Observational evidence on the effects of mega-fires on the frequency of hydrogeomorphic hazards. The case of the Peloponnese fires of 2007 in Greece

Diakakis, Michalis; Nikolopoulos, Efthymios I.; Mavroulis, Spyridon; Vassilakis, Emmanuel; Korakaki, Evangelia

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.03.070

Cited by 24 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 84 publications

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“…Conditions after a fire event can be even worse because vegetation cover is temporarily minimised and thus the retention of soil in situ is reduced (Pelletier 2017). Essentially, a fire event on a steep limestone slope could create a barren landscape with the basement rock exposed (Diakakis et al 2017;Farangitakis et al 2017). In such conditions, it is highly unfavourable to any postfire regeneration taking place, especially for obligate seeders.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessing the impact of different landscape features on post-fire forest recovery with multitemporal remote sensing data: the case of Mount Taygetos (southern Greece)

Christopoulou

Mallinis

Vassilakis

et al. 2019

Int. J. Wildland Fire

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Fires affecting large areas usually create a mosaic of recovering plant communities reflecting their pre-fire composition and local conditions of burning. However, post-fire recovery patterns may also reveal the effects of landscape heterogeneity on the natural regeneration process of plant communities. This study combines field data and remote sensing image interpretation techniques to assess the role of various landscape characteristics in the post-fire recovery process in a mountainous region of Greece burned by a severe wildfire. Remote sensing techniques were used to accurately map secluded, large burned areas. By introducing a temporal component, we explored the correlation between post-fire regeneration and underlying topography, soils and basement rock. Pre-fire forest cover was reduced by more than half 8 years after fire. Regarding the dominant pre-fire forest trees, Abies cephalonica did not regenerate well after fire and most pre-fire stands were converted to grasslands and shrublands. In contrast, Pinus nigra regenerated sufficiently to return to its pre-fire cover, especially in areas underlain by softer basement rock. The use of different time series of high-resolution images improved the quality of the results obtained, justifying their use despite their high cost.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Particularly extensive and destructive burning occurred in 2007 in the Peloponnese (south Greece) and 2018 in Attica. Both events killed dozens of people and the 2007 fires caused extensive losses of forested and arable land (Koutsias et al 2012;Diakakis et al 2017;personal observations).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the impact of different landscape features on post-fire forest recovery with multitemporal remote sensing data: the case of Mount Taygetos (southern Greece)

Christopoulou

Mallinis

Vassilakis

et al. 2019

Int. J. Wildland Fire

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“…However, the emphasis on firefighting did not solve the problem. Average area burned in the 20 years since 1998 remained essentially the same as in the 20 years before 1998, while damages and fatalities increased steeply with 80 deaths in the 2007 fire season and 102 losses of life in a single WUI fire in East Attica in 2018 (Diakakis et al, 2017). In the aftermath of the latter disaster, which was one of the worst wildland fires in the recent history of Greece, efforts are underway to upgrade the fire management system, improving, among other elements, the level of cooperation between involved agencies (Figure 1).…”

Section: Greecementioning

confidence: 91%

Current Wildland Fire Patterns and Challenges in Europe: A Synthesis of National Perspectives

Fernandez-Añez

Krasovskiy

Müller

et al. 2021

Air, Soil and Water Research

105

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Changes in climate, land use, and land management impact the occurrence and severity of wildland fires in many parts of the world. This is particularly evident in Europe, where ongoing changes in land use have strongly modified fire patterns over the last decades. Although satellite data by the European Forest Fire Information System provide large-scale wildland fire statistics across European countries, there is still a crucial need to collect and summarize in-depth local analysis and understanding of the wildland fire condition and associated challenges across Europe. This article aims to provide a general overview of the current wildland fire patterns and challenges as perceived by national representatives, supplemented by national fire statistics (2009–2018) across Europe. For each of the 31 countries included, we present a perspective authored by scientists or practitioners from each respective country, representing a wide range of disciplines and cultural backgrounds. The authors were selected from members of the COST Action “Fire and the Earth System: Science & Society” funded by the European Commission with the aim to share knowledge and improve communication about wildland fire. Where relevant, a brief overview of key studies, particular wildland fire challenges a country is facing, and an overview of notable recent fire events are also presented. Key perceived challenges included (1) the lack of consistent and detailed records for wildland fire events, within and across countries, (2) an increase in wildland fires that pose a risk to properties and human life due to high population densities and sprawl into forested regions, and (3) the view that, irrespective of changes in management, climate change is likely to increase the frequency and impact of wildland fires in the coming decades. Addressing challenge (1) will not only be valuable in advancing national and pan-European wildland fire management strategies, but also in evaluating perceptions (2) and (3) against more robust quantitative evidence.

