Marc Castellnou

• Master of Science
• Analyst at Generalitat de Catalunya

Background This paper aims to present insights about the beneficial use of fire within a strategic and operational framework, providing actions for better adaptation to fire regime shifts in the face of climate change and land use changes. Supported by transdisciplinary analysis and aimed at supporting an actual regulation in the Aran (~ 600 km ² i...

Background Recent extreme wildfire events in countries with high investments in fire extinction indicate that strategies focusing exclusively on fire suppression are ineffective. Although upgrading analytical capacities and technological-based solutions in emergency management is needed, shifting from fire suppression to strategic fire management i...

In the context of climate change, increasing disaster severity and extension, the paper suggests to DGECHO, agency managing the European civil protection mechanism, an improvement for joint operations command-and-control practices. It constitutes an update of Monet et al. (2020) paper, enhancing the work progresses in terms of analysis, applicabili...

Global occurrence of pyroclouds leads to an accelerated wildfire rate-of-spread (ROS), creating extreme wildfire events (EWE). Pyroclouds form during wildfires under unstable atmospheres. Recent EWEs unexpectedly created deep moist pyrocloud and accelerated ROS through the night, beyond the unstable atmosphere’s daily cycle. Here, we analyzed the d...

Background As fire regimes are changing and wildfire disasters are becoming more frequent, the term megafire is increasingly used to describe impactful wildfires, under multiple meanings, both in academia and popular media. This has resulted in a highly ambiguous concept. Approach We analysed the use of the term ‘megafire’ in popular media to dete...

Wildfire science needs new methods to evaluate and predict wildfire behavior and impacts. In this study, we present a new algorithm that calculates the maximum fire rate of spread resulting from a fire progression map made of isochrones, according to 1) the shape of the isochrones, and/or 2) prevailing atmospheric wind direction. We have applied th...

The concept of fire resilience has become increasingly relevant as society looks to understand and respond to recent wildfire events. In particular, the idea of a 'fire resilient landscape' is one which has been utilised to explore how society can coexist with wildfires. However, the concept of fire resilient landscapes has often been approached in...

Abstract Smoke from wildfires or burning biomass directly affects air quality and weather through modulating cloud microphysics and radiation. A simple wildfire emission coupling of black carbon (BC) and organic carbon (OC) with microphysics was implemented using the Weather Research and Forecasting model's fire module. A set of large‐eddy simulati...

Climate change is expected to increase the number of days with meteorological conditions conducive to uncontrollable wildfires. Thus, it is necessary to strengthen the capacity of wildfire-prone regions to minimize the adverse impacts of these wildfires by creating resilient landscapes. In this paper we develop a participatory multi-criteria evalua...

Pyrocumulus (pyroCu) formation during convective fire‐atmosphere interaction is a driving factor causing extreme and unpredictable wildfires. Here, by investigating several cases of pyroCu occurrence, we have monitored fire‐induced changes in atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) vertical profiles of state variables (temperature, humidity, and wind). Pa...

There have been fires on this planet for 420 million years – especially since (a) the oxygen content of the atmosphere has exceeded 13% and (b) land plants have been available for combustion, with lightning strikes acting as the ignition source. Since then, vegetation fires have been the most frequent disturbance factor in terrestrial ecosystems wo...

This study was conducted following the fires that took place in Rocallaura (Spain) between 23/06/2016 and 19/07/2017. The aim is to analyse the importance of soil on forest planning and management mechanisms to mitigate the impacts of forest fire re-ignitions on risk and management framework. The main factors found to influence the occurrence of re...

Este es el segundo de muchos números. This is a journal/magazine on technical aspects on "Wildfires and other Natural Risks". This has also position papers, informative research texts in these topics and reviews of books and people in these fields. The language is Spanish. Esta es una revista sobre aspectos técnicos sobre "Incendios y otros Riesgos...

Este es el número 5. This is issue 5. This is a journal/magazine on technical aspects on "Wildfires and other Natural Risks". This has also position papers, informative research texts in these topics and reviews of books and people in these fields. The language is Spanish. Esta es una revista sobre aspectos técnicos sobre "Incendios y otros Riesgos...

Este es el número 6. This is issue 6. This is a journal/magazine on technical aspects on "Wildfires and other Natural Risks". This has also position papers, informative research texts in these topics and reviews of books and people in these fields. The language is Spanish. Esta es una revista sobre aspectos técnicos sobre "Incendios y otros Riesgos...

