Forest Fires in Central Europe - Preparing for a New Reality: International Conference in Dresden 10.

10.10.2022 12:11

Forest Fires in Central Europe – Preparing for a New Reality: International Conference in Dresden 10. – 12.10.

Media invitation for the symposium on 12 October

This week, forest fire experts from all over Europe will gather for a three-day conference in Dresden. The host is TU Dresden. From 10 to 12 October, for the first time, leading experts in the field of fire research will exchange ideas with representatives of science, forestry and firefighters from Central Europe on the topic “Forest fires in Central Europe – Preparation for a new reality “.

This happens within the FirEUrisk project (https://fireurisk.eu) supported by the European Commission. 38 partners, including the TU Dresden Faculty of Environmental Sciences, came together to improve forest fire management and, in particular, to transfer knowledge and experience from fire-prone Mediterranean countries to central and northern Europe. The focus is on fires that occur in extreme conditions and endanger people’s lives.

The fires of last summer show the urgency of this exchange. Due to long periods of drought and heatwaves, forest fires of an unprecedented scale erupted in central Europe in 2022. Mountain regions at the gates such as Bohemian and Saxon Switzerland on the German-Czech border were also affected.

FirEUrisk’s goal is to develop a holistic strategy for brand management in Europe. This strategy includes all stages of forest fire protection: fire risk assessment, damage limitation and adaptation to new climatic conditions.
At the symposium, members of the FirEUrisk consortium and invited experts will present the latest developments in fire risk assessment, mitigation and adaptation. Professionals from Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria will explain the challenges in managing the changing forest fire risks in Central Europe and their needs for better management. Due to climate change, there will be a prolongation and intensification of the hot, dry climate of the fires. Therefore, all regions of central Europe need to develop, improve or adapt forest fire risk management.

While the first two days are reserved for internal exchange, media representatives are also invited to the symposium on 12 October from 8:00 to 16:00 and can ask their questions to the experts.
Registration is required at [email protected].