Wildfires present a significant threat to heather-dominated moorlands and heathlands, especially as climate change exacerbates fire risks, underscoring the need for effective management strategies to mitigate fire spread. This research investigates the effects of different management approaches, burning, cutting, and leaving areas unmanaged, on fire spread rates in the Scottish region. The study focuses on patches with varying years of intervention, 2019, 2015, and 2007, alongside patches that were left unmanaged. Fieldwork was conducted to gather data on vegetation height, while dead fuel moisture was calculated using the Nelson Fire Model, which derives estimates from weather parameters collected at a local weather station. Fire behaviour, particularly surface fire spread rates, was simulated using BehavePlus software, with specific fuel models assigned based on vegetation height.

Preliminary analyses indicate that different management practices result in varying fire spread rates, highlighting the importance of vegetation height and the timing of interventions. Vegetation height emerged as a critical factor, and the study highlights the importance of implementing management interventions within optimal time intervals to maintain their effectiveness. These findings suggest that management strategies could play a critical role in mitigating wildfire risks and provide a foundation for further research into optimising practices for enhancing wildfire resilience in the UK’s moorlands and heathlands.

How to cite: Mousavi, Z., Belcher, C., Baker, S., and Kettridge, N.: Evaluating the Impact of Management Strategies on Fire Spread in Heather-Dominated Moorlands, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-5961, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-5961, 2025.

The practise of using fire as a tool to manage the landscape has been around for thousands of years. Today, a range of different land management practises exist including ‘modern’ techniques such as mechanical cutting/mowing of vegetation, scraping as well as the ancient use of controlled burns. Each of these land management practises act to reduce fuel loads and can provide fire breaks, and therefore present as useful tools that can be used to mitigate against the effects of wildfires.

Each of these land management tools are commonly practised across the UK. Here in the UK, there is an increasing threat from wildfires, that have the ability to result in the severe degradation of habitats. However, how well each of these management practises limit the impact of wildfire on UK fire prone habitats and the resulting ability of those habitats to recover following wildfire, is currently unknown. The IDEAL UK Fire - seeks to generate data to make Informed Decisions on Ecological Adaptive Land Management for mitigating UK Fire,  by assessing how human-fire use compares with different landscape management practises regarding its impact on vegetation diversity and habitats across the UK, as well as comparing these with areas that have had little/no human management interaction and have experienced wildfires. We present details on the IDEAL UK Fire project and our findings to-date, emphasizing the varying degrees of habitat resilience in fire-prone landscapes across the UK, using both ancient and modern land management tools.

How to cite: Baker, S., Belcher, C., Kettridge, N., Doerr, S., Gr, L., Wayman, J., Heinemeyer, A., and Gaston, K.: IDEAL UK Fire Project: Assessing the relationships between management tools of the UK landscape and their impacts for habitat resilience and wildfire mitigation , EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-15333, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-15333, 2025.

