During the last week of January Dr Olivia Haas attended the second half of the Fire-ADAPT French Study Hub in the Oriental Pyrenees. Fire-ADAPT is one of the major projects that the SPECIAL research group contributes to. Along with other academics from France, Italy, Spain and the UK, Olivia had the opportunity to meet local stakeholders from the cellule de brulage 66 (prescribed burning unit of the French Oriental Pyrenees Department) as well as local elected officials, firefighting teams and pastoral farmers. She had the opportunity to learn about their efforts to bring prescribed burning practices to the department as well as the growing wildfire risk in the region. There was also an opportunity to visit a recent prescribed burn site, visit the burn scar from the wildfire on the 13th of September 2024, and talk through the fire behaviour with the firefighters that were on the site that day.
Figure 1: A recent prescribed burn (~ 15 days before the picture was taken)
Figure 2: The burn scar of the September 13th 2024 wildfire.
Synergies and Conflicts:
A major part of the discussions centred around the synergies between pastoralism and fire practices in the area, and the need for fire to open landscapes for grazing, which in turn can help manage fuel load. These practices provide ways in which to protect communities against wildfire risk.
A highlight of the trip was a discussion with an elected official from the village of Oreilla about the history of the valley and the barriers the community faces when it comes to fire management due. These barriers largely arise due to conflicting interests with the national parks and protected areas. There were also many opportunities to discuss with other academics which provided new hypotheses and could lead to potential collaborations in the coming year.
Figure 3: Part of the group in the Pyrenees.
Research Focus:
Olivia Haas is working on modelling burnt area in France using global empirical relationships and exploring how we use modelling tools to understand how effective fire management initiatives such as the ones discussed during the study hub can be. As such, exchanges with other academics and local stakeholders provide valuable insights into the factors which need to be considered as part of such modelling efforts. It also serves as a useful way of identifying what questions are most relevant to local communities, to ensure our work is useful to the wider fire management community.
Figure 4: The Pyrenees.
To learn more about the work Fire-ADAPT are doing you can view the official website here: fireadapt.eu
Written by Olivia Haas. Edited by Sophia Cain.