Land-based wildfire prevention: Principles and experiences on managing landscapes, forests and woodlands for safety and resilience in Europe

This booklet is an example of how exchanges of information and good practices at European and international level can facilitate a better understanding of land-based wildfire prevention and facilitate effective responses. In recent years, wildfires have had an enormous impact on Europe’s natural capital, economy, and its people.

European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) reports show that the temporal and spatial patterns of wildfires in Europe are changing. In 2019 and 2020, the wildfire season was extended, starting sooner or lasting longer than expected, with the number of fires and burned area surpassing the average of the last twelve years in record time. Wildfire occurrence has continued to increase outside of fire- prone countries, triggering new wildfire- response developments and challenges.

This booklet and its underlying recommendations are meant to share the Commission Expert Group on Forest Fires (EGFF) expertise with all potentially interested stakeholders and to increase awareness on the need to work on wildfire prevention even more intensively and in an increasingly coordinated manner. The booklet will also assist practitioners and policymakers from countries new to wildfire threats, seeking to develop and adapt suitable policy responses.