GFMC Calendar 2020

January| February| March | April | May| June | July | August | September | October | November| December

Preparation of GFMC activities in 2020

January 2020

03 January 2020
GFMC Statements on the situation of bushfires in Australia, online and broadcasted by German Public TV (ARD).

GFMC Statement
(available on the ARD archive until mid-January 2020)

10 January 2020
GFMC Statements on the situation of bushfires in Australia, online and broadcasted by German Public TV (ZDF/3Sat).

GFMC Statement on ZDF 3Sat
(available on the ZDF archive until 2025)

13 January 2020
Public lecture by GFMC „Climate Change and Landscape Fires: Welcome in the Pyrocene“ (Klimawandel, Wald- und Landschaftsbrände: Willkommen im Pyrozän!) in the frame of WALD(W)ENDE: Ein forstwissenschaftlicher Blick auf aktuelle Wald-Diskussionen, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, Goettingen University (Fakultät für Forstwissenschaften und Waldökologie, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen); Goettingen, Germany.

WALD(W)ENDE – playing with words

14 January 2020
GFMC Statements on the situation of bushfires in Australia, online and broadcasted by German Public TV (ZDF Heute plus)

ZDF Livestream with public interactive discussion about the fire situation in Australia

16-17 January 2020
OECD-PLACARD Workshop “Adapting to a changing climate in the management of wildfires”. The workshop aims at identifying issues that need to be addressed to create a conducive environment for aligning wildfire actions, by public as well as private actors, and to design an effective funding architecture to boost wildfire adaptation actions, including ensuring the continued availability of financial protection against wildfire risk; to identify the added-value of international and intergovernmental cooperation on this issue, and to define priority areas where the OECD could contribute to addressing existing gaps in its work going forward. The GFMC contribution will address the role of innovation and technology in wildfire management (J.G. Goldammer); OECD Conference Centre, Paris, France

GFMC presentation “Innovative approaches in enhancing governance and interoperability in landscape fire management: Interagency and international”. Photo: S. Lahaye.

23 January 2020
Launch of a web page “Natural Hazards – Landscape Fires” as part of BeSafeNet to provide basic understanding of the fundamentals of landscape fire and how people can protect themselves and their assets from the threats of wildfires. The website is tailored for high school students (age 15-17 years):

The website is available in four languages: English, French, Greek, Italian and Russian
https://besafenet.net/hazards/landscape-fires/

24 January 2020
Shipment of laboratory equipment and library to the Regional Fire Management Resource Center – Central Asia Region (RFMRC-CAR); GFMC.

  • http://rcafmrc.num.edu.mn/Bon voyage – 45 days travel time for the container by river transport from Weil am Rhein to Hamburg, from there by sea to China and final leg by railways to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Handing-over of the equipment from GFMC (J.G. Goldammer) to RFMRC-CAR (O. Byambasuren). Photo: Jameson Karns.

February 2020

03 February 2020
Annual assembly of Freiburg Fire Service, with GFMC participation as thematic advisor “Landscape Fires”; Freiburg, Germany.

06-07 February 2020
Regional planning workshop “Climate Change and Landscape Fire Management in the Western Balkans” conducted by the Regional Fire Monitoring Center for Southeast Europe / South Caucasus (RFMC) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), with GFMC backstopping and contribution “Climate change and landscape fire management – global and regional challenges”; Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia.

Over the two days three breakout groups developed recommendation on (I) Climate change and Landscape Fire Management – Policy; (II) Climate change and Landscape Fire Management – Forestry / Agriculture and Adjacent Sectors; and (III) Climate change and Landscape Fire Management – Cross-boundary Cooperation. Photos: Jurant Dika, RFMC.

12-18 February 2020
Hurricane “Sabine” emergency response and follow-up of prescribed burning operations on Calluna vulgaris heathlands on Sylt Island, in cooperation with Sylt Nature Conservancy (Naturschutzgemeinschaft Sylt) and County Conservation Administration (Untere Naturschutzbehörde Kreis Nordfriesland; Sylt Island, Germany.

