This Research Front is based on research initially presented at the Third International Smoke Symposium (ISS3) sponsored by the International Association of Wildland Fire (IAWF). These papers illustrate the broad scope of the conference, which covered a range of topics related to wildand fire emissions and their impacts on the environment and on society.
Fire is an essential component in many ecosystems. However, new fire regimes resulting from changes in climate conditions might threat the sustainability of processes and communities of those ecosystems. This Research Front addresses the interactions between climate change and forest fire regimes, their ecological impacts and consequences, and the role of landscape management to mitigate those impacts. The papers offer a contrast in approaches and concepts, and illustrate the uncertainties around the emergence of new fire regimes from multiple perspectives: the causes, the consequences and the management alternatives.
This Research Front comprises papers that highlight some of the contributions the social sciences can make to improving our ability to manage wildfire risk to individuals and communities. This collection of papers draws on the work of researchers from a range of the social sciences, with results that have implications for both policy and practice. The papers cover the controversial issue of staying and defending or early evacuation, and issues of children’s understanding of bushfire risk, indigenous knowledge of fire, and the meaning of ‘shared responsibility’. Each paper highlights important challenges and ideas for fire management.
This Research Front contains papers exploring the use of remote sensing and GIS applications in support of fire management. Guest edited by Ioannis Z. Gitas, Jesús San-Miguel-Ayanz, Emilio Chuvieco and Andrea Camia, these articles describe both the advances made and challenges involved at local, regional and global scales.