Understanding fire regimes in Europe

Wildland fire effects are strongly associated with fire regime characteristics. Here, we developed the first European pyrogeography based on different fire regime components to better understand fire regimes across the continent. We identified four large-scale pyroregions: a non-fire-prone (NFP) pyroregion featuring nominal fire activity across central and northern Europe; a cool-season fire (CSF) pyroregion scattered throughout Europe; a fire-prone (FP) pyroregion extending mostly across southern Europe; and a highly fire-prone (HFP) pyroregion spanning across northern Portugal, Sicily, and western Balkans. Land cover analysis indicates that pyroregions were first shaped by vegetation and then by anthropogenic factors. On interannual timescales the spatial extent of pyroregions was found to vary, with NFP showing more stability. Interannual correlations between climate and burned area, fire frequency, and the length of fire period exhibited distinct patterns, strengthening in fire-prone pyroregions (FP and HFP) and weakening in NFP and CSF. Proportion of cool-season fires and large fires were related to fuel accumulation in fire-prone pyroregions. Overall, our findings indicate that such a pyrogeography should allow a more accurate estimate of the effects of climate on fire regimes while providing an appropriate framework to better understand fire in Europe.

Automated summary

The study revealed that European pyrogeography is influenced by vegetation and anthropogenic factors, with four pyroregions showing different levels of stability and correlations at interannual scales. There are distinct patterns of correlations between climate and burned area, fire frequency, and fire period length in fire-prone regions, while non-fire-prone regions show weaker correlations. Cool-season fires and large fires in fire-prone regions are related to fuel accumulation.