Integrated Fire Management and Closer to Nature Forest Management at the Landscape Scale as a Holistic Approach to Foster Forest Resilience to Wildfires

Unprecedented wildfires are expected to remain a major challenge for Europe in the coming years due to their increasing frequency and intensity. However, there is currently no standardized framework for managing wildfire risk, with no common definition of integrated wildfire risk management, and lack of consensus within sustainable forest management, with over 20 synonyms and semi-synonyms used for Continuous Cover Forestry (CCF), including among others, close-to-nature forest management. This open letter examines and highlights the importance of implementing two key approaches, the Integrated Fire Management (IFM) and the EU’s proposed approach of Closer-To-Nature Forest Management (CTNFM) with temporal and spatial connectivity in the face of climate change. The document discusses relevant management options to address wildfire risk challenges, and their associated impacts such as forest degradation and biodiversity loss. It emphasizes the urgent need for action by EU Member States in light of a bottom-up approach (local to regional and national level), political commitment, and public awareness to address these issues effectively. Key topics covered include wildfire adaptation strategies of plant species, and the impact of climate change and land use on today’s uncharacteristic fire regimes conditions. Silvicultural closer-to-nature practices, where needed and appropriate, such as the promotion of natural forest regeneration with enhancement of broadleaves, mixed stand composition and strategic tree spacing are examined as means to reduce the spread of fires in wildfire-prone areas. It also highlights the benefits of a landscape-scale approach to sustainable forest management that includes wildfire prevention, ecological resilience, habitat conservation and resource management. Options are presented for policy makers and relevant stakeholders to support these strategies through collaboration, enforcement, ecological stewardship, monitoring capabilities, public education, research support, and international cooperation. The integration of IFM and CTNFM can improve wildfire mitigation, preparedness, and adaptive capacity, thereby promoting resilient landscapes and communities in the long-term.