Update of the booklet for IC&DT Projects in the area of Forest Fires

The FCT has updated the brochure on the Calls of IC&DT Projects within the scope of Prevention and Fighting of Forest Fires, which is available online for consultation.

A first version of this brochure, which reflected the selected IC&DT projects from the 2017 and 2018 editions, had been presented in November 2019 at the meeting “Rural Fires: Better management based on scientific evidence” , organized by FCT, ForestWISE – Collaborative Laboratory for Integrated Forest and Fire Management and the Agency for Integrated Rural Fire Management (AGIF). This new version of the brochure includes the 19 projects selected in the 2019 Call , the last one within the scope of this program, and is now complete with all 56 projects selected in the three editions carried out.

The creation of the R&D Program for the prevention and combat of forest fires was based on a Resolution of the Council of Ministers no. 159/2017 , of October 30, following the fires that occurred in 2017. This program aimed to reinforce the development of R&D activities aimed at encouraging and strengthening scientific and technological skills and capabilities, as well as ensuring the appropriation and incorporation of scientific knowledge in decision support in operational systems and facilitating the production of new knowledge aimed at solving concrete and real problems.

The program had an allocation of 15 million euros, which were distributed among the three Calls carried out for the selection of IC&DT projects within the scope of Prevention and Fighting of Forest Fires, which resulted in the approval of 56 projects aimed at preventing and fighting forest fires, considering the following themes and areas:

– Governance of forest resources, including fuel management in rural areas, integration and fire risk communication mechanisms as well as consideration of attitudes and behaviors;

– Valorization of biomass in rural areas, as a factor in boosting the local economy and population participation;

– Models for organizing and managing forest areas in terms of protection, conservation, silvopasture, recreation, leisure and production, integrating territorial, social and economic components;

– Models for planning and preventive silviculture and post-fire restoration and management, at different temporal and spatial scales.