During the last 20 years extreme wildfires have challenged firefighting capabilities. Often, the prediction of the extreme behaviour is essential for the safety of citizens and firefighters. Currently, there are several fire danger indices routinely used by firefighting services, but they are not suited to forecast extreme-wildfire behaviour at the...

O período entre 2018 e 2022 mostrou-nos que o problema dos incêndios à escala global não está a diminuir, antes pelo contrário. Parece que as consequências das alterações climáticas já estão a afectar a ocorrência de incêndios florestais em várias partes do Mundo, de uma forma que só esperaríamos que acontecesse vários anos mais tarde. Em muitos pa...

Este es el número 4. This is issue number 4. This is a journal/magazine on technical aspects on "Wildfires and other Natural Risks". This has also position papers, informative research texts in these topics and reviews of books and people in these fields. The language is Spanish. Esta es una revista sobre aspectos técnicos sobre "Incendios y otros...

Este es el 3 numero. This is issue number 3. This is a journal/magazine on technical aspects on "Wildfires and other Natural Risks". This has also position papers, informative research texts in these topics and reviews of books and people in these fields. The language is Spanish. Esta es una revista sobre aspectos técnicos sobre "Incendios y otros...

During the last 20 years extreme wildfires have challenged firefighting capabilities. Often, the prediction of the extreme behaviour is essential for the safety of citizens and fire fighters. Currently, there are several fire danger indices routinely used by firefighting services, but they are not suited to forecast convective extreme wildfire beha...

The present study was conducted following a fire that took place in Rocallaura (NE Iberian Peninsula) in 23 June 2016 with the aim of analyzing the chemical properties of soil in burnt and unburnt areas in order to determine the short-term effects of fire on an ecosystem dominated by Pinus halepensis Mill. Transects were laid out in a control area...

Extreme wildfire events in recent years are shaking our established knowledge of how fire regimes respond to climate variables and how societies need to react to fire impacts. Albeit fires are stochastic and extreme in nature, the speed, intensity, and extension of new extreme fires that have occurred during the last years are unprecedented. Here,...

Este es el número 1. This is issue 1. Una estrategia diferente: hacia comunidades más resilientes al cambio global. Una revista independiente de la comunidad internacional de riesgos naturales en español Diciembre 2020 / Núm 1 This is a journal/magazine on technical aspects on "Wildfires and other Natural Risks". This has also position papers, inf...

Per fer front als grans incendis forestals, durant les darreres dècades, Catalunya ha reconfigurat el sistema de prevenció i extinció. A més, els experts han assenyalat la necessitat de canvis més profunds en el conjunt de decisions que determinen el risc d'un territori. Com a part d'aquests esfor-ços, aquest article exposa un mètode per a democrat...

This study analyses the smouldering combustion on soils that took place during the wildfires that occurred in Rocallaura (Northeastern Spain). The smouldering combustion after the first event, 23 June, was the potential source of flaming fire re-ignition of the second event, 19 July 2016. Re-ignitions are an important challenge for the firefighting...

After some experiences, works and research, we issue a suggested soft harmonisation for command and control civil protection European big incidents. Aim is to increase cross border and international interoperability. The compliance with other existing systems (UN and US ICS) is key issue, too.

The failure of the "War on Fire" (WoF) model to address the increasing social impacts of extreme wildfires highlights the need to look for new ways of thinking. Although a range of perspectives have been proposed, none of them considers the full array of challenges that inform outcomes, particularly when considering Extreme Wildfire Events (EWE). I...

In recent years, fire services in Mediterranean Europe have been overwhelmed by extreme wildfire behavior. As a consequence, fire management has moved to defensive strategies with a focus only on the known risks (the fear trap). In this region, wildfires can change rapidly, increasing the uncertainty and causing complex operational scenarios that i...

Centrado en analizar os diferentes ámbitos nos que a cooperación a ambos lados da fronteira entre España e Portugal podería contribuír a mellorar a prevención e o combate dos lumes forestais, o Eixo Atlántico presentou a finais de 2018 un estudo sobre cooperación transfronteiriza coordinado polo director da Escola de Enxeñaría Forestal, Juan Picos....

Von Störungen betroffene Ökosysteme sind zweifellos anfälliger für Invasionen durch gebietsfremde Arten. Invasibilität steht daher in einem engen Zusammenhang mit Störungen. In diesem Kapitel werden überwiegend Untersuchungen aus mediterranen Regionen als Beispiele für die Wechselwirkung zwischen Störungen und eingeführten Pflanzenarten und ihren E...

