Exploring Forest Fire

Abstract/Description

The Himalayan range is a critical bio-geographic region with epithets such as the ‘water tower of the world’. Harbouring thousands of plants and avifauna, hundreds of mammals, and millions of inhabitants, it is an important biophysical and socioecological system. Owing to global climate change, the Himalayan region is one of the most vulnerable systems in the world, with manifestations of prolonged droughts and erratic precipitation patterns. Combined with the hardships brought about by topographic complexities, human movement, agrarian activities, and natural resources use are rapidly changing, failing to adapt suitably to the vagaries of climate change. Rural farmland abandonment, declining agropastoral labor, and changes in vegetation and wildlife, led by depopulation of rural mountain areas pose additional risk to the socioecological mountain systems in the Himalaya. One of the important challenges raised in the Himalaya at present is the fundamental shift away from agrarian livelihoods, which are intricately woven with the ecosystems they inhabit. In the S4SSS workshop, we will take inspiration from a curated list of unique ecosystems or components (niche environments, endemic or endangered flora and fauna) of the Himalaya. The expected outcomes include creation of art (drawings, paintings, music or writings), reflection on the importance of our muse, and possibly curiosities and ideas for future research. Another possibility is the compilation of the art and ideas from the workshop into an open-source online publication (in English as well as local languages such as Nepali), hosted at the organizing institution and/or the collaborators.

Abstract/Description

Strategic long-term planning of mountain forests in the European Alps requires a balancing act between sustaining forest biodiversity and ecosystem services (BES) and mitigating disturbance risks, particularly under climate change. In this context, close-to-nature forestry (CNF) is considered an effective strategy. However, it remains unclear whether current CNF strategies sufficiently reduce forests’ predisposition to climate-change-induced shifts in disturbance regimes, including the occurrence of novel disturbances such as forest fires. To address this complexity, we integrated the forest gap model ForClim with predisposition assessments for fire, bark beetle, and windthrow disturbances – as well as evaluations of BES provision – into a decision support system (DSS). We introduce the integration of a novel fire predisposition assessment system (PAS), incorporating factors such as topography, climatic conditions, wildland–urban interface, and stand structural characteristics. Simulations were conducted for a forest enterprise in the Central Swiss Alps, covering a large elevation gradient, under three climate scenarios (historical, SSP2-4.5, and SSP5-8.5) and six management strategies, including CNF variants with different management intensities and climate-adapted approaches. Our results indicate that climate change will dynamically alter disturbance predisposition across elevation gradients: For example, under severe warming (SSP5-8.5), long-term reductions in stand-related disturbance predisposition occurred at lower elevations due to declining forest productivity, while predisposition increased at higher elevations with improved growing conditions. CNF emerged as a balanced approach for reducing predisposition to bark beetle infestation and windthrow while maintaining BES. However, CNF promoted stand characteristics that increased stand-related predisposition to forest fires. Our results further show that increasing management intensity generally reduces stand-related disturbance predisposition but can also lead to trade-offs, such as reduced BES provision. We conclude that proactively reducing disturbance predisposition may involve short-term trade-offs regarding BES provision but may be crucial to avoid larger, long-term BES losses caused by severe disturbances. Our study emphasises the need for multi-criteria decision support systems to sustain mountain forest management under climate change, e.g. to balance fire mitigation with the provision of BES.

Abstract/Description

Forest fires in the Indian Western Himalayas have become increasingly frequent and severe, primarily driven by climate change-induced shifts such as rising temperatures and extended dry periods. These environmental changes pose significant threats to biodiversity, disrupt forest ecosystems, and jeopardize the livelihoods of local communities who rely heavily on forest resources. This study focuses on understanding how local communities in Almora district, Uttarakhand, are affected by forest fires and how they perceive and respond to these challenges. The Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework is used to analyze the complex relationship between environmental threats and community resilience.

To gather insights, we employed a combination of fieldwork, satellite data analysis, and community engagement. Using historical fire records and GIS mapping, we identified areas which were frequently impacted by fire. Further conducted surveys with local residents to understand their experiences, concerns, and coping strategies. The DPSIR framework allowed us to break down the issue into key components: Drivers (factors like climate change and land-use changes that increase fire risks), Pressures (human interference, tourism and poor forest management), State (changes in forest health and soil quality), Impact (economic loss, health risks, and biodiversity decline), and Response (community-driven fire prevention and traditional management techniques).

Forest-dependent communities show heightened vulnerability due to limited adaptive resources and institutional support. Community members attributed these forest fires to the changing climatic conditions which are providing a favourable ground for forest fires. The damage to vegetation and soil reduces their access to forest resources, impacting their daily lives. However, traditional knowledge, including controlled burning and collective fire prevention efforts, remains a vital tool for local fire management. Unfortunately, many of these practices are not adequately supported by government policies or integrated into formal fire management plans.

This study highlights the urgent need for stronger community engagement, improved fire prediction systems, and better policy integration. By including local knowledge and experiences in fire management strategies, we can create more effective and sustainable solutions to mitigate the growing threat of forest fires in the Himalayas.