The reed belt of Lake Neusiedl, with an area of 181 km², covers more than half of the total lake area (ca. 320 km²) and is part of the Natura 2000 and Ramsar Conservation site of lake Neusiedl. It is the second biggest contiguous reed ecosystem in Europe after the Danube delta. The ageing of the reed belt and subsequently growth of the reed mats represents an obstacle for numerous bird species worth protecting such as the Great Reed Warbler and Reed Buntings in the National Park Lake Neusiedl because many are specialized and dependent on the presence of younger reed plants (Phragmites australis). Traditional regeneration measures, most notably mowing, are becoming decreasingly suitable as a management tool due to warmer temperatures and subsequently insufficient freezing in winter. Therefore, prescribed burning of old reed stands, which is currently prohibited by Austrian law, is being considered as a regeneration measure as a way to maintain invaluable habitats for bird species. For this reason, a pilot study was carried out in January 2024 in the reed belt of Lake Neusiedl near Jois (province of Burgenland, Austria) in order to gain insights on consequences of controlled burning of old reed mats. The burning was conducted in winter to minimize harm of wildlife. Our research includes pre- and post-fire laboratory analyses of biomass and carbon content from standing vegetation, litter (matted reed), and the underlying partially decomposed organic soil layer. Furthermore, the fire behavior and intensity, as well as moisture contents during and after the fire were monitored. To support the area-wide mapping UAV-LiDAR and RGB flights were undertaken. The results can provide valuable insights into the closely linked balances between nature conservation and carbon stocks that arise in the management of reed-dominated ecosystems through burning. The mean fire temperature was slightly above 700°C and peaked at 1034°C. A total area of 15.6 ha was affected, on which the standing dead reed was lost completely, and the reed mats were reduced by 31.2% on average. A total of 54.5 tC were released from the study area. The layer of matted reed, which is to be affected by the fire, should have a maximum moisture content of 30% to ensure biomass removal. A significant reduction of the matted reed horizon thickness was achieved, which will help Phragmites australis regrowth and young-stock-specialized bird repopulation. The fire also left unburned patches of intact old stock behind, which could provide habitats for bird species specialized in old reed stock. Our results indicate that prescribed fire can be a suitable management tool at the reed belt of lake Neusiedl for the purpose of reed regeneration and habitat restoration.

How to cite: Berner, R., Neumann, M., Müller, M. M., Hollaus, M., and Glatzel, S.: Prescribed burning as potential regeneration technique in temperate reed ecosystems - a pilot study at Lake Neusiedl, Austria, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-4418, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-4418, 2025.

Parametric insurance offers a novel approach to financial risk management for wildfires, with payouts triggered by objective measurements, or model outputs, rather than traditional loss assessments. WTW has pioneered the adoption of parametric forest fire insurance, leveraging satellite measurements of changes in reflectivity over vegetation, thermal anomaly detection, and fire perimeter determinations from independent fire agencies.

We present mock examples of how extreme wildfires may trigger parametric insurance payouts, specifically applied to forested areas in the 2025 Los Angeles fires. This is in the context of how the insurance industry has adapted to extreme wildfires over the past decade. We also demonstrate how fuel reduction can significantly mitigate wildfire risk, offering critical insights into the interplay between risk reduction strategies and insurance.

How to cite: Williams, D.: Parametric insurance for forest fires: the ART of the possible, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-17042, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-17042, 2025.

Soil is exposed to increasing threats from human activities, including land use change and abandonment, as well as climate change-induced events such as droughts, floods and wildfires. Although the Mediterranean environment has a coevolutionary history with fire, it is not exempt from the threat posed by the recent increase in the frequency and severity of this disturbance. In Italy, for instance, the total burned area in 2021 exceeded that of 2017, a year remembered as particularly critical from this point of view.
In this context, the research project FLER_MeCoFor aims to study the conservation status, sensu Habitats Directive, of the Habitat of priority interest 2270* - Wooded dunes with Pinus pinea and/or Pinus pinaster, of the Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) IT9130006 (Apulia, Southern Italy). In particular, several wildfires from 1981 to 2020 affected different pinewoods within the SAC.
Here, this study presents preliminary results of the medium-term impacts of fire severity on soil properties following the most recent wildfire that occurred in 2020 within the Patemisco pinewood. Four years after the fire and prior to the fieldwork (April 2024), areas of different levels of fire severity (Low, Medium and High) were identified through differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR) index analysis by remote sensing. At sites representing the three different fire severity levels and at a nearby unburned (control) site, litter and mineral soil samples (depth 0-5 cm, 5 replicates per site) were collected to determine the physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil.
Spectral variations between pre- and post-fire images assessed by dNBR index, in addition to guiding the field sampling, suggested potential alteration in soil characteristics in the most severely affected areas. The effect of the fire was still evident within the litter layer four years after the fire. Although this layer was observed in the low and medium severity burnt sites, it was significantly lower (in terms of weight) than the control. Furthermore, no litter was found in the high severity burnt site. Preliminary results on the mineral soil analysis showed that the burnt sites had no significant changes in the physical properties compared to the control. On the contrary, an increase in pH and a decrease in organic carbon content were still detected at all burnt sites, as a function of fire severity.
These changes suggest a potential alteration in the soil microbial community. For this purpose, further investigations, aiming to reveal the effect on the soil microbial activity and biomass, are fundamental for a comprehensive understanding of the fire recovery status of this woodland. Considering the significance of the Habitats of priority interest conservation for overall ecosystem functioning, this research is essential for developing post-fire land management measures to mitigate the impacts of forest fires.