20 February 2020
Meeting with the Ambassador of Greece at the Council of Europe in preparation of a High-level Consultation on Enhancing Governance in Landscape Fire Management to be held in the framework of the EUR-OPA Major Hazards Agreement and the Greek Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe; Council of Europe / Permanent Representation of the Hellenic Republic of Greece to the Council of Europe, Strasbourg, France.

March 2020

4-5 March 2020
Aerial Fire Fighting Conference North America 2020 (AFFNA20). With GFMC keynote address on Global Warming and Landscape Fires – which will present a proposal to establish an international instrument for streamlining the governance of a coalition of national agencies, international organizations and the private sector. The initial proposal will be presented with regards to interoperability, common standard operating procedures; periods and areas of asset deployment; financial sustainability and a tentative timeline. GFMC Director will also give the eulogies for the 2020 winners of the Walt Darran International Aerial Firefighting Award (J.G. Goldammer); Sacramento, California, U.S.A.

14 March 2020 (weather-dependent) (postponed due to COVID-19 Pandemic)

Fire management training for team leaders of fire and rescue service units of Teltow-Fläming County and the field team of Stiftung Naturlandschaften Brandenburg; Luckenwalde and Jüterbog, Germany.

17 March 2020 (postponed due to COVID-19 Pandemic)
Final Conference of the project Network of European Hubs for Civil Protection and Crisis Management, with pilot hub Wildfire Risk Management (GFMC partner) (J.G. Goldammer); World Trade Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

25 March 2020 (postponed due to COVID-19 Pandemic)
GFMC participation at the round table consultation Waldbrandbekämpfung auf Kampfmittelverdachtsflächen und geotechnischen Sperrflächen im Land Brandenburg (Firefighting on Terrain Contaminated by Weaponry / Unexploded Ordnance [UXO]), Brandenburg State; Ministry for Interior and Communal Affairs, Brandenburg State, Germany.

26-27 March 2020 (weather-dependent) (postponed due to COVID-19 Pandemic)
Prescribed burning operation for conservation of Calluna vulgaris heathlands in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.

April 2020

Note: Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and the restriction for international and domestic travel the GFMC and the Regional Fire Management Resource Centers have cancelled field work and physical meetings. Until further notice, meetings are replaced by intensified communication by E-Mail and Skype conferences.

22 April 2020 (postponed due to COVID-19 Pandemic)
Regional Round Table “Wildfire Management in South Eastern Europe”. Objective: To reinforce transboundary cooperation within the region and discuss strategic policies to address the increasing vulnerability of countries in the OSCE area to wildfires. Participating States: Fire management and forest management authorities of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia. Jointly organized by OSCE, GFMC and REFMC. Centre for Openness and Dialogue, Tirana, Albania.

03 April 2020+
GFMC support to the Regional Eastern Europe Fire Monitoring Center (REEFMC) and the OSCE to address the wildfires burning in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone of Ukraine with regards to mitigating the effects of secondary radioactive pollution on Ukraine and neighboring countries.

Visual impressions of the wildfires and smoke transport in and from the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (9 April 2020). Source: See Press release.

14 April 2020
Online meeting between the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Regional Eastern Europe Fire Monitoring Center (REEFMC) and the GFMC concerning futures joint approaches to enhance fire management capacities in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone of Ukraine; Vienna, Austria; Kiev, Ukraine; GFMC.

21 April 2020
Online meeting of the Committee on the Future of Landscape Fire Management and Wildfire Risk Reduction in Greece (GFMC Chair); Athens, Thessaloniki, Orestiada and Thessaloniki, Greece; GFMC.

22 April 2020
Online meeting between the UNEP/OCHA Joint Environment Unit / Environmental Emergencies Center), the Regional Eastern Europe Fire Monitoring Center (REEFMC) and the GFMC, concerning assessment of the fire situation in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone of Ukraine and the smoke pollution in and around Cúcuta, Republic of Colombia, and fires burning in neighbouring territories of San Antonio and Ureña, State of Táchira, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela; UN Geneva, Switzerland; Kiev, Ukraine; GFMC.

24 April 2020
Online meeting with Neusiedler See National Park (Austria) administration and Austrian scientists for evaluation the reed fires of 03-04 April 2020 and the implications for future research and fire management approaches

Impression of fires suppression of the reed fires at Neusiedler See and the post-fire situation.
Photos: Neusiedler See National Park administration.

