Best Practice Knowledge Base
7.3 Fire prevention
Post-fire regeneration. Västmanland, Sweden © Hernán Serrano-León
Fire prevention measures, such as controlled burns and firebreaks tailored to the specific vegetation and terrain of an area, are key to guarantee the persistence of forests, their biodiversity, and the ecosystem services they provide. When implementing fire control measures, it is crucial to consider their ecological impact to avoid harming soil, plant communities, or wildlife habitats. Moreover, integrating natural fire regimes into fire management strategies is vital, as it promotes the regeneration of fire-adapted species and ecosystem health.
I. Guidelines
| Nº | Title | Author | Year | Focus Region | Language | Summary | Link |
| 1 | International Handbook on Forest Fire Protection: Technical guide for the countries of the Mediterranean basin | Ministère de l'aménagement du territoire et de l'environnement (France) & FAO | 2001 | Mediterranean | English | Comprehensive guide about forest fires and tools to prevent them (especially chapter 6), with examples of case studies. | https://fogos.icnf.pt/download/Forma%C3%A7%C3%A3o%20ICNF/preven%C3%A7%C3%A3o/2-ForestFiresBookFao.pdf |
| 2 | Wildfire risk planning and prevention: Innovations in the Mediterranean and beyond | Mauri & Jankavić | 2024 | Mediterranean | English | Description of innovative instruments used in case studies in the Mediterranean region to prevent wildfires and manage fire risk. | https://doi.org/10.36333/rs8en |
| 3 | Forest fires - CFPA-E Guideline No 6:2016 N | CFPA Europe | 2016 | Europe | English | Basic notions on forest fire prevention and brief comment on some methods. | https://cfpa-e.eu/app/uploads/2022/05/CFPA_E_Guideline_No_6_2016_N.pdf |
| 4 | A Land Manager’s Guide for Creating Fire-Resistant Forests | Fitzgerald & Bennett | 2013 | United States | English | Guideline to create fire-resistant forests in Oregon (United States), but with description of techniques valid for other temperate areas. | https://www.nwfirescience.org/sites/default/files/publications/A%20Land%20Managers%20Guide%20for%20Creating%20Fire-resistant%20Forests%20.pdf |
| 5 | Reducir el riesgo de incendios forestales: Recopilación de prácticas de prevención y gestión en las zonas montañosas del sur de Europa | Guitart et al. | 2022 | South Europe | Spanish | Guide to the prevention of forest fires in the southern european mountains, from the project "Interreg Sudoe MONTCLIMA". | https://www.montclima.eu/sites/default/files/info_material/docs/guias_incendios_forestales_es.pdf |
II. Books or book chapters
| Nº | Title | Author | Chapter | Chapter author | Year | Focus region | Language | Summary | Link |
| 1 | Mediterranean Identities - Environment, Society, Culture | Fuerst-Bjeliš | A Common Approach to Foster Prevention and Recovery of Forest Fires in Mediterranean Europe | Oliveira et al. | 2017 | Mediterranean | English | This chapter illustrates the potential enhancements for forest fire management offered by the PREFER framework. | http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.68948 |
| 2 | Forest restoration in landscapes | Mansourian et al. | Developing Firebreaks | Plana et al. | 2005 | World | English | Introduction and guidelines for the establishment of firebreaks | https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/0-387-29112-1_39 |
| 3 | Plantation silviculture in Europe | Savill et al. | Protecting plantations from damage by wildfire, pests, and pathogens | - | 1997 | Europe | English | Practical considerations for managing risk factors inplantation silviculture | https://global.oup.com/academic/product/plantation-silviculture-in-europe-9780198549086?cc=us&lang=en&# |
| 4 | Plantation silviculture in Europe | Savill et al. | Fire | - | 1997 | Europe | English | Ecology and implications of forest foires for plantation silviculture, and measures for prevention | https://global.oup.com/academic/product/plantation-silviculture-in-europe-9780198549086?cc=us&lang=en&# |
III. Scientific articles
| Nº | Title | Author | Year | Focus region | Language | Type | Summary | Link |
| 1 | Refining Ecological Techniques for Forest Fire Prevention and Evaluating Their Diverse Benefits | Wang et al. | 2024 | World | English | Conceptual review | Review of the different ecological management options for fire prevention and their current use | https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7040129 |
| 2 | Prescribed fire management | Francos & Úbeda | 2021 | Europe | English | Narrative review | Prescribed fire as a tool for forest management to prevent wildfire risk, especially in fire-dependent ecosystems | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coesh.2021.100250 |
| 3 | The influence of thinning and prescribed burning on future forest fires in fire-prone regions of Europe | Rabin et al. | 2022 | Europe | English | Experiment | Focuses on the effectivity of thinning and prescribed fire in fire prevention/mitigation in two study sites in the Iberian Peninsula and Central-Eastern Europe | http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac6312 |
| 4 | Fire Protection Principles and Recommendations in Disturbed Forest Areas in Central Europe: A Review | Berčák et al. | 2023 | Central Europe | English | Narrative review | Review that wants to act as a guide for managing fire protection and preparedness in disturbed stands in Central Europe | https://doi.org/10.3390/fire6080310 |
| 5 | Dynamic Evaluation of Early Silvicultural Treatments for Wildfire Prevention | Piqué et al. | 2022 | Spain | English | Experiment | Pruning and precommercial thinning can be effective in preventing fire hazard in a pine stand in Spain | https://doi.org/10.3390/f13060858 |
| 6 | Forest fuel management for wildfire prevention in Spain: a quantitative SWOT analysis | Marino et al. | 2014 | Spain | English | Descriptive study | Assessment of the role of forest fuel management for wildfire prevention in Spain. | https://doi.org/10.1071/WF12203 |
| 7 | Prescribed burning in southern Europe: developing fire management in a dynamic landscape | Fernandes et al. | 2013 | Mediterranean | English | Narrative review | Use of prescribed burning in Mediterranean stands to avoid wildfires, and their effects on the forest | https://doi.org/10.1890/120298 |