How to cite: Marfella, L., Rossana, M., Spatola, M. F., Pazienza, G., Mairota, P., Strumia, S., Padoa-Schioppa, E., and Rutigliano, F. A.: Wildfire early effects on soil properties in Mediterranean pinewoods: Insight from the 2020 Wildfire in Patemisco, Italy, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-13423, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-13423, 2025.

Covering approximately one third of the United States of America, sagebrush-dominated ecosystems are an important part of the continental USA’s landscape. The effects of wildfires on the hydrology of semi-arid sagebrush ecosystems are poorly understood and, as these areas experience more frequent wildfires, are becoming more relevant. As part of a multi-disciplinary project studying wildfire in sagebrush ecosystems – “Harnessing the Data Revolution for Fire Science” – a field experiment near Reno, Nevada, was set up to better understand the effects of fire on the hydrology of sagebrush ecosystems by measuring the hydraulic properties of the soil before and after prescribed burning. In the spring of 2024, twenty 3x4 meter experimental plots were outfitted with instruments for soil moisture and temperature monitoring; at least 2 TOMST TMS4 probes were placed in each plot in areas with different post-fire vegetation, recording measurements at 15-minute intervals. These data are supplemented with intermittent measurements of shallow soil moisture using a Campbell Hydrosense II Probe to measure a greater number of points within each plot. The two instruments were calibrated in the lab with soil from the experimental plots to ensure accurate and comparable volumetric water content values. Infiltration and water repellency measurements under different vegetation covers within each plot provide context for interpreting variations in the soil moisture data. In fall 2025, 10 of the 20 experimental plots will be burned, which will allow us to compare the hydraulic properties of the same soil before and after the fire, therefore directly assessing fire impact on soil hydrologic properties. Here we introduce the field experiment and address the calibration of the Campbell HydroSense II and TOMST TMS4 soil moisture probes, while also providing a site characterization with the first year of pre-fire soil moisture, temperature, infiltration, and water repellency data.

How to cite: Croskery, C., Okyere, J., Boisramé, G., Kozloski, R., and Berli, M.: Fire Impacts on Soil Hydraulic Properties in a Sagebrush Ecosystem in Nevada, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-13906, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-13906, 2025.

Wildfires have a significant impact on soil erosion. Most studies emphasize on the "disturbance window", which typically ranges from 3 to 10 years. Studies on the long-term effects of fire on soil erosion are relatively few, especially when it comes to studies that go beyond 20 to 30 years after the fire.

This study carried out at Seich Sou, a suburban forest in Thessaloniki city, North Greece. A wildfire in 1997 destroyed half of the forest, and another one occurred in 2021. This study focuses on investigating the long-term (1997 wildfire) and short-term (2021 wildfire) post-fire impacts on erosion in relation to rainfall intensity and rainfall erosivity (R factor). Field plots using silt fences were installed, to quantify soil erosion in both burned and unburned regions.

Regarding the short-term effects of the wildfire in 2021 on soil erosion, the findings indicated that vegetation is the primary factor influencing annual erosion rates. Soil erosion in burned plots is significantly influenced by rainfall intensity, particularly when it surpasses 6–7 mm/30 min. However, in burned plots it was revealed that soil erosion did not significantly increase when the rainfall intensity increased beyond 10 mm/30min. On the other hand, in the unburned plots, soil erosion was considerably increased beyond a certain threshold of rainfall intensity (>10 mm/30 min).