27 April 2020
Online meeting between the Secretariat of the EUR-OPA Major Hazards Agreement and the GFMC concerning the work programme2020; Strasbourg, France; GFMC.

29 April 2020
On-site meeting with the Office for Fire and Disaster Protection and the Forest Office, City of Freiburg i.Br. (Germany), in review and evaluation of the forest fire of 22 April 2020 in Freiburg City Forest and the advances of the concept of interagency cooperation and task-sharing in fire management; Freiburg, Germany.

COVID-19 precautionary distance between the representatives of Freiburg Forest Office, Fire Service and FGMC at the evaluation of the Sohlacker Fire of 22 April 2020. The surface fire had been caused by a campfire on top of a steep slope and a scenic lookout point, revealing the necessity and utility of light portable hand tools and backpack pumps in the terrain. Photos: Freiburg Forest Office and Freiburg Fire Service.

May 2020

01 May 2020
Start of the Research Cooperation Project “Transformation of Forests to Close-to-Nature Forest Management in Ukraine: Nature-based silvicultural and fire management methods for increasing the resilience of pine stands to drought and wildfire” (RESILPINE) with fire management components:

  • Wildfire risk reduction of pine forest by enrichment with broadleaved species
  • Wildfire hazard reduction of pine forest by applying nature-based integration of prescribed burning
  • Strategic planning and treatment of fuel breaks between forests, agricultural lands and settlements

Partners:

  • Hochschule für nachhaltige Entwicklung Eberswalde (HNEE) (Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development), Fachbereich für Wald und Umwelt
  • Ukrainian National Forestry University (Lviv, Ukraine)
  • Regional Eastern Europe Fire Monitoring Center (REEFMC)
  • GFMC

Sponsor: German Federal Ministry for Food and Agriculture (BMEL) / German Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (BLE). Initial project duration: May 2020 – April 2022; Eberswalde, Germany; Lviv, and Kiev, Ukraine; GFMC.

RESILPINE Partners

Sponsor: German Federal Ministry for Food and Agriculture (BMEL) / German Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (BLE). Initial project duration: May 2020 – April 2022; Eberswalde, Germany; Lviv, and Kiev, Ukraine; GFMC.

05 May and 13 May 2020
Follow-up online conferences of the regional planning workshop “Climate Change and Landscape Fire Management in the Western Balkans” conducted by the Regional Fire Monitoring Center for Southeast Europe / South Caucasus (RFMC), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and GFMC; Skopje (North Macedonia), Bern (Switzerland) and GFMC (Germany).

14 May 2020
Fire management training for personnel of the Forest Office, City of Freiburg i.Br. (Germany) (basics in fire behavior, firefighting safety, use of hand tools and tactics) in the frame of interagency cooperation in fire management; Freiburg, Germany.

Handing over of backpack pumps from Freiburg Fire Service to the Schauinsland Forest Ranger District: The Commander of the Freiburg-Kappel Voluntary Fire Service introducing the handling of backpack pumps to the head of the Ranger District.

27 May 2020
GFMC inputs on landscape fires in the Earth system – an integral part of the educational mission of Klima Arena (Climate Arena); Sinsheim, Germany.

The Klima Arena includes a visual demonstration of the Fireglobe – the seasonal distribution of landscape fires around the world. Interview of GFMC Director by Anja Hoffmann, Director of Programmes and Special Exhibitions of Klima Arena

28 May 2020
Online closing conference of the project Network of European Hubs for Civil Protection and Crisis Management, with pilot hub Wildfire Risk Management (GFMC partner) (J.G. Goldammer); Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and European partners.

June 2020

03 June 2020

Follow-up online conferences of the regional planning workshop “Climate Change and Landscape Fire Management in the Western Balkans” conducted by the Regional Fire Monitoring Center for Southeast Europe / South Caucasus (RFMC), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and GFMC; Skopje (North Macedonia), Bern (Switzerland) and GFMC (Germany).

