Regional Eurasian Wildland Fire Network

A Region of the Global Wildland Fire Network

Regional Network Meetings, Conferences and Capacity Building

The Regional Eurasian Wildland Fire Network emerged from the work of the UNECE/FAO Team of Specialists on Forest Fire, which constituted a thematic cooperative effort among the 56 UNECE Member States between 1981 and 2014. In the late 1990s, networking activities focused on the UNECE Member States bordering the Baltic Seas – thus, the network was referred to as “Regional Baltic Wildland Fire Network”. Subsequently, the networking expanded to Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia – the EECCA region. With the consolidation of networks covering Southeast Europe / Caucasus, Central Asia and Northeast Asia, the new focus of networking became Eastern Europe, notably Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova and the Russian Federation. Regional conferences and consultations organized by GFMC and partners are found on the GFMC conference repository.

11 April 2024
Staff of the Department of Forestry of the Educational and Scientific Institute of Forestry and Horticulture of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (NUBiP), the Regional East European Fire Monitoring Center (REEFMC) and the Ukrainian Forest Safety Center (UFSC) jointly and with the support of specialists from the Chernihiv Forestry branch of the State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” carried out the second stage of planned measures to reduce the natural fire hazard of pine forests by prescribed fire application near the village of Kosachivka, Chernihiv region.

The joint Prescribed Burning Team of NUBiP, REEFMC, UFSC and the Chernihiv Forestry branch, State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine”, demonstrating safe burning techniques aimed at reducing surface fuels and thus wildfire hazard near the village of Kosachivka, Chernihiv region. ©Photos: REEFMC. 

26 March 2023

The Chief of the Forestry Agency of Ukraine, Mr. Yurij Bolokhoverts, announced establishing of the State Forest Fire Center within the State Enterprise “Forest of Ukraine”:

Introductory remarks by the head of the forest agency including the text of the decree:

The Center for Forest Fire Management of Ukraine is coming!
Last year, as a result of fires, Europe lost more than 800,000 hectares of forests. The climate is changing, with average temperatures rising and periods of drought becoming longer. For Ukrainian forests, the situation is even more threatening. In addition to natural factors, fires are caused by fierce fighting and constant shelling of border areas. And large-scale mining significantly complicates the localization and extinguishing of fires. That is why this year we are comprehensively strengthening the forest fire prevention system.

(1) Thanks to the creation of the State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” there was an opportunity to coordinate the work of structures engaged in fire prevention and elimination. A forest fire prevention center is being created in Chernihiv region. The task of the Center is training and training of forest firemen and forest fire extinguishing supervisors. With the emergence of the Center, fire prevention work will become more systematic, comprehensive and operational.

(2) In Zhytomyr and Volhynia regions, a pilot project to introduce a navigation system for firefighting equipment was successfully implemented. Each vehicle is equipped with a tablet, which displays the location of the fire, the route, forest roads that can be used, water bodies and approaches to them. The system is especially important in the case of large-scale fires, when equipment and personnel from other regions are involved in extinguishing. Drivers no longer waste time searching. The movement of equipment is clearly planned and organized. This year, the project has been extended to the Rivne and Kyiv regions. In the near future, the navigation system should work at all branches of the State Enterprise “Forest of Ukraine”.

(3) One of the disadvantages of the forestry system was a significant difference in salaries. The personnel of forest fire stations in non-resource regions could receive 2-3 times less than in resource regions. This caused a constant outflow of personnel. People were trained, and they left to find better jobs. Now salaries are gradually brought up to the same level, motivation appears, which will definitely affect work efficiency.

(4) Before the war, we began to develop a network of observation towers. The system has proven itself quite well. Satellite images are updated approximately once an hour, during which time the tower operator can already record the fire, thus winning precious time. At the same time, the system must be improved. First, we plan to install cameras with a higher resolution and the ability to zoom in (new cameras make it possible to see the license plate number at a distance of up to 10 km). Secondly, there should be an increase in the number of towers. Thirdly, we will create not only the first and second levels of monitoring (forestry/branch), but the third and fourth. That is, the information from the cameras will be received and processed in the regional office and in the future in the dispatching service of SE “LIAC”.