For the first time in literature, it was revealed that when two consecutive and very intense storms occurred, the second, more intense rainfall generated noticeably less erosion rates than the first. An average 20% reduction in soil erosion (both in burned and unburned plots) was observed after the second storm, when the R factor increased by 690%. The main reason for this behavior is the quick depletion of the available sediments caused by the high-intensity consecutive rainfalls, which decreased the erosive effect of the second consecutive storm.

 We also found that since both major erosive episodes were so close to one each other in time, the considerable rise in R factor in the second post-fire year did not significantly increase soil erosion. These results demonstrate that the R factor in RUSLE, which is used to determine the annual erosion rate in burned and unburned regions, without the appropriate reference to the corresponding field data, which used to validate the model, has potential significant errors that may lead to inaccurate erosion rate estimations. Before implementing the erosion model into practice, researchers and stakeholders that utilize the R factor in erosion modeling should thoroughly investigate the precise dates of the significant erosive events.

Concerning the long-term effects of the 1997 wildfire, the findings from the "natural reforestation" plots showed that, 25 years after the wildfire, erosion rates are three times higher (0.062 t/ha/year) than those of the "control" plots (0.023 t/ha/year). The forest ecosystem has not significantly recovered, and it seems that the "window of disturbance" in the reforested area has not been closed. Depending on site quality, geomorphology, and meteorological conditions, it may take more than 20 years to return soil erosion rates to normal levels in Mediterranean environments, where soils are typically thin and rocky.

How to cite: Kastridis, A., Margiorou, S., and Sapountzis, M.: Post-fire short- and long-term soil erosion monitoring – The impact of consecutive storm events on R factor and erosion rates , EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-556, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-556, 2025.

Firebreaks are now perceived as crucial for managing wildfire propagation in fire-prone regions. In present-day Portugal, one of the countries most affected by wildfires worldwide, bulldozers are deployed during fire events to rapidly construct emergency firebreaks, locally enhancing firefighters' response capabilities. Often driven by emergency needs, these firebreaks are created on steep forested terrain without any prior planning and are typically abandoned after the wildfire has been extinguished, i.e., without any efforts to control soil erosion.

The impacts of these firebreaks on hillslope hydrology and associated soil erosion are poorly understood, and to the best of our knowledge, no studies have specifically addressed this issue. The present research aimed to fill this gap by investigating the impact of one such emergency firebreak on soil erosion during the immediate post-fire period and assessing the effectiveness of pine needle mulch application as a potential mitigation technique. The studied firebreak was created in a terraced Maritime Pine plantation, involved the scraping-off of the topsoil layer and compacting it with the bulldozer tracks and was very steep, with an overall slope angle of 37%.

At the study site, three pairs of geo-textile bounded plots, each 8 meters long and 2 meters wide (16 m²), were installed immediately following a wildfire that occurred at the end of September 2024 in the Caramulo Mountains, north-central Portugal. At the bottom of each plot, sediment fences were used to collect sediments at rough monthly intervals. Rainfall was measured using automatic and totaliser rain gauges, while ground cover evolution over time was tracked using near-vertical photographs taken manually during each field visit.

Preliminary results revealed substantial soil erosion from the firebreak, with median sediment losses of 31 Mg·ha⁻¹ during the first four post-fire months. The occurrence of rills was observed within the first month, highlighting the high erodibility of these firebreaks, and are now being monitored by terrestrial laser scanning. These preliminary findings point to an urgent need for monitoring soil erosion of firebreaks on steep terrain and starting to apply and evaluate erosion mitigation measures.

How to cite: Martins, M., Caetano, A., Gruntova, A., Fantini, C., Lange, R., Pereira, L., Nunes, J., and Keizer, J.: Emergency firebreaks: the post-fire erosion impact in mountainous areas of North-Central Portugal, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-20411, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-20411, 2025.