% and north facing ones were less fire prone.

This paper presents a method to generate fire risk maps making extensive use of geographic information technologies. It describes how the variables were generated and integrated, and how the final index was validated using two years of fire occurrence.