FOREST FIRES: causes and contributing factors in Europe

The present study aims to provide a critical analysis of the causes that lead to the most relevant recent forest fires events in the EU, focusing in particular on Southern European countries. In particular, the study assesses to what extent forest fires have been influenced by forest management, extreme weather events and climate change, territorial planning/development regulations regarding the use of forests or burned areas, and inadequacy of response and lack of material capacity. To do so, two case studies were developed, one the Portuguese forest fires of 2003 and 2005, and one on the Greek fires of 2007