Forest fires: fire ecology

In fire driven areas, ecosystems possess structural and functional characteristics that were selected over time, and that allow them to cope with fires. Understanding how ecosystems respond to fire is important for managing them in a context where fires are prevalent. However, fire regimes are not stable nowadays in southern Europe, due to changes in land-use, human pressures and climate, among other drivers. Understanding how ecosystems will respond to changes in

The pattern of fire occurrence, fire frequency, fire seasons, fire size, fire intensity, and fire type that is characteristic of a particular geographical area and/or vegetation type.

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(e.g., increased fire frequency, severity, timing) and climate (e.g., increased temperature and decreased rainfall), or past land-use history and management is critical for assessing their vulnerability and capacity to provide their services.

In the short term, changes in fire drivers and regime can elicit variations in species composition, structure and functioning, which may further interact with fire drivers to further affect fire regimes. Understanding ecosystem's vulnerability and potential to adapt to such changes can help developing proactive

Measures that enable an organization to avoid, preclude or limit the impact of an undesirable event or potential disruption.

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and post-fire regeneration strategies.