Increasingly large fires are occurring in southern Europe, especially at its westernmost part, where a humid Mediterranean climate combines with rough topography, flammable vegetation types, undermanaged forest and high ignition rates. These fires have huge socioeconomic and environmental impacts, including the potential loss of human lives. Portug...

Pyrenees fire regime characterization

El objetivo del trabajo es explorar las oportunidades para reforzar en zonas fronterizas entre países colindantes la prestación de asistencia y los requisitos para la aportación de medios en el caso de emergencia por incendios forestales, los trabajos previos de prevención de la emergencia y la formación común para los equipos que intervendrían en...

Participatory planning networks made of government agencies, stakeholders, citizens and scientists are receiving attention as a potential pathway to build resilient landscapes in the face of increased wildfire impacts due to suppression policies and land-use and climate changes. A key challenge for these networks lies in incorporating local knowled...

Timeline of the participatory process. (DOCX)

El fuego como componente del sistema de los bosques de pino laricio. Experiencia acumulada en el uso de las quemas prescritas para la conservación de los bosques de pino laricio. Integración del fuego en la conservación del hábitat. Disponible en español, catalán e inglés.

Analysis report of the mega-fires in central Portugal, October 2017

Analysis of the mega-fires in central Portugal, June 2017

Disturbed ecosystems are more vulnerable to invasions by introduced species and thus ecosystem invasibility can be linked to disturbances. Studies, mainly in the Mediterranean region, are presented in this chapter as examples of how disturbances interact with introduced plants and influence ecosystem development. In particular, fires may produce pe...

p> Aim of study: Understanding fire ecology of main forest species is essential for a sound, scientifically based on managing of wildlands and also to assess likely implications due to changes in fire regime under a global change scenario. Few references can be found about fire ecology of Pinus uncinata Ram . (PU). PU species grows in the Central P...

Forest disturbance regimes have intensified during the last decades. So has the forest and societal vulnerability to such events. Policy and science have recognized the need to act towards mainstreaming forest disturbance risks as an integral part of sustainable forest management. Even though there is extensive knowledge and expertise available to...

Tradicionalmente, los incendios forestales se han clasificado en tipologías de comportamiento según combustible (pastos, matorral….) o según estrato de vegetación (superficie, copas….). A nivel de comportamiento, su clasificación ha variado según conceptos físicos (intensidad lineal de frente, velocidad de propagación) o según conceptos de variable...

Knowing fire ecology of forest species is essential to manage the wildlands and also to evaluate effects due to changes in fire regime and under a global change scenario. Few references can be found about fire ecology of Pinus uncinata Ram (PU). PU specie lives in areas located in the Pyrinees or the Alps where large wildland fires did not occur fr...

Fire regimes are shifting worldwide because of global changes. The relative contribution of climate, topography and vegetation greatly determines spatial and temporal variations in fire regimes, but the interplay of these factors is not yet well understood. We introduce here a novel classification of fires according to dominant fire spread pattern,...

The scoping study presents the current situation and future trends for different forest disturbance regimes and explores knowledge gaps and needs for action. It thus provides valuable input for developing the framework of a European Forest Risk Facility

Cada agencia de extinción se enfrenta pocas veces a un mega-incendio, situación que pone al límite su organización. El intercambio de conocimientos y de operativos es clave para hacer frente a esta tipología de emergencia. Para ello, es necesario un sistema de referencia común de lenguaje, posiciones y habilidades o competencias profesionales. En e...

The identification of the relationships between fire severities and fire types can be a new way to obtain knowledge about variables that cause transitions between surface and crown fires. In this study, we analyze the variables that influence fire severity and their relationship to changes in fire type in a wind-driven wildfire that burned under ex...

En España, la Figura Operativa del analista de incendios forestales, nace en Cataluña en el año 1999. A raíz del Gran Incendio Forestal del Solsonès del verano de 1998 (27.000 ha) se decide mejorar el dispositivo de Bombers desde el Puesto de Mando Avanzado con este puesto operativo. La formación inicial fue implementada según la formación de los a...

Les muntanyes de Tivissa i Vandellòs són muntanyes feréstegues, dures, aspres i desconegudes, tocades per un vent insistent que les recorre i refresca des de la vall de l'Ebre fins al mar. Desnivells tècnics, graus, miloques, vent, argelagues, obagues boscoses, espenegalls, fous, carenes interminables, barrancades profundes fins al riu o el mar, to...

The goal of the conference is REGULATING THE FIRE PROBLEM BY THE WISE USE OF FIRE. This conference is targeted (but not limited) to European and national policy makers and representatives of agencies and organizations for forest and land management and fire protection. Towards Integrated Wildland Fire Management - Outcomes of the European Projects...