(5) Before the war, we spent almost a billion hryvnias on the purchase of new equipment. Emphasis was placed on faster and more mobile firefighting modules based on pickup trucks. Thanks to the reform, we will be able not only to continue the renewal and restoration of the equipment park, but also to redeploy equipment between regions much more efficiently. After all, now the whole system works within the framework of a single enterprise.

(6) According to statistics, before the war, up to 80% of forest fires occurred outside the boundaries of state forestry. During this time, the problem became even more urgent. A typical situation: farmers burn dry vegetation in the fields, the fire spreads to a young self-seeded forest adjacent to our forest massif. That is why we are intensifying our work with local authorities and communities regarding “nobody’s” forests. This is not only a question of their preservation, it is a question of reducing risks for the forest fund of Ukraine in general.

Office of the President of Ukraine
Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine
Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine

01 December 2022
Huntington-USC Webinar of Institute on California and the West (ICW), in partnership with the Forest History Society (FHS): “Shell-Shocked and Irradiated: Managing Ukraine’s Forests in Time of War”. A conversation with the Head of the Regional Eastern Europe Monitoring Center (REEFMC), Professor Sergiy Zibtsev about the historical and current challenges of Ukrainian forest fire management. Event moderation: Jameson Karns, ICW’s “West on Fire” Assistant Research Director. Further contemporary and historical perspective are offered by Robert English, Professor of International Relations at USC Dornsife; Online, Pacific Time 09:00-10:00 (18:00-19:00 CET).

28-30 September 2022
Forest Firefighter Training Course for State Forestry Enterprises of Ukraine in the Ukrainian Center for Advanced Training of Forestry Personnel Ukrcentrkadrylis, Boyarka, Kyiv region. Training organizers:

  • State Agency of Forest Resources of Ukraine
  • Regional East European Fire Monitoring Center
  • Ukrainian center for training, retraining and advanced training of forestry personnel Ukrcentrkadrylis
  • Educational and Scientific Institute of Forestry and Horticulture of the National University of Bioresources and Nature Management of Ukraine
  • Global Fire Monitoring Center ( GFMC ), Freiburg, Germany

Training participants: Staff of forest fire stations, senior foresters, foresters’ assistants and foresters of state forestry enterprises. In-person course with field exercise and GFMC contribution online.

02 August 2022
Online meeting “Forest. Climate. War”, organized by WWF Ukraine with participation of 54 representatives from state forest enterprises of Ukraine, Regional Eastern Europe Fire Monitoring Center (REEFMC), Kyiv, Ukrainian Research Institute of Forestry and Melioration named after G. M. Vysotskiy (URIFMM), Kharkiv, National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (NUBiP), Kyiv, National Forest-Technical University (NLTU), Lviv, State Forestry Resources Agency of Ukraine, Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, non-governmental organization and local communities. Presentation of Prof. Sergiy Zibtsev, REEFMC: “Forest and Fire Management during war”, in chi he reflected the experience of the Global Fire Monitoring Center on fire management on terrains contaminated by unexploded ordnance (UXO).

22 May 2022
Government of Ukraine approved the procedure for organizing the protection and conservation of forests and amended some resolutions of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. The document was developed in pursuance of the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine “On challenges and threats to national security of Ukraine in the environmental sphere and priority measures to neutralize them”, enacted by Presidential Decree of 23.03.2021 № 111. The procedure clearly defines a number of measures for forest conservation. It includes rules for the protection of forests from fires, illegal logging, damage, weakening and other harmful effects, protection from pests and diseases. 

