PRESCRIBED BURNING CAMPAIGN Winter 2020-2021 19 April 2021 1 Contents 1. WHAT DO FIREFIGHTERS USE FIRE FOR? ..................................................................................... 3 2. OBJECTIVES OF CONTROLLED BURNING ...................................................................................... 4 3. WHAT KIND OF VEGETATION DO WE BURN? ................................................................................ 7 4. HOW DO WE CARRY OUT A PRESCRIBED BURN? ....................................................................... 9 5. BURNING CAMPAIGNS ........................................................................................................................ 10 6. THE 2021 WINTER BURNING SEASON ........................................................................................... 11 2 1. WHAT DO FIREFIGHTERS USE FIRE FOR? Fire is a natural element of our ecosystems and, if used wisely, is a valuable tool for reducing the risk of large fires. Most of the forests in Catalonia are naturally endowed with fire defence systems that have developed over thousands of years of evolution. Different types of trees, shrubs and grasses respond differently to the spread of fire, depending on its strength and the time of year. There are trees, such as the laricio pine, which have evolved to have thick bark to withstand the heat of fires; others, such as the holm oak or the oak, have the capacity to resprout from the stump, and there are still others that are capable of resprouting from the crown, as is the case of the cork oak. These, along with other adaptations, are known as vital attributes, and, if we know them well, we can use them to protect forests from large forest fires. By choosing when we apply fire in the forest and with what force or intensity, we can affect different plant species, which will respond differently. In this way, for example, we can plan undergrowth clearing (removing the undergrowth and small trees to reduce the risk of fire) using fire in a controlled manner, affecting only those plants whose development we want to control. Indeed, prescribed burning is the most green form of vegetation control, along with extensive livestock grazing. For firefighters, prescribed burning scenarios also give us the opportunity to work with real fire, making it an ideal practice and training ground for when we have to deal with real fires. Burning in Aleppo pine forests in El Garraf in the municipality of Olivella at the beginning of March. The aim is to preserve a forest structure that withstood the 1994 fire and is now at risk from further fires. This is a peri-urban forest surrounding the Mas Mestre housing estate. Source: Fire brigade. 3 2. OBJECTIVES OF CONTROLLED BURNING Various objectives are pursued through prescribed burning, and it is common to find more than one objective in a given burn, although there is always one that predominates over the others. Since the start of the Fire Brigade's burning programme in 1999, burns have been classified according to the following main objectives: Grass burning: this is humanity's ancient method of securing food for its domestic herbivorous animals. The burning of open grass and scrubland has served to rejuvenate the herbaceous layer and provide better pastures for herds of cows, sheep, horses or goats. Burning to improve pastures in Bausen (Val d'Aran) at the end of February. Depending on the type of vegetation, the control team uses different hand tools to limit the spread of fire. The fire swatter is the optimal tool for smothering flames on the herbaceous stratum. Source: Fire brigade. Burning to conserve and improve habitats: certain animal species, such as some birds, reptiles or mammals, need specific vegetation characteristics for shelter, hunting or nesting areas. The lack of natural fires and the abandonment of livestock or forestry activities favour the proliferation of areas of continuous scrub and forests that are too closed and endanger the survival of these species. The use of fire can maintain or restore the natural characteristics of certain habitats and make them viable again. High intensity fire to achieve a change in the homogeneous forest structure and recover areas of Campeche wood for Bonelli's eagle on the Cal Setró estate in Bonastre (Baix Penedès) during the first week of March 2021. Source: Fire brigade. 