Assessing the Role of Forest Grazing in Reducing Fire Severity: A Mitigation Strategy

Abstract

This study investigates the role of prescribed grazing as a sustainable fire prevention strategy in Mediterranean ecosystems, with a focus on Sardinia, an area highly susceptible to wildfires. Using FlamMap simulation software, we modeled fire behavior across various grazing and environmental conditions to assess the impact of grazing on fire severity indicators such as flame length, rate of spread, and fireline intensity. Results demonstrate that grazing can reduce fire severity by decreasing combustible biomass, achieving reductions of 25.9% in fire extent in wet years, 60.9% in median years, and 45.8% in dry years. Grazed areas exhibited significantly lower fire intensity, particularly under high canopy cover. These findings support the integration of grazing into fire management policies, highlighting its efficacy as a nature-based solution. However, the study’s scope is limited to small biomass fuels (1-h fuels); future research should extend to larger fuel classes to enhance the generalizability of prescribed grazing as a fire mitigation tool.