Since 24 April 2022
During the war in Ukraine, wildfires are occurring as collateral damages and purposely set. REEFMC and GFMC are monitoring the situation. Landscape Fire Bulletins include updates on fires on the territory of Ukraine (in ecosystems, agricultural lands and in cities, including updated maps of active fires, updated fire statistics, maps and details of large fires). Safety Advisories have been issued to address the threats of wildfires burning on terrain contaminated with unexploded ordnance (UXO) and radioactivity. The map shows the up-to date accumulated locations of fires depicted by satellites:

25-28 October 2021
Field excursion of 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. Field visits of the Ukrainian partners from Regional Eastern Europe Fire Monitoring Center (REEFMC), Institute of Forestry and Landscape-Park Management, National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (NULESU) at the former GFMC experimental areas in Nature Reserve Heidehof-Golmberg, wilderness area fire management in Jüterbog (Stiftung Naturlandschaften Brandenburg) and Forest District Baruth / Stülpe; Jüterbog, Treuenbrietzen, Teltow-Fläming County, Germany.

The REEFMC Team with the Directors of Forestry Enterprise Semenivsk and Oster Military Forestry Enterprise (Ukraine) in Heidehof-Golmberg Nature Reserve, with the local hosts of Foundation “Naturlandschaften Brandenburg” and Forest District Stuelpe. Photo: REEFMC

REEFMC brochure 2021 (PDF)

04-06 October 2021
The Second Firefighter School NUBiP Fall 2021 was held in Boyarka Forest Experiment Station, Dzvinkove, Kyiv region, Ukraine. The landscape fire management training for trainees representing State Forest Enterprises and the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, was provided jointly by REEFMC and GFMC.

26-27 June 2021
Forest Fire School for Volunteers of Luhansk Region, Ukraine: Pilot training in participatory approaches in landscape fire management with NGOs and volunteers in Ukraine, conducted by the Regional Eastern Europe Fire Monitoring Center (REEFMC) in Luhansk region, together with the charitable organization “Vostok-SOS Charitable Foundation” and SE “Severodonetsk LGM”, remotely supported by GFMC. The trainings took the form of reports, practical classes, excursions and field exercises.

17 June 2021
Ministry of Environment of Ukraine opening the public consultation on the Draft State Strategy for the National Landscape Fire Management System for 2021-2035 jointly elaborated by the Ministry and GFMC:

Natural landscapes – forests, protected areas and wetlands – are subjected to socio-economic and climate change. In order to preserve valuable natural areas and protect them from landscape fires, the Ministry of the Environment and the Global Fire Monitoring Center (Germany) have prepared a draft State Strategy for the National Landscape Fire Management System for 2021-2035 – open for public consultation until 17 July 2021.

08 June 2021
All-Ukrainian Forum “Ukraine 30. Ecology” initiated by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. The forum is a discussion platform where representatives of the authorities of all levels, the expert community, civil society and the international community raise a number of issues that need to be addressed in environmental protection and preparedness to climate change. The “National Strategy for Landscape Fire Management” was presented jointly by Bohdan Borukhovsky (First Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine), Oleh Bondarenko (Chairperson of the Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management), Taras Kacha (Deputy Minister for Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine), Yuriy Bolokhovets (Head of the State Agency of Forest Resources of Ukraine), Andriy Malovany (Head of the State Ecological Inspectorate) and Sergiy Zibtsev (Head of REEFMC); supported by GFMC; Kiev, Ukraine.

   

24-26 May 2021
First Spring Firefighter School NUBiP 2021 in Boyarka, Ukraine. Landscape fire management training for 32 trainees representing 14 State Forest Enterprises from Chernihiv Oblasts, Chief Foresters and Fire Management Engineers, representatives of protected areas Drevlianskii and Desniansko-Starogutskii Natural Reserves, officers of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (Chernobyl Emergency Brigade 11). Joint REEFMC and GFMC training; Boyarka Forest Experiment Station, Dzvinkove, Kyiv region, Ukraine.

March 2020

Follow-up of the National Round Table on the Future of Landscape Fire Management in Ukraine (cf. below):

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.