4 Forest management burns: one of the main problems in the forests of Catalonia that makes them vulnerable to forest fires is the high density of trees and the continuity of undergrowth that they accumulate. Forest management, with tree thinning and undergrowth clearance, aims to reduce this excess biomass and to guide forests towards maturity, reducing the risk of forest burning in the process. The application of direct fire in the undergrowth under planned and controlled conditions achieves this objective by eliminating undergrowth and small trees that have a limited future. The lower branches of the trees are scorched by the heat of the fire that burns the undergrowth and part of the canopy can also be affected without killing the trees. This produces so-called thermal pruning which, in addition, eliminates leaf litter from the canopy and reduces its ability to burn in the event of a forest fire. Burning to protect isolated urban centres: the dispersion of small urban centres throughout the rural areas of Catalonia has generated a landscape in which some villages, generally in mountainous regions, have seen how, with the abandonment of traditional agricultural activities around the centres, the distance between the forest and the houses has been reduced to almost zero, putting people and property at risk in the event of a forest fire. Reclaiming open spaces through prescribed burns with a low vegetation fuel load on the outer edge of these villages improves its defence capacity in the event of a forest fire. Reducing the biomass load in the most fire-prone parts of small inhabited areas, such as Sant Salvador in El Pallars Jussà, improved the Fire Brigade's defence capacity in the event of a major forest fire in February 2021. Source: Fire brigade. Strategic spot burns to control large fires: we try to learn from the fires of the past to anticipate how the fires of the future will move. On the basis of the fire analysis, we try to determine the areas where fires can be dealt with in the future. These so-called 'strategic points' need to be safe for fire control manoeuvres, which is why prescribed burning helps us to reduce biomass load and improve forest conditions. 5 The wind fires in Cap de Creus are as strong as the Tramontane wind and repeat their pattern of movement periodically. Preparing the vegetation by maintaining a cork oak forest with sparse undergrowth is part of the objective of this burning at a strategic point on the road between Roses and Cadaqués (L'Alt Empordà). February is a good month for this type of habitat, taking advantage of the hibernation period of the tortoise. Source: Fire brigade. Training burns: constant training and practice are part of the day-to-day life of any emergency response service. The burnings serve as a practice and training ground for the fire brigade, in a real fire scenario but under safe and controlled conditions. The entry of new firefighters requires the creation of training practices so that they can learn how to work in realistic scenarios. The burnings allows aspiring firefighters to gain knowledge by experiencing fire at close quarters, observing and analysing the fundamental factors that explain the spread of fires seen on a small scale. The trainers prepare the students of the last graduating class of the GRAF (Forest Action Group) speciality of Firefighters before performing the burning of Vilaseca in Castellnou de Bages. Source: Fire brigade. Burning for research projects: any action we carry out on ecosystems generates an impact with effects that last for a greater or lesser period of time, or that may even become irreversible, depending on the intensity and recurrence with which they occur. This is not a new phenomenon, and in nature it already occurs with events such as floods, snowfalls, windstorms, etc. Any human action also generates changes and impacts, and knowing the extent and subsequent processes that nature will employ in response becomes a core element that must be incorporated in order to manage and conserve habitats. Research is 6 the primary means of furthering this knowledge and the findings will need to be incorporated in order to address future fire issues. The burnings are an opportunity for scientists to conduct trials where they can measure the impact of fire and how nature responds. 3. WHAT KIND OF VEGETATION DO WE BURN? The type of vegetation being burned is an important factor in planning the burn and determining the impact we will achieve through the use of fire. The method of burning, selecting the best days to burn and the human and material equipment to be used can be very different if we are burning a pasture or ground with plant remains under a mature pine forest that we want to preserve. Although the diversity of habitats and types of plant populations is very wide in Catalonia, with a large number of species mixed in different groupings, we classify the type of vegetation into six main groups: Grasslands and reedbeds Burning of open space populated mainly by the herbaceous stratum with a heavy load of old and dry grass. Fire removes dry biomass and activates the regeneration mechanism of new grass. February in El Pallars Jussà. Source: Fire brigade. Grassland under woodland The maintenance of forests with a herbaceous stratum reduces the risk of fire spreading by canopy in the event of a fire, as is the case of this burn in Sant Carles de la Ràpita (El Montsià) on 16 March 2021. Maintaining this type of forest structure can be a good option for peri-urban forests that present serious civil protection problems in the event of fire. Source: Fire brigade.