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“…Wildfires do not impact only vegetation but can also increase the probability of occurrence for major secondary post-fire effects such as: landslides; modification of hydrogeological characteristics; enhanced soil erosion; and sediment transport [1,2]. Forest fires, depending on their extent, recurrence and severity of burning, can have severe geomorphological and environmental impacts [1,[3][4][5][6][7]. Indeed, [6] p.7 indicated a direct correlation between rainfall-induced mass movement events and their average frequency of occurrence after forest fires, since they alter vegetation and soil properties, making the burned area susceptible to rapid geomorphological changes [3,8].…”

Section: Introduction 1wildfiresmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Forest fires, depending on their extent, recurrence and severity of burning, can have severe geomorphological and environmental impacts [1,[3][4][5][6][7]. Indeed, [6] p.7 indicated a direct correlation between rainfall-induced mass movement events and their average frequency of occurrence after forest fires, since they alter vegetation and soil properties, making the burned area susceptible to rapid geomorphological changes [3,8]. The vulnerability of wildfire-affected areas to debris flows has also been reported as the most important mode of post-fire erosion [3,4], which is also related to shallow landslides being triggered on the burnt slopes, mainly after intense rainstorms [4].…”

Section: Introduction 1wildfiresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Detecting and Monitoring Early Post-Fire Sliding Phenomena Using UAV–SfM Photogrammetry and t-LiDAR-Derived Point Clouds

Deligiannakis

Pallikarakis

Papanikolaou

et al. 2021

Fire

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Soil changes, including landslides and erosion, are some of the most prominent post-fire effects in Mediterranean ecosystems. Landslide detection and monitoring play an essential role in mitigation measures. We tested two different methodologies in five burned sites with different characteristics in Central Greece. We compared Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)-derived high-resolution Digital Surface Models and point clouds with terrestrial Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR)-derived point clouds to reveal new cracks and monitor scarps of pre-existing landslides. New cracks and scarps were revealed at two sites after the wildfire, measuring up to 27 m in length and up to 25 ± 5 cm in depth. Pre-existing scarps in both Kechries sites appeared to be active, with additional vertical displacements ranging from 5–15 ± 5 cm. In addition, the pre-existing landslide in Magoula expanded by 8%. Due to vegetation regrowth, no changes could be detected in the Agios Stefanos pre-existing landslide. This high-spatial-resolution mapping of slope deformations can be used as landslide precursor, assisting prevention measures. Considering the lack of vegetation after wildfires, UAV photogrammetry has great potential for tracing such early landslide indicators and is more efficient for accurately recording soil changes.

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Observational evidence on the effects of mega-fires on the frequency of hydrogeomorphic hazards. The case of the Peloponnese fires of 2007 in Greece

Cited by 24 publications

References 84 publications

Assessing the impact of different landscape features on post-fire forest recovery with multitemporal remote sensing data: the case of Mount Taygetos (southern Greece)

Assessing the impact of different landscape features on post-fire forest recovery with multitemporal remote sensing data: the case of Mount Taygetos (southern Greece)

Current Wildland Fire Patterns and Challenges in Europe: A Synthesis of National Perspectives

Detecting and Monitoring Early Post-Fire Sliding Phenomena Using UAV–SfM Photogrammetry and t-LiDAR-Derived Point Clouds

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