Atmospheric properties are likely to be perturbed around a forest fire due to the heat and mass fluxes at the lower boundary, which may change the vertical properties of the atmosphere, namely static stability, amongst others. Increased instability may drastically change the dynamics of the atmosphere which eventually feedback on the fire and can lead to the formation of pyrocumulus . Pyrocumulus can generate precipitation, downdrafts, and lightning events, and have been linked with extreme fire growth, devastating firestorms and even fire-induced tornados. It is therefore fundamental to be able to simulate the formation of pyrocumulus during fire events and characterize the physical mechanisms and conditions favorable to their formation. The fully coupled fire spread-atmosphere model WRF-SFIRE was used to simulate the fire propagation and interaction with the lower atmosphere, leading to the formation of pyrocumulus. Preliminary results show that the WRF-SFIRE is able to realistically simulate the formation of pyrocumulus during a fire event, and that the combined interaction between temperature, surface winds and fuel moisture play a critical role in the interaction atmosphere-fire during convection and pyrocumulus development.

Human activities have been blamed as a major cause of wildfires. In the face of these, preventive and control measures must be founded on a thorough understanding of the factors contributing to the initiation and spread of wildfires. The study aims to assess farmers’ perception of wildfire occurrence and adaptation strategies in the forest and transition landscapes. An individual interview was conducted with 120 farmers, and 20 farmers were involved in four focus group discussions in two agroecological landscapes. A combination of descriptive statistics and regression analysis was used for data analysis. Results showed that 85.75% of farmers observed an upward trend in wildfires. About 92% strongly agree that hunting, farm establishment (75%), and pasture renewal (67.67%) are the main causes of wildfires. About 72% agreed with the statement that the fire could have been completely avoided, and 88% agreed with the statement that the severity of the fire could have been reduced. The perceived impacts of wildfires included immediate crop burning, crop growth delaying and destruction of material goods. In dealing with this scourge, the following coping strategies have been adopted by the farmers. This includes the prohibition of hunting during the dry season, seeking permission and approval from a fire volunteering group before burning, a ban on cooking on farms, the establishment of firebreaks establishment and strict punishments and fines for perpetrators. To increase effectiveness and sustainability, policies and institutions that support local wildfire management activities must take advantage of the strong community knowledge and networks.

Prescribed burning reduces the risk of wildfire in the forests of eastern Australia, but it also produces smoke. Here, we summarise the results of a five-year investigation into the trade-off between prescribed burn smoke and wildfire smoke. We found:
1. Cultural burns consumed ~9% of forest biomass, contemporary Hazard Reduction burns consumed 20% and wildfires consumed 40%, so there is a marked difference.
2. Around most prescribed burns, particulate levels reduce to acceptable levels within 2 km from the fire in the day and 5 km at night, but cool, still weather conditions make broadscale impacts more likely.
3. The worst particulate impact of prescribed burning smoke in Sydney occurred when there was pollution lingering from the previous day, temperature and the ventilation index were low, and when sea breezes prevented air leaving the basin.
4. Trade-off analyses find that increasing the amount of prescribed burning will cause higher levels of particulates than wildfires, probably due to the weather conditions they occur in and the lower energy that reduces the amount of smoke lofted above the surface.

Smoke exposure from prescribed burning can be reduced by avoiding certain weather conditions, but this will reduce the number of days per year available for burning.

Firebreaks aim to reduce the energetic progression of a wildfire, facilitating safe and efficient firefighting, and, consequently, reducing suppression difficulty and suppression costs. Firebreak effectiveness is defined as the probability of controlling a fire. The main goal of this study is to develop predictive models regarding firebreak effectiveness based on topographic, meteorological, fuel model, fire behavior and firebreak design variables. A database was generated by evaluating 563 intersections between fire fronts and firebreaks during real wildfires from 2011 to 2018 in southern Spain. The effectiveness of firebreak wildfire containment capabilities was modeled through machine learning techniques (artificial neural networks and decision trees) along with a classic statistical approach (logistic regression). Although the best results were obtained with an artificial neural network model, a decision tree is the simplest model for land managers to understand and apply. The factors identified as having the greatest influence on firebreak effectiveness were the type of suppression work supported on firebreaks, the flame length and the intersection angle between the fire front and the firebreak. This research entails a change in decision support models from using simulations to an empirical approach of assessing real fire events. Firebreak effectiveness assessment is a useful tool for optimizing fire containment capacity and firefighter safety. Our findings allow to address the construction of new firebreaks or the revaluation of existing ones, identifying areas and circumstances where their effectiveness could be maximized. The increase in effectiveness supports the operational decision-making process and budget allocation in fire management.

Mediterranean countries are a worldwide hotspot for wildfires. In 2011, FAO published the position paper "Wildfire Prevention in the Mediterranean”; since then, there has been much progress. In March 2022, at the 7th Mediterranean Forest Week, the European Forest Institute and the Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge started a participative process to update the five recommendations and the 40 proposed actions to make them relevant for the next 10 years. During 2022, the editorial team conducted five workshops in international forums where fire experts and forest managers from around the Mediterranean expressed their recommendations and proposals on how wildfire prevention should be for the next 10 years. In parallel, the opinion of fire experts and land managers were collected through an on-line questionnaire. In 2023, the editorial team is collating the answers and starting the update of the text. This process is enhanced via feedback loops with the workshops participants and questionnaire respondents. Currently, the main conclusion is that the five existing recommendations are maintained, but a 6th new recommendation “Adoption of a governance model able to tackle the multidimensional aspects of the wildfires and the interdependency of their causes” has been added. In May 2023, the position paper will be fully updated. At the Conference, the updated version will be presented for the first time, focusing on the main changes in the proposed actions and the new governance model for wildfires. It shall become a reference document for Mediterranean policy makers and managers.

Canadians can adapt to climate change and be resilient in the face of more frequent and extreme wildfire events by adopting FireSmart Canada’s recommendations and guidelines. Wildland fuels and the built environment can be modified to reduce fire spread.
In 2020 the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers (CCFM) developed an Action Plan to implement a Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy Using a Whole-of-Government Approach. This Plan includes detailed steps to achieve more resilient communities and infrastructure to the threat and impacts of wildland fire. The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) is taking the lead to ensure an all of Canada model is developed. With encouragement from CCFM, FireSmart Canada transitioned from a regional, stand-alone program to CIFFC as a national brand and program, with the aim of ensuring the integration of prevention and mitigation efforts among all jurisdictions and groups. As part of this shift, the CIFFC Prevention and Mitigation Action Plan was developed in 2021, listing 12 priority actions with a vision of Canadians working together to become better prepared and more resilient to wildland fire risks.
CIFFC and FireSmart Canada are at the early stages of implementing the action plan but are already seeing tremendous engagement and support throughout many of the Canadian jurisdictions and communities. Our current focus is to evolve the Action Plan to take a more whole-of-society approach and ensuring all sectors, private and public, and all communities, urban, rural, and Indigenous, have a role to play in building a more resilient future in Canada.