Fire Management

Teaching methods will basically consist on practical and teorethical lectures where the students will recurrently be asked to use their computers to perform different exercises using specific software. Field lectures will be used to ilustrate some of the different aspects approached in the classroom.

1. Learn about the problem of forest fires in Portugal, both the aspects related to the ignitions as those related to fire propagation and fire effects;
2. Learn and apply forest fire prevention techniques, in a way to diminish the number of ignitions, to prevent the extension of wildfires, to increase forest resilience and to mitigate the effects of fire.
3. Learn the different aspects related with fire fighting, including aspects dealing with pre-suppression, initial attack, extended fire fighting, indirect attack and mop up.

Caracterization of the phenomenon of fire in the ecosystems: combustion, and fuel characteristics; propagation and fire behaviour; fire behaviour modelling; fire ecology: fire effects; post-fire maanagement; causes and origins
of forest fires; evolution and present situation of forest fires in Portugal and in Europe.
Fuel management and fire management. fuel management techniques, incluiding prescribed burning; preventive silviculture; forest protection networks; maps of fire risk. Fire fighting: pre-supression, fire weather indices, initial attack, extended attack, the use of chemical products to figth fires; indirect attack; mop up; investigation of fire causes.

• - 2 tests - 100.0%

NAO

Moreira, F., Catry, F.X., Silva, J.S., Rego, F. (Eds.), 2010. Ecologia do Fogo e Gestão de Áreas Ardidas. ISAPress, Lisboa.

Silva, J. S., Rego, F., Fernandes, P., and Rigolot, E. (2010). “Towards Integrated Fire Management”Research Report.

City: European Forest Institute: Joensuu, pp. 229.

Birot, Y. (ed.). 2009. Living with wildfires: what science can tell us. Päivinen, R. (ed.). European Forest Institute, Joensuu. 86 p.

Silva, J.S. (Ed.), 2007. Proteger a Floresta – Incêndios, pragas e doenças. Público/Fundação Luso-Americana para o Desenvolvimento/Liga para a Protecção da Natureza, Lisbon.
CONSELHO NACIONAL DE REFLORESTAÇÃO (2005) Orientações estratégicas para a recuperação das áreas ardidas em 2003 e 2004. Ministério da Agricultura do Desenvolvimento Rural e das Pescas. Lisboa. CNR 2005.
FAO. 2001. Protection des forêts contre l’incendie-Fiches techniques pour les pays du bassin méditerranéen. Cahier FAO conservation. FAO, Rome.