04 June 2020
Online Kick-off Meeting off the Research Cooperation Project “Transformation of Forests to Close-to-Nature Forest Management in Ukraine: Nature-based silvicultural and fire management methods for increasing the resilience of pine stands to drought and wildfire” (RESILPINE) with fire management components (see GFMC Calendar 01 May 2020)

Kick-off meeting online – the COVID-19-driven alternative to face-to-face meetings

05 June 2020
Planning meeting for further development of the forest fire management map for Freiburg Fire Service and Forest Service, City of Freiburg i.Br. (Germany); Freiburg, Germany.

The forest fire map for Freiburg: Advanced digitalization and integration of information relevant to fire prevention and wildfire incident management – a joint endeavor by Freiburg Fire Service, Forest Service and GFMC.

11 June 2020
First meeting of the Working Group of the Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management and the Committee on Law Enforcement on the Causes of Forest Fires and their Prevention in the Future, in the Parliament (Verkhovna Rada) of Ukraine, with WG member and participation of the head of the Regional Eastern Europe Fire Monitoring Center (REEFMC), Sergiy V. Zibtsev. At the meeting, held at the parliament in Kiev, the Head of REEFMC highlighted most important aspects and steps on fire management needed in Ukraine based on experience and long-term co-operation with GFMC. The cooperation has been supported by the European and Mediterranean Major Hazards Agreement (European Open Partial Agreement EUR-OPA) of the Council of Europe and the OSCE.

The Working Group meeting observed the safety rules imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

29 June 2020

Follow-up online conferences of the regional planning workshop “Climate Change and Landscape Fire Management in the Western Balkans” conducted by the Regional Fire Monitoring Center for Southeast Europe / South Caucasus (RFMC), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and GFMC; Skopje (North Macedonia), Bern (Switzerland) and GFMC (Germany).

29 June 2020

Monitoring of the charcoal kiln – a demonstration kiln in the Fire Management Model District of Freiburg Forest Office; Freiburg, Germany.

Every five years a demonstration charcoal kiln is set up in the City Forest of Freiburg, Germany. Photo: GFMC

July 2020

03 July 2020

Klimawandel, Wetterextreme, Dürre: Der „Klima Talk“ mit Prof. Dr. Johann Georg Goldammer, Philipp Schweigler und Gerrit Kleemann zur aktuellen Dürre (Climate Change, Weather Extremes, Drought: The Climate Talk with Prof. Dr. Johann Georg Goldammer, Philipp Schweigler and Gerrit Kleemann addressing the current drought; 18:30-20:30, Klima Arena, Sinsheim, Germany.

07-10 July 2020
Follow-up field research of the wildfires affecting the former Military Training Range and Ammunitions Depot Lübtheen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern State; Lübtheen, Germany.


21 July 2020

Online panel discussion “Der EU-Zivilschutz in Zeiten zunehmender Waldbrandgefahr” (The European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism in Times of Increasing Wildfire Risk), organized by Europe Direct Informationszentrum; Europe.

22 July 2020

Follow-up online conferences of the regional planning workshop “Climate Change and Landscape Fire Management in the Western Balkans” conducted by the Regional Fire Monitoring Center for Southeast Europe / South Caucasus (RFMC), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and GFMC; Skopje (North Macedonia), Bern (Switzerland) and GFMC (Germany).

22 July 2020

Planning meeting for further development of the forest fire management map for Freiburg Fire Service and Forest Service, City of Freiburg i.Br. (Germany); Freiburg, Germany.


The forest fire map for Freiburg: Advanced digitalization and integration of information relevant to fire prevention and wildfire incident management – a joint endeavor by Freiburg Fire Service, Forest Service and GFMC.

25 July 2020

Fire management refresher training for the Task Force Landscape Fires – a joint endeavor of the Fire and Rescue Service and the Forest Office, City of Freiburg i.Br. (Germany); Freiburg, Germany.

Impressions of the hands-on refresher training – with hand tools only – drip torch, backpack pumps, fire sweater – no fire trucks. Photos: GFMC.

31 July 2020
Deployment of the Task Force Landscape Fires to a forest fire at the fringes of City of Freiburg i.Br. (Germany); Freiburg, Germany.

