Characteristics of Forest Fires and their Impact on the Environment

Abstract

We can hear about large scale forest fires in the media from several areas of the European Union almost every year. A large forest fire causes a serious impact on the environment, determining its future for decades. Prevention of forest fires is one of today’s most important tasks as well as appropriate preparedness for effective fighting against them. To do so, it is vital to have detailed knowledge on the characteristics of different forest types and their environment, their ecosystems and food-chains, and technical information on the properties of forest fires and their effects on the different elements of the environment and lessons learned from previous cases.Based on gathered information of past events authors have provided a complete system of forest fire categories by their size, type, risks and consequences. We investigated the detailed impacts of forest fires on the different elements of the environment.The content of this paper may help the work of the sylviculturists and other agrarian experts involved in the rehabilitation processes of forest ecosystems after large-scale forest fires.