Forest Fuels Management in Europe

Current fuel management practices vary considerably between European countries. Topography, forest and forest fuel characteristics, size and compartmentalization of forest, forest management practices, land uses, land ownership, size of properties, legislation, and, of course, tradition, are reasons for these differences. Firebreak construction, although not as clearly favored as in the past, is still a prominent fuel management technique. Fuelbreak construction has been adopted quite extensively in the last decades. Fuel treatments along the sides of roads are common. Use of prescribed burning is generally very limited. However, in most countries, shepherds use fire quite extensively, but illegally. Furthermore, stubble burning is a very common type of fire use, which often becomes source of wildfires. Grazing of cattle, sheep and goats is a traditional practice in the wildlands of Mediterranean countries. In spite of many recent social changes, it is still prevalent. Although its effect is often negative, when the carrying capacity of the land is exceeded, it does offer a significant contribution towards controlling fuel accumulation. In some cases animal herds are actively used as means for controlling vegetation re-growth in areas of fuel treatment. This paper is an effort to provide and overview of current fuel management activities in the European countries, mainly those with Mediterranean climate.