29 October 2020
On 29 October 2020, representatives of the Department of Silviculture of Education and Research Institute of Forestry and Landscape-Park Management and Regional Eastern Europe Fire Monitoring Center (REEFMC) Prof. Sergiy Zibtsev, Assoc. Prof. Vasyl Gumeniuk and Assoc. Prof. Oleksandr Soshenskyi took part in a discussion on fires in Luganska oblast: “Reforestation after fires: how, when, who?” organized by the Crisis Media Center “Seversky Donets”. At the end of September and in early October 2020 the Luhansk region survived terrible forest fires, probably the largest in all history of independent Ukraine. The fire covered more than 20,000 hectares of forests and affected more than 30 settlements. Eleven civilians and three military were killed. More than 500 private houses burned down. Representatives of the Departments of Ecology and Natural Resources of various regions of Ukraine, the Institute of Ecology of the Carpathians of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, international experts, eco-researchers, forest workers of the region, representatives of state and local authorities, entrepreneurs and public activists are invited to participate in the discussion.

For more details: https://nubip.edu.ua/en/node/82765

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”.

16 July 2020
On 16 July 2020, the First Meeting of the working group on the development of the State Forest Management Strategy in Ukraine until 2035 took place in Kyiv. The working group is chaired by the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine. Prof. S. Zibtsev, head of the Regional Eastern Europe Fire Monitoring Center (REEFMC), is a member of the working group. REEFMC will be responsible for the Forest Fire Management System.

First Meeting of the working group on the development of the State Forest Management Strategy in Ukraine

15 July 2020
On 15 July 2020 the Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine, Roman Abramovskyy, signed Order №3 of 15 July 2020 “On approval of the Working Group member for the development of the State Forest Management Strategy until 2035”, in order to ensure the development of the State Forest Management Strategy until 2035 and to determine the main priorities for forestry development, wood exploitation, reforestation, ways to finance forest inventory, forest protection, and management of landscape fires.

09 July 2020
At the invitation of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management and the Law Enforcement Committee, the Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine Roman Abramovskyy took part in a meeting of the Working Group on Forest Causes and Prevention in the Future in Zhytomyr Oblast. The Minister heard reports on the problems arising in the work of forestry and said that the Ministry will hold consultations with experts and experts, as a result of which a draft State Strategy for Forest Management until 2035 will be developed. “It is necessary to develop a strategy for the next 15 years and identify the main priorities for forestry development, forest use, reforestation, ways to finance forest management, forest protection, prevention and elimination of forest fires,” said Roman Abramovsky. Part of this strategy will be the development and implementation of the National System for Protection of Natural Landscapes from Fire. During the visit, the Minister inspected the areas where forest fires took place in April this year, in particular the most affected Ovruch and Narodytsky districts.

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.

04 June 2020
Online Kick-off Meeting 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.

Sponsor: German Federal Ministry for Food and Agriculture (BMEL) / German Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (BLE). Initial project duration: 1 May 2020 – 30 April 2022; Eberswalde, Germany; Lviv, and Kiev, Ukraine; GFMC.

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
http://www.besafenet.net/en-gb/natural-hazards-landscape-fires

13 December 2019
Meeting of the Committee on Environmental Policy and Environmental Management of the Parliament of Ukraine (Verkhovna Rada) at Boyarka Forest Research Station, with a visit of the members of the Parliament at an exposition of the Regional Eastern Europe Fire Monitoring Center (REEFMC). During the meeting the draft Law of Ukraine on Improvement of Fire Management in the Cultural and Natural Landscapes, developed with the support of the Council of Europe (EUR-OPA) and the GFMC, and the plans to establish a Fire Research and Training Center in Boyarka Station was presented to parliament members. It was agreed that the Law need to be presented for Parliament for implementation and to prepare a meeting of the Committee devoted to address landscape fires with representatives of REEFMC.

Members of the Committee on Environmental Policy and Environmental Management of the Parliament of Ukraine and leadership and staff of the National University of at Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine at Boyarka Forest Research Station, with a visit of the members of the Parliament at an exposition of REEFMC, presented by Sergiy Zibtsev and Vasyl Gumeniuk.

