Assessing vulnerability to wildfire of an agroforestry landscape mosaic of Sierra de Gata, southwestern Spain.

· Bertomeu Manuel1 · Corbacho Javier2 · Pulido Fernando1 · Navalpotro Javier2 · Palomo Gonzalo2 · Giménez Juan Carlos1 · Moreno Gerardo1.1 INDEHESA, Escuela de Ingeniería Forestal y del Medio Natural, Centro Universitario de Plasencia, Universidad de Extremadura. Avda. Virgen del Puerto 2, 10600 Plasencia, Cáceres, Spain. 2 MOSAICO-Extremadura, Centro Universitario de Plasencia, Universidad de Extremadura. Avda. Virgen del Puerto 2, 10600 Plasencia, Cáceres, Spain.

Authors:

Wild�res have increasingly become a threat to the Mediterranean mountain forests of southern Europe. Extensive afforestation with �ammable pine species, abandonment of traditional land management practices, and longer and more intense droughts due to climate change result in larger and more frequent and intense forest �res. Mosaic landscapes consisting of a mix of different land cover and use type are considered to be less vulnerable than forests to wild�re. Interspersed patches of crops, pastures, and grazed shrubs and forests break-up the continuity of hazardous fuels across the landscape, and provide safer zones from which �res can be suppressed (�gures 1 and 2).

Mosaico-Extremadura is a project that aims to restore an agroforestry mosaic landscape in Sierra de Gata, a mountainous area in southwestern Spain prone to anthropogenic �res. A multidisciplinary team of technicians facilitate farmer planning and implementation of agricultural and forestry livelihood interventions (e.g., tree farming; grazing management, resin tapping), training, and negotiation and coordination with local government and forestry authorities. The project rests on the idea that agricultural interventions at strategic locations within forests and at the forest-agriculture interface will function as effective, and productive �rebreaks. However, whether these interventions will nudge the current landscape towards a more �re resilient one remains uncertain.

Introduction

To assess the vulnerability to �re of the hypothetical landscape mosaic that would result if all interventions proposed by farmers involved in the Mosaico project were implemented.

Objetive

Next steps

Table 1. Estimated �re risk of the landscape previous to project intervention.

Table 2. Potential impact of project interventions on reducing �re risk.

1. To conduct a retrospective sensitivity assessment

2. To conduct �re simulations and assessments of exposure to wild�re, sensitivity and resilience of the hypothetical landscape under different project success scenarios and after project completion.

References: Vaillant, et al., 2016, CurrForestryRep, 201–213, DOI 10.1007/s40725-016-0040-1

Results

Sierra de Gata is a mountainous area in southwestern Spain that extends over 150,000 ha, of which 70,000 ha are forests of Pinus Pinaster. It comprises a population of 22,728 in 20 villages. Agricultural production include olive, chestnut and fruit trees and goat and sheep grazing in an area of 30.000 ha. Forests provide timber, resin, NTFPs (mushrooms) and recreation.

The vulnerability assessment framework (VAF) proposed by Vaillant et al. (2016) is used. VAF’s components, exposure, sensitivity, and resilience, will be measured �rst in a retrospective assessment of landscape vulnerability, followed by a predictive, comparative assessment under different scenarios of project success, including the ‘business as usual’ (without project).

GIS analysis includes:

• Spatial-temporal characterization of the occurrence of �res according to the national database (EGIF) of the Ministry of the Environment.

• The development of variables dependent on �re risk (altitude, slope, vegetation, anthropic elements and fuel models).

• Reclassi�cation of variables according to risk through a range of values.

• Map algebra: a combination of the different variables generated with the Mosaico project initiatives.

Methods and materialsStudy area

Wildfires

2.298

37.500Burnt area (ha.)

Very low / NullLowMediumHighVery high

Altitude index

Very low / NullLowMediumHigh

Slope index

LowMediumHigh

Fuel models index

LowMediumHigh

Vegetation index

LowMediumHigh

Valverde del fresno

Eljas

San Martón de Trevejo

Villamiel Hoyos Villasbuenas de Gata

Perales del Puerto

Gata

Cilleros

AceboGata Cadalso

Torre de Don MiguelHernán-Pérez

Santibáñez el Alto Villanueva de la Sierra

Cadalso

Descargamaría

Robledillo de GataPinofranqueado

Caminomorisco

La Pesga

Casar de Palomero

Torrecilla de los Ángeles

Nuñomoral

Casares de las HurdesLadrillar

Legend

Simbology

Municipalities

Fire perimeter

< 1 has.

1 - 25 has.

25 - 50 has.

50 - 100 has.

100 - 200 has.

200 - 300 has.a

Assessment framework

Results

Figures 1 and 2. Productive firebreaks in a forest landscape: unburnt olive and chestnut orchards surrounded by a Pinus pinaster forest destroyed by fire. Sierra de Gata, Cáceres

Cilleros

Gata

Valverde del Fresno

Caminomorisco

Pinofranqueado

Acebo

Villamiel

Nuñomoral

Eljas

Ladrillar

Santibáñez el Alto

Gata

Descargamaría

Hernán-Pérez

Hoyos Villasbuenas de Gata

La Pesga

Perales del Puerto

Villanueva de la Sierra

Casar de Palomero

Torrecilla de los Ángeles

Robledillo de Gata

Casares de las Hurdes

Torre de Don Miguel

Cadalso

San Martín de Trevejo

Cadalso

Cadalso

0 6 123 Kilometros

Ü

Riesgo de incendio en iniciativas mosaicoMuy Bajo

Bajo

Medio

Alto

Muy Alto

Mapa de Riesgo de Incendio en propuestas de Iniciativas Mosaico

Very low / NullLowMediumHighVery High

1,27%

42,51%

26,24%

20,27%

9,72%

Muy Bajo/nulo

Bajo

Medio

Alto

Muy Alto

0,05%

21,76%

36,53%

30,22%

11,43%

Muy Bajo/nulo

Bajo

Medio

Alto

Muy Alto

Wildfire occurrence and extent during the period 2000-2015:

Very low / NullLowMediumHighVery High

Potential impact of project interventions on reducing fire risk

1,27%

54,22%

20,76%

15,73%

8,01%

Muy Bajo/nulo

Bajo

Medio

Alto

Muy Alto

Cilleros

Gata

Valverde del Fresno

Caminomorisco

Pinofranqueado

Acebo

Villamiel

Nuñomoral

Eljas

Ladrillar

Santibáñez el Alto

Gata

Descargamaría

Hernán-Pérez

Hoyos Villasbuenas de Gata

La Pesga

Perales del Puerto

Villanueva de la Sierra

Casar de Palomero

Torrecilla de los Ángeles

Robledillo de Gata

Casares de las Hurdes

Torre de Don Miguel

Cadalso

San Martín de Trevejo

Cadalso

Cadalso

0 6 123 Kilometros

Ü

clip_riesgo_iniciativas

Muy Bajo

Bajo

Medio

Alto

Muy Alto

Mapa de Riesgo de Incendio en propuestas de Iniciativas Mosaico

Map 4. Map 3.

Map 2.

Fire risk in proposed project areas

Estimated fire risk of the landscape previous to project intervention

Very LowLowMediumHighVery High

2.073,3669.246,7242.741,7433.014,8115.828,81

Values Area (has.)Very LowLowMediumHighVery High

=+ 11,71-5,48-4,54-1,72

Values Area (%)