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. Fuels varied substantially between species and across sites, but consistently mounded near tree stems. 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 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.

This paper reviews the potential hydrologic and erosion consequences of increased wildfire activity associated with cheatgrass invasions, plant community transitions and warming climate along the rangeland–xeric forest continuum in the western United States. A conceptual model of post-fire hydrologic vulnerability and risk is presented and key knowledge gaps that limit post-fire risk assessment are identified.

It is often necessary to know what day any given area has burned to allow for incorporating daily weather data into fire-related analyses. I evaluated several methods for interpolating coarse-resolution day-of-burning satellite data into fine-resolution maps. The resulting maps showed reasonably high quantitative and qualitative agreement with fire progression data.

We integrate multiple datasets to characterise the use of large airtankers in fire suppression efforts on federal land for the conterminous United States in 2010 and 2011. Results confirm earlier work suggesting extensive use of large airtankers on extended attack, despite policy stating priority for use in initial attack. Further, results suggest that initial attack success rates for fires with large airtanker use are relatively low compared with the success rate on all wildfires.

Future changes in the fire danger rating and the forest fire season were predicted for south-western China under two scenarios. The fire season will be prolonged by an average of 28–31 days and potential burnt areas will increase by19–23% by the end of this century.

A website integrates weather, fire danger and fire behaviour information for the Great Lakes region of the United States. Applications of this Great Lakes Fire and Fuels System are demonstrated and evaluated for the 2012 fire season.

Tree-ring reconstructions reveal historically frequent, low-severity fires (mean fire interval = 7.8 years, ≥2 sites scarred) and low tree densities (mean = 135 trees ha^–1) in a piñon–juniper savanna in the south-western USA. This differs dramatically from (1) current conditions and (2) other piñon–juniper ecosystems containing less grass cover.

We evaluated the effects of a 2500-ha wildfire on bird abundance in a southern Oregon mixed-conifer forest. Over 4 years after the fire, birds associated with conifer tree canopy decreased and birds associated with broadleaf shrubs increased.

Ground patterns of liquid aerial drops for combating wildfires (airplanes and helicopters) are considered. Based on a significant number of drop tests, a simple model for the length, the width and the coverage distribution is presented. The difference between gravity systems and recent pressurised systems is also discussed.

This article presents an economic valuation study of several aspects related to the management of fuel break networks. It shows how citizens’ welfare is influenced by eventual changes in fuel break management programs that have to do with the cleaning techniques employed, the design and overall, with the potential to reduce fire risk.

We examined the predictability of fire days in a seasonally dry tropical forest in southern India using weather parameters. Fire days were more likely with low rainfall in the early dry season, low relative humidity and high temperatures during the dry season. We provide a quantitative framework for fire risk assessment for this forest type.

Can bushfire activity be forecast using climate variables? We review the relationship between fire activity, climate variables and El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) for the fire-prone state of Victoria, Australia. The results reveal the potential to use climate variables and ENSO indices to forecast the upcoming season’s potential bushfire activity.

Knowledge of fuel conditions is critical to accurately forecast fire behaviour. We present a methodology to estimate forest canopy fuel parameters using small-footprint, full-waveform light detection and ranging (LiDAR) airborne data in a mixed forest region of north-west Oregon (US).

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.