Prescribed burning in protected forest areas: containing risks while maintaining biodiversity

This event will discuss the role of prescribed burning in the management of forest ecosystems, both in terms of its importance for biodiversity and its potential to mitigate the risk of more catastrophic wildfires. The event is online and will take place in the form of two half day sessions.

Fire is and has been an essential element of many European ecosystems. A surprisingly large number of species, some of which protected under the EU Habitats Directive and its Natura 2000 network, depends on regular fires for their long-term survival or have their largest populations in areas with recurring fires. In some countries of Northern Europe, prescribed burning has therefore been adopted as a tool for managing biodiversity. At the same time, prescribed burning can be used for managing risks of fire, providing a cost-effective tool to prevent bigger damages from uncontrolled high-intensity wildfires.

In spite of these advantages, the use of prescribed burning faces important obstacles in many parts of Europe, including unfavourable public perception, but also regulatory obstacles and culture of risk aversion.

Two half day sessions

The first half day of the event will provide an overview of the role of fire for European ecosystems and how prescribed fire is used in different parts of Europe. The second day will focus on how to overcome policy obstacles with case examples of policy shifts, success stories and lessons learned from previous processes.

We encourage you to participate on both days, as they are complementary to each other.

Date: 10 and 11 September

Time: 09.30 – 13.00 CET time

Link will be sent out to the registered participants before the event.

The webinars will be followed up with a field excursion in Sweden or Finland during the autumn in 2025.

Organizers

The event on Prescribed burning is being organized by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency SEPA, together with the Life2Taiga project. The event is in the framework of the Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process.