Fire Paradox was an EU 6th Framework Program Integrated Project that was undertaken to prevent the existing disastrous social, economic, and environmental consequences of wildfires in the Mediterranean region. The project's approach was based on the paradox expressed in a Finnish proverb that fire defined fire as a 'bad master and a good servant'....

This chapter is about the need for a comprehensive knowledge on fire propagation in support of fire management actions and the possibility to introduce some new job positions of fire behaviour specialists. There is the need of three new Fire Specialists, requiring a higher level of knowledge in wildfire propagation: 1. Wildland Fire Analyst (WFA),...

The applied strategy for most wildfire suppression cases was based on a fast and aggressive attack of all ignition points in the landscape, at every place and under all meteorological conditions. The efficiency of this strategy is outstanding and it succeeds in limiting most wildfires to very small burned areas. But under certain meteorological, fu...

The St Llorenç-Savall Fire started on August 10, 2003 and was raging for four days with extreme fire behaviour in the middle of the worst heat wave in European recent history. It affected residential areas, settlements and five civilians died while trying to escape the fire. One of the biggest fires of this summer, the St Llorenç-Savall Fire was cl...

Resumen Tradicionalmente, los incendios forestales se han clasificado en tipologías de comportamiento según combustible (pastos, matorral….) o según estrato de vegetación (superficie, copas….). A nivel de comportamiento, su clasificación ha variado según conceptos físicos (intensidad lineal de frente, velocidad de propagación) o según conceptos de...

Future climate change scenarios predict an increase in extreme weather events that will result in a change of future fire regimes. These scenarios require tools to predict zones where changes in fire risk potential on landscape level are likely to occur. Analyzing historical fire patterns using a logic based fire behaviour prediction system (e.g. C...

A simple simulation model has been used to investigate whether large fires in Mediterranean regions are a result of extreme weather conditions or the cumulative effect of a policy of fire suppression over decades. The model reproduced the fire regime characteristics for a wide variety of regions of Mediterranean climate in California, France and Sp...

Resumen One of the objectives of the EU-sponsored Fire Paradox Project is the creation and sharing of knowledge between professionals of Europe of different backgrounds. To contribute to give a true European dimension to this issue by an extensive use of the complementary skills and competencies of the existing networks that participate in the proj...

This study examines the effects of a prescribed fire, conducted in grassland in order to maintain a fire break, on soil quality (pH and nutrients) in the Prades Mountains in the Mediterranean climate of north-east Spain. Soil at a 4 × 18 m study plot, located in an abandoned agricultural terrace on calcareous bedrock at 760 m above sea level, was s...

1.Grup de Recolzament a les Actuacions Forestals (GRAF). Ctra. de la Universitat Autònoma s/n. 08290-Cerdanyola. utgraf@gencat.net 2. Universitat de Lleida. Departamento de Producción Vegetal y Ciencia Forestal. Av. Rovira Roure 191. 25005 Lleida, dmolina@pvcf.udl.es Resumen Los sistemas de extinción se llegan a colapsar al responder a la demanda s...

Hemos estudiado los grandes incendios forestales o GIF (> 100 ha) en el municipio de Tivissa (sur de Tarragona) desde 1965. Responden a tres pautas de propagación y comportamiento del fuego: topográficos, conducidos por el viento en verano y conducidos por el viento en invierno. Se han estudiado varios índices de riesgo meteorológico: Keetch-Byram...

Computer simulation of wildland fires in planning is widely used in Catalonia since 1999. Farsite is the wildland fire simulator used. The fire analyst has to both run reasonable simulations and interpret them properly. In this work we present the state-of-the-art in Catalonia, with its achievements and the difficulties we found. Two major products...

One of the major problems in the Fire Service is the interface between forest and urban development. Safety is the most important issue in the interface. In order to avoid dangerous situations, collapse of Fire Service and moments of unattended populations and also avoid the evacuation situation, project NERON was implemented. The work is based on...

ISSN: 0214-0896 - http://www.magrama.gob.es/es/ministerio/servicios/publicaciones/rev_numero.asp?codrevista=REPN&page=1

Resumen Durante el último siglo hemos visto que cuánto más eficientes somos luchando con el fuego, más grandes y mayores llegan a ser estos incendios. La necesidad de cambiar la manera de luchar contra el fuego es evidente, y se ha de trabajar antes, durante y después del fuego. Se necesitan más conocimientos y planificación de la emergencia para h...