Advancing Integrated Fire Management and Closer-to-Nature Forest Management: A Holistic Approach to Wildfire Risk Reduction and Ecosystem Resilience in Quinta da França, Portugal

Forests, due to climate change, already face the impacts of drier conditions and prolonged fire seasons caused by rising global temperatures, that exceed 1.1°C above pre-industrial levels and reach the 1.5 threshold set by the Paris Agreement. In addition to human-induced climate change, other drivers that increase the risk of extreme wildfires include land abandonment, urban-wildland interface (WUI) expansion, and poor or inadequate forest and landscape management. Traditional firefighting methods, extensive fire suppression and exhaustive fire exclusion, are proving inadequate in the face of increasingly intense wildfires, necessitating a move towards Integrated Fire Management (IFM). IFM is a holistic and comprehensive proactive approach that encompasses a variety of tactics to manage wildfires effectively (proactive prevention measures, controlled response operations and proactive restoration efforts), while also promoting ecosystem resilience, social equity and viable economy. The EU Forest Strategy for 2030 recognizes the urgent need towards prevention, emphasizing Closer-to-Nature Forest Management (CTNFM) as a Nature-Based Solution (NbS) to reduce wildfire risk, to improve the quantity and quality of EU forests and fortify adaptive capacity in the context of climate change. In Quinta da França (Covilhā), Portugal, the implementation of IFM and CTNFM approaches has been implemented within a Sustainable Forestry 4.0 approach, in an observation – modelling – intervention – evaluation cycle, with the massive use of sensing and data modelling combined with activities including grazing, prescribed burning, controlled clear cuttings, pruning, thinning and mastication. These operations are tailored to enhance the sustainability and resilience of the landscape mosaics taking into account the local socioeconomic and environmental context as well. This approach fits within the implementation of IFM through the SILVANUS platform, by addressing the challenges outlined in the three phases of disaster risk management (A – Prevention and Preparedness, B – Early Detection and Response and D – Restoration). The evaluation of the approach shows namely its capacity to reduce fuel load and horizontal and vertical vegetation continuity, enhancing biomass carbon sequestration and soil protection, hence showing how the integration of these tools and methods allows the establishment of sustainable and resilient landscapes and communities.