Beyond summer fires

Shifting forest fire across European biogeographical regions

Bibliographic Data

ID15549522
AuthorsDavide D'Alò (University of Bari Aldo Moro, corresponding author), Davide D’Alò, Mario Elia (0000-0003-4382-2752, University of Bari Aldo Moro), María Cecilia Naval-Fernández (0000-0002-9443-412X), Juan Pablo Argañaraz (0000-0003-1388-9219, Instituto Universitario Aeronáutico), Nicola Amoroso (0000-0003-0211-0783, Ospedale Pediatrico Giovanni XXIII), Vincenzo Giannico (0000-0002-9907-3730, Regione Puglia), Giovanni Sanesi (0000-0002-4218-3605, University of Bari Aldo Moro), R Bellotti (0000-0003-3198-2708, University of Bari Aldo Moro), Raffale Lafortezza (0000-0003-4642-8435, University of Bari Aldo Moro)
Year2026
Volume21
Issue5
Pages054007-054007
Publication date2026-02-19
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEnvironmental Research Letters (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1748-9326 • E-ISSN: 1748-9326
PublisherIOP Publishing (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1088/1748-9326/ae4817
OpenAlexW7130592317
LanguageEN
References cited58

Forest fire regimes in Europe are evolving due to complex interactions between climate change, land use, and management strategies. Traditionally concentrated in Mediterranean countries during the summer, fire activity is increasingly affecting regions and periods not historically considered at risk. In this study, we analyzed 20 years (2001–2020) of satellite-derived weekly forest fire data across five European biogeographical regions—Mediterranean, Atlantic, Alpine, Continental, and Boreal—to detect shifts in fire frequency, size, and extent. Using wavelet analysis and multi-method breakpoint detection on weekly fire metrics (burned area, number, and size), we identified significant temporal and seasonal changes in several regions. Results show a decline in summer fire activity in the Mediterranean and Atlantic regions, likely reflecting improved fire suppression and prevention. In contrast, our results show that the Alpine region shows increasing fire activity, particularly outside the summer season, suggesting an expanding fire season linked to climatic and ecological changes. Smaller but notable changes were also detected in Boreal and Continental regions. Our findings highlight the growing relevance of fires occurring outside the summer season in shaping Europe’s fire regimes. These results underscore the need for adaptive, region-specific fire management strategies that account for shifting seasonality and emerging risks beyond the traditional summer fire window

Boreal · Climate change · Fire ecology · Fire regime · Mediterranean climate · Taiga · Fire Detection and Safety Systems · Fire effects on ecosystems · Knowledge Management and Technology

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access