 August 2020

Background information and recent information on prospects in landscape fire management in Germany and particularly in Baden-Württemberg State (in German):

This forest fire, which erupted at the interface between Freiburg City and the Black Forest provided an opportunity for the Task Force Landscape Fire and the inter-institutional agreement between Freiburg Fire and Rescue Service, Freiburg Forest Office and GFMC to respond swiftly. This endeavor has been supported by GFMC since 2012 – a voluntary contribution to GFMC’s hometown. Photo: © BZ / U. Nostadt.

04 August 2020

While the COVID-19 crisis is continuing to impact Europe, consuming a majority of attention and resources, other disaster risks still remain. For an increasing area of Europe, weather conditions are contributing to a dangerous wildfire season, exacerbated by a changing risk landscape. The European Science and Technology Group (E-STAG) thematic paper on wildfire (GFMC co-author) aims to explain some key factors of this evolution for understanding the risk, reducing it, and avoiding the serious consequences of wildfires that have heavily impacted Europe in recent years.

05 August 2020
Follow-up online conferences of the regional planning workshop “Climate Change and Landscape Fire Management in the Western Balkans” conducted by the Regional Fire Monitoring Center for Southeast Europe / South Caucasus (RFMC), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and GFMC; Skopje (North Macedonia), Bern (Switzerland) and GFMC (Germany).

31 August 2020
State of Brandenburg Round Table “Waldbrandbekämpfung auf Kampfmittelverdachtsflächen und geotechnischen Sperrflächen im Land Brandenburg“ (Forest Fire Fighting on Terrain contaminated by Unexploded Ordnance and on geotechnical Keepout Areas) (J.G. Goldammer); Ministry for Interior and Communal Affairs, Brandenburg State, Potsdam, Germany.

September 2020

01 September 2020
Consultations with the Fire Services Association of Sachsen Anhalt State (Landesfeuerwehrverband Sachsen-Anhalt) and the Forest State Center (Landeszentrum Wald) on future strategic approaches in landscape fire management; Wernigerode and Halberstadt, Germany.

02-04 September 2020
International Scientific and Practical Conference Dedicated to the 20th Anniversary of the Creation of the Burabay State National Natural Park “Innovations in the Conservation and Sustainable Development of Forest Ecosystems”, with joint contribution of the Eurasia Team of Specialists on Landscape Fires “Need for the Development of Pragmatic and Science-Based Solutions for Forest Management and Fire Management in Central Eurasia” (J.G. Goldammer, A.M. Eritsov, Y.K. Kisilyakhov, O. Byambasuren, Y.V. Arkhipov, S.V. Zibtsev, E.I. Ponomarev); Burabay village, Akmola region, Kazakhstan.

03 September 2020
Initiation of the work of the „Working Group for the development of a Draft State Strategy of a National System of Landscape Fire Management“ in support of the “Joint Working Group of the Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management and the Committee on Law Enforcement on the Causes of Forest Fires and their Prevention in the Future” of the Parliament of Ukraine (Verkhovna Rada) and the Working Group “Development of State Strategy on Forest Management 2035″ of the Ministry of Environment Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine”.

03 and 21 September 2020
Follow-up online conferences of the regional planning workshop “Climate Change and Landscape Fire Management in the Western Balkans” conducted by the Regional Fire Monitoring Center for Southeast Europe / South Caucasus (RFMC), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and GFMC; Skopje (North Macedonia), Bern (Switzerland) and GFMC (Germany).

24 September 2020
Online meeting of the trilateral project between Ecuador, Brazil and Costa Rica (2019-2021), with the support of GFMC “Strengthening Technical and Institutional Capacities in Ecuador in Integrated Fire Management in Conservation Areas” (Misión de Preparación de la Propuesta Cooperación Trilateral Ecuador – Brasil – Costa Rica – Alemania: “Fortalecimiento de las Capacidades Técnicas e Institucionales en el Ecuador para el Manejo Integral del Fuego en Áreas de Conservación”); GFMC, Quito (Ecuador) and Quito (Ecuador).

October 2020

06 October 2020
Political Thanksgiving meeting by the German Federal Ministry for Food and Agriculture (Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft) and presentation of the Professor Niklas Medal for GFMC’s significant contribution to fire management worldwide; Berlin, Germany.

Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture Mrs. Julia Kloeckner reading the eulogy after handing over the Niklas Medal to GFMC Chief Johann Georg Goldammer. Source: BMEL/photothek/Ronny Hartmann.

07 October 2020
Follow-up online conferences of the regional planning workshop “Climate Change and Landscape Fire Management in the Western Balkans” conducted by the Regional Fire Monitoring Center for Southeast Europe / South Caucasus (RFMC), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and GFMC; Skopje (North Macedonia), Bern (Switzerland) and GFMC (Germany).

09 October 2020
GFMC interview on global wildfire threats and landscape fire problems arising in Germany; ARD TV, Germany.

The interview in the daily “Live nach Neun” programe given by GFMC Director Johann Georg Goldammer addressed the current global fire situation and views and experiences in addressing the increasing wildfire risk in Germany. Video available at ARD Mediaathek
(until 09 October 2021).

13-October 2020
International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR 2020): IDDRR began in 1989, after a call by the United Nations General Assembly for a day to promote a global culture of risk-awareness and disaster reduction. Held every 13 October, the day celebrates how people and communities around the world are reducing their exposure to disasters and raising awareness about the importance of reining in the risks that they face. The 2019 edition continues as part of the “Sendai Seven” campaign, centred on the seven targets of the Sendai Framework. This year will focus on Target (d) of the Sendai Framework, reduce disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services. The GFMC addresses IDDRR the theme of wildfire prevention in the frame of the Council of Europe’s Major Hazard Agreement (EUR-OPA):



13-14 October 2020
East German Energy Forum 2020 – Energy for the Future (Ostdeutsches Energieforum 2020 – Energie für die Zukunft), with GFMC contribution „Climate Change and Landscape Fires: Risk Reduction by Use of Renewable Energy“ (Klimawandel und Landschaftsbrände: Risikominderung durch Nutzung erneuerbarer Energie); Leipzig, Germany.

Anette Ehlers, Vice President of the Confederation of Entrepreneus of Saxony (Unternehmerverband Sachsen e.V.), moderated the GFMC presentation. Photo: UV Saxony.

19-20 October 2020
2020 OSCE Economic and Environmental Dimension Implementation Meeting (EEDIM) on “Disaster Risk Management and Prevention: Opportunities for strengthening dialogue and co-operation”. With GFMC contribution on “Perspectives on Implications of Wildfire Risk across the OSCE Area for Security and Sustainability: Opportunities for Co-operation.” (Johann Georg Goldammer); Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Hofburg, Vienna, Austria.

25-31 October 2020
Follow-up of prescribed burning operations on Calluna vulgaris heathlands on Sylt Island, in cooperation with Sylt Nature Conservancy (Naturschutzgemeinschaft Sylt) and County Conservation Administration (Untere Naturschutzbehörde Kreis Nordfriesland; Sylt Island, Germany.

26-27 October 2020
Final Workshop of FORCLIME II – Fire Management “Debriefing on the Results and Lessons Learned. FORCLIME works in four pilot districts in West, East and North Kalimantan as well as in the Lore Lindu region in Central Sulawesi. The Programme supports and advises the Indonesian Government in the formulation of yet missing (legal, institutional) requirements for sustainable forest management and their implementation mostly through FMUs. As part of the Programme, the German consultants ECO Consult together with its Munich-based partner RSS (Remote Sensing Solutions GmbH) and supported by the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC), have assisted FORCLIME since 2017 specifically in the fields of burnt area mapping and forest and land fire prevention. The component called “FORCLIME II – Fire Management” had a duration of 28,5 months until the end of October 2020 and was implemented in the selected pilot FMU KPH Kubu Raya in West Kalimantan Province; with GFMC contribution “The global fire situation and challenges on managing fire under conditions of climate change, the increasing vulnerability of natural landscapes and society – including threats by Covid-19 pandemic”; Pontianak, Indonesia.

Visual impressions of the FORCLIME II – Fire Management Closing Workshop.

November 2020

03 November 2020
Shipment of the first palette with 24 boxes with the GFMC archive materials of the pre-digital era. This material will be kept in the archive of the Forest History Society (FHS) in Durham, North Carolina, U.S.A.

The materials of the first shipment include historic printed training materials, technical and scientific reports on fire management, correspondence with international organizations. The American Forest History Society (FHS) will archive and digitize the materials for access by historians and the public.

04 November 2020
Joint Meeting of the Committee of Permanent Correspondents and Directors of Specialised Centres, European and Mediterranean Major Hazards Agreement (Open Partial Agreement on the Prevention of, Protection Against, and Organization of Relief in Major Natural and Technological Disasters – EUR-OPA), Council of Europe; with GFMC contribution “Project Results 2017-20 and Plans for 2021” (J.G. Goldammer); Council of Europe, Strasbourg, France, and Online.

05-06 November 2020
Landscape Fire Management Training for Protected Areas personnel in Mongolia in the frame of the bilateral cooperation project between the Ministry of Environment and Tourism of Mongolia (MET) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) „Supporting Protected Areas for the Conservation of Ecosystem Services (SPACES)”. Online training by the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) and the Fire Management Resource Center – Central Asia Region (FMRC – CAR); Online and in the field in Ulaanbaatar / Batsumber soum, Tuv Province, Mongolia.



05 November 2020
Follow-up online conferences of the regional planning workshop “Climate Change and Landscape Fire Management in the Western Balkans” conducted by the Regional Fire Monitoring Center for Southeast Europe / South Caucasus (RFMC), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and GFMC; Skopje (North Macedonia), Bern (Switzerland) and GFMC (Germany).

11 November 2020
General assembly of the German Committee for Disaster Risk Reduction (Deutsches Komitee für Katastrophenvorsorge – DKKV) (J.G. Goldammer); Bonn, Germany, online.

Besides internal DKKV business, the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) addresses climate risks in urban environments

12 November 2020
Consultations with U.S. Army, Federal German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr), Federal German Forest Service and GFMC on fire management planning on military training ranges in Germany.

13 November 2020
FIRE-IN – Fire and Rescue Innovation Network, a project conducted in the frame of the EU Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2016-2017 Secured societies – Protecting freedom and security of Europe and its citizens (SEC-21-GM-2016-2017 – Pan-European Networks of Practitioners and other Actors in the Field of Security): Webinar of TWG E “Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives”  with GFMC contribution on (a) Review / summary of the occurrence and problems arising from wildfires in ChEZ, including the situation in April 2020; (b) state of development in specific methods and technologies for fire management on radioactively contaminated terrain; (c) cross-boundary cooperation between Ukraine and Belarus in fire management across borders; and (d) situation in 2020: Advisory to civil society of Ukraine concerning the multiple threats by (radioactive) fire emissions and the COVID-19 pandemic

17-18 November 2020
Online meetings of the International Liaison Committee (ILC) and Portugal Conference Organizing Committee for the 8th International Wildland Fire Conference (IWFC-8) in Portugal 2023. Microsoft Teams meetings at local times for participants in

  • Canada: 0700-1000
  • United States, Canada: 0800-1100
  • Brazil, Chile: 1000-1300
  • Portugal: 1300-1600
  • Spain, Italy, Germany: 1400-1700
  • South Africa: 1500-1800
  • Korea, Japan: 2200-0100
  • Australia: 0000-0300 (18-19 November)

IWFC Portal:

The U.S. Forest Service, Fire and Aviation Management, hosted the ILC meeting, attended by all ILC members.

25 November 2020
Consultation to initiate the forming of the National Committee for Integrated Fire Management of Ecuador (Comité Nacional De Manejo Integral del Fuego el Ecuador – CONAMIF) – a key activity of the trilateral project between Ecuador, Brazil and Costa Rica (2019-2021), with the support of GFMC “Strengthening Technical and Institutional Capacities in Ecuador in Integrated Fire Management in Conservation Areas” (Cooperación Trilateral Ecuador – Brasil – Costa Rica – Alemania: “Fortalecimiento de las Capacidades Técnicas e Institucionales en el Ecuador para el Manejo Integral del Fuego en Áreas de Conservación”); Ministerio del Ambiente y Agua del Ecuador (MAAE), GFMC and Quito (Ecuador) / Online.