31 October 2019
A “Seminar to develop the concept of new proposals to reduce the risk of disasters in the Chernobyl zone” was organized by OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine, jointly with the Regional Eastern Europe Fire Monitoring Center (REEFMC). During the seminar, the results of the OSCE project “Raising Radiological and Environmental Awareness in Belarus and Ukraine Affected by the Chernobyl Accident, with a Focus on Forest Fire Management”, implemented in 2016-2018, were presented to representatives of international organizations and stakeholders. In particular, the “Analysis of fire management legislation of the Republic Belarus and Ukraine, including in the Exclusion Zone and recommendations for their improvement”, the “Belarussian-Ukrainian-English fire management terminology for coordinated response to forest fires across the national border” and the “Guideline for fire fighters in the Belarusian and Ukrainian sectors of the Exclusion Zone of the Chernobyl NPP” were presented; Kyiv, Ukraine.

Participants of the seminar included representatives from OSCE, REEFMC and State Agencies of Ukraine (Ministry of Energy and Nature Protection, State Agency of Ukraine for the Management of the Exclusion Zone and the Chernobyl Radiation-Ecological Biosphere Reserve, State Emergency Service of Ukraine and the Main Directorate of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Kiev region) and Belarus (Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Belarus, Gomel Regional Department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Belarus, Polessky State Radiation and Ecological Reserve and Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Belarus). Photo: REEFMC.

27 August 2019
Opening of the Regional Eurasia Fire Monitoring Center (REFMC) und the auspices of the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) and the Global Wildland Fire Network, with support of the Council of Europe (EUR-OPA Major Hazards Agreement); Sukachev Institute of Forest, Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation.

01-05 July 2019
OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) Environmental Focal Points Training on Environmental Risks and Emergency Preparedness “Toxic Industrial Material Reconnaissance & Assessment Course (TIMRAC)”. This training course aimed at strengthening capacities of the OSCE SMM Environmental Focal Points in the area of environmental emergency preparedness with a view to reinforcing the safety and security of the SMM Mission members; Austrian Army, Vienna Penzing, Austria.

TIMRAC Course organizers (OSCE Secretariat and the Austrian Army) and the group of trainees and resource persons

13-17 May 2019
UNISDR Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR) 2019, with GFMC participation (J.G. Goldammer) representing the Global Wildland Fire Network (GWFN) and the Regional Fire Management Resource Centers; UN Geneva, Switzerland

The IGNITE Stage offered an opportunity to brief the attendees of the GPDRR to the concept of Integrated Landscape Fire Management concepts and planning. Photo: German Committee for Disaster Reduction (DKKV)

For the video recording of the presentation and discussion see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrRF6704W9w

Statements Session: Statement by the GFMC on behalf of the Global Wildland Fire Network and the International Wildfire Preparedness Mechanism (PDF 0.4 MB) For the video recording of the GFMC Statement see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qriGSwT63xY

05-09 April 2019
8th Ukraine International Fire Management Week was organized by the Regional Eastern European Fire Monitoring Center (REEFMC) and the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC):

Summary: On 8 April 2019 the GFMC and REEFMC conducted field training exercising prescribed burning operations and suppression firing in Oster Military Forest District, Ukraine.

On 9 April 2019 – the Second National Round Table “Fires in the Natural and Cultural Landscapes of Ukraine: Developing a National Policy for the Wildfires Management” provided the floor for a consultation on the draft Law of Ukraine On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine Concerning the Immediate Elimination of the Crisis Situation Due to Forest Fires. The Round Table was an initiative of and hosted by the Regional Eastern Europe Fire Monitoring Center with the support of the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) and the Council of Europe (Kyiv, REEFMC / National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (NULESU), Ukraine.