26 November 2020
MSc fire ecology and fire management field training for students of forest science at Freiburg University; Freiburg Günterstal.

26-27 November 2020
First Congress on Fire Prevention and Land Management in Environments Bordering the Natura 2000 Network (I Congreso para la prevención de incendios y gestión del territorio en entornos rayanos de la Red Natura 2000), with GFMC contribution “Cross-boundary Cooperation in Landscape Fire Management: From Local to Global” (J.G. Goldammer); Fundación Naturaleza y Hombre, Spain and Portugal, online.

27 November 2020
Climatic Geohazards Module, MSc Geology Programme, Freiburg University, Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences, with GFMC module “Landscape Fire Science Serving the Policy-Practitioners Interface”; Freiburg, Germany, online.

30 November 2020
Wissenswerte Online Special – Deep Dive 2 – „Arten- und Klimakrise – die brennenden Wälder“: Online discussion of scientists, representatives of NGOs and science journalists (in German). Die brennenden Wälder in Brasilien, Bolivien, Sibirien, Neuguinea und weiten Teilen Afrikas sind eine Katastrophe fürs Klima und den Artenschutz. Die Feuer zerstören wertvolle Ökosysteme und die Grundlage allen Lebens auf der Erde. Wann gelingt es der Menschheit endlich, die verheerende Waldverbrennung zu stoppen, die immer mehr um sich greift? Oder anders gefragt: Wann fängt sie damit an? Denn bislang schaut der überwiegende Teil der Weltbevölkerung dieser Katastrophe zu, ohne wirksame Maßnahmen zu ergreifen. Warum wird nicht gehandelt? Könnte es auch daran liegen, wie darüber berichtet wird? Journalisten sollen seriös informieren und zugleich die Dringlichkeit der Klimakrise deutlich machen. Doch bislang ist der Erfolg höchst überschaubar. Ein Gespräch über Brandkatastrophen, Naturzerstörung und unsere Art, darüber zu sprechen. GFMC-Beitrag: „Journalistische Berichterstattung im Pyrozän: Von Sprache zur Verantwortung“; Online, 16:30-18:00 Uhr, Zoom Meeting.

December 2020

01 December 2020

National Round Table on the Future of Landscape Fire Management in Ukraine, facilitated by the Working Group for the development of a Draft State Strategy of a National System of Landscape Fire Management“ in support of the “Joint Working Group of the Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management and the Committee on Law Enforcement on the Causes of Forest Fires and their Prevention in the Future” of the Parliament of Ukraine (Verkhovna Rada) and the Working Group “Development of State Strategy on Forest Management 2035″ of the Ministry of Environment Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine”, Ministry of Environment Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine”, Kyiv, Ukraine / Online.

09 December 2020
Brainstorming meeting with Freiburg Fire Service and industry on engineering of offroad firefighting equipment specialized for landscape fire suppression; Freiburg, Germany.

11 December 2020
Annual course “Fire Ecology of Tropical, Subtropical and Temperate-Boreal Forest Ecosystems” (Part I), Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, Institute of Forest Science, Freiburg University, Freiburg University (Germany), given by GFMC (J.G. Goldammer); GFMC / Freiburg University, Germany.

14-15 December 2020
15th meeting of the Global / German Climate Observing System (GCOS), with GFMC contribution on the status of the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) (J.G. Goldammer); Online.

17 December 2020
Follow-up online conferences of the regional planning workshop “Climate Change and Landscape Fire Management in the Western Balkans” conducted by the Regional Fire Monitoring Center for Southeast Europe / South Caucasus (RFMC), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and GFMC; Skopje (North Macedonia), Bern (Switzerland) and GFMC (Germany).

17 December 2020
Annual course “Fire Ecology of Tropical, Subtropical and Temperate-Boreal Forest Ecosystems” (Part II), Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, Institute of Forest Science, Freiburg University, Freiburg University (Germany), given by GFMC (J.G. Goldammer); GFMC / Freiburg University, Germany.

31 December 2020
GFMC greetings for 2021: Happy New Year to all colleagues, cooperators and especially the members of the Global Wildland Fire Network, with some visual highlights of the outreach and policy work of GFMC in 2020 (PDF, 0.6 MB)

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