The Round Table was opened by the Rector of NULESU, Prof. Dr. Stanislav Nikolaenko, and by Prof. Dr. Petro Lakyda, Director of the Institute of Forestry and Landscape-Park Management (right). Workshop conveners (Prof. Dr. Sergiy V. Zibtsev and Prof. Dr. Johann Georg Goldammer) at the left.

Participants of the Round Table from different Ukrainian agencies, the Parliament, forestry enterprises and academia.

25 March 2019
The President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, and the Rector of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (NUBiP), Prof. Dr. Stanislav Nikolaenko familiarized themselves with the work of the Regional Eastern Europe Fire Monitoring Center (REEFMC). The head of the state met with the REEFMC head, Prof. Dr. Sergiy Zibtsev, staff of teachers and students of the university, and visited the exposition of the REEFMC and was informed about the main directions of the center’s activities in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone (ChEZ), the social and ecological consequences of fires in the ChEZ, the operations of joint forces and the problem of agricultural burnings in Ukraine; Kyiv, NUBiP, Ukraine.

President of Ukraine (right), Rector of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (middle) and the head of REEFMC (left) meeting at REEFMC. Photo: NUBiP

18 February 2019
Meeting of the Economic and Environment Committee of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), with GFMC report on the results of activities in Landscape Fire Disaster Risk Reduction in OSCE Participating States; OSCE Secretariat, Hofburg, Vienna, Austria.

With the presentation “The Involvement of the OSCE in Wildfire Disaster Risk Reduction: A Retrospective of Joint Efforts with the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) 2006-2018” the head of GFMC reported about the progress in development of fire management capacities in OSCE Participating States, which led to the Basel OSCE Ministerial Council Decision No. 6/2014 “Enhancing Disaster Risk Reduction” and the post-Basel fire management / wildfire DRR agenda 2015-2018 in the Participating States. Photo: OSCE Secretariat.

07-08 February 2019
Submission of the Report of the Committee on the Future of Landscape Fire Management and Wildfire Risk Reduction in Greece (GFMC Chair) to the Prime Minister of Greece, Mr. Alexis Tsipras, and the President of the Hellenic Parliament, Mr. Nikolaos Voutsis, and the leaders of the Parliamentary Commissions leaders (Mrs. Aikaterini Igglezi, MP and Chair of the Special Standing Committee on the Protection of the Environment; Mrs. Chara Kafantari, MP and Chair of the Standing Committee on Production and Commerce; Mr. Mr Antonios Syrigos, MP and Chair of the Standing Committee on Public Administration, Public Order and Justice); Briefing of the President of the Hellenic Republic, Mr. Prokopis Pavlopoulos; Press Conference and meeting with Members of the Hellenic Parliament; Maximos Mansion, Hellenic Parliament, Presidential Mansion (Proedrikό Mégaro), Athens, Greece.

Briefing of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in Maximos Mansion by the Committee, with the participation of State Minister Dimitrios Tsanakopoulos and the Secretary for Civil Protection, Ioannis Tafyllis (on 7 February 2019). ©Photo: Maximos.

Handing over the Report to the Hellenic Parliament. From left: Committee Chair Johann Georg Goldammer, Mr. Nikolaos Voutsis, President of the Hellenic Parliament, Mrs. Aikaterini Igglezi, MP and Chair of the Special Standing Committee on the Protection of the Environment, Mrs. Chara Kafantari, MP and Chair of the Standing Committee on Production and Commerce, Mr. Mr Antonios Syrigos, MP and Chair of the Standing Committee on Public Administration, Public Order and Justice.
©Photo: Hellenic Parliament-Photographer: Aliki Eleftheriou
Athens-Greece

On 8 February 2019 the report was handed over to the President of the Hellenic Republic, His Excellency Mr. Prokopis Pavlopoulos (Center). ©Photo: ANA-MPA.

At the Presidential Mansion (Proedrikό Mégaro) the President of the Hellenic Republic and the Commission discussed the consequences of climate change and land-use change on future risks of dangerous landscape fires and the measures to be taken. ©Photo: ANA-MPA.

11 December 2018
National Round Table on the Future of Landscape Fire Management in Greece, convened by the Committee on the Future of Landscape Fire Management and Wildfire Risk Reduction in Greece” (GFMC Chair) and the Office of the Prime Minister of Greece; Athens, Greece.

The Inter-Agency Round Table “Future of Landscape Fire Management in Greece”, convened by the Committee on Perspectives of Landscape Fire Management in Greece, was held in the Ministry of Citizen Protection, Athens, 11 December 2018, with the participation of the key agencies of the country involved in fire management, and representatives of civil society. Photo: G. Xanthopoulos

13 October 2018
Meeting of the UNISDR Wildland Fire Advisory Group (WFAG) in conjunction with the meeting of the International Liaison Committee (ILC) and the Brazilian Conference Organizing Committee for the 7th International Wildland Fire Conference; GFMC, Freiburg, Germany.

The Joint WFAG / ILC Group

12 October 2018
Meeting of the Eurasia Team of Specialists on Landscape Fire Management, GFMC, Freiburg, Germany.

First meeting of the Eurasia Team of Specialists on Landscape Fire Management and the Regional Fire Management Resource Centers / Regional Fire Monitoring Centers from Southeast Europe / Caucasus, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Central Eurasia and Southeast Asia. Photo: J. Karns (GFMC).

23 August 2018
Meeting between the head of GFMC and Prime Minister of Greece, Mr. Alexis Tsipras, on the establishment and the modus operandi of the “Committee on the Future of Landscape Fire Management and Wildfire Risk Reduction in Greece”; Maximos Mansion, Athens, Greece.

Maximos Mansion: Meeting between Prime Minister of Greece, Mr. Alexis Tsipras, and GFMC Director Johann Georg Goldammer. Photo: PM Office, Athens.

23 June 2018
Demonstration and exercise in wildfire suppression on areas contaminated by unexploded ordnance (UXO) in in Brandenburg and Sachsen-Anhalt States, hosted by the Dienstleistungen im Brand- und Katastrophenschutzfall (DiBuKa) (Services for Fire and Disaster Management, Seehausen, Germany) and Prignitz County Fire Commissioner, moderated by GFMC; German Armed Forces Training Range Havelberg, Germany.

The exercise, which was moderated by GFMC, focused on the demonstration of converted former military tanks as armored firefighting engines on UXO-contaminated terrain. Photos: Anna Schulz, DiBuKa.

17-18 May 2018
Bilateral fire emergency response exercise between Belarus and Ukraine in the frame of the project Improving radiological and environmental awareness in territories affected by the Chernobyl accident in Belarus and Ukraine with a focus on wildfire management, coordinated by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Regional Eastern European Fire Monitoring Center (REEFMRC) and GFMC; Gomel Oblast Department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Belarus, Gomel, Belarus.

The first joint table-top exercise of Ukrainian and Belarussian agencies responsible for fire management and emergency situations was conducted in Gomel, Belarus, under the auspices and sponsorship of the OSCE. Photos courtesy OSCE / Evgeniy Maloletka.

15-16 November 2017
International conference “Protection of Human Settlements and Social Infrastructure from Wildfires”, organized by EMERCOM of Russia, with GFMC contribution on behalf of the EUR-OPA Major Hazards Agreement Meeting (EUR-OPA) “Towards Building Holistic Approaches in Landscape Fire Management in Eurasia: Experiences and Prospects” (J.G. Goldammer); State Fire Academy of EMERCOM of Russia, Moscow, Russian Federation.

The core group of the EMERCOM-UNISDR conference

GFMC presentation on the progress of application of holistic and integrated landscape fire management approaches in eastern Europe

10 November 2017
National Round Table on the Future of Fire Management, Portugal (J.G. Goldammer); Office of the Prime Minister, Lisbon, Portugal.

The round table consultation at the Prime Minister’s Office revealed the need for developing a holistic approach in landscape fire management to reduce the wildfire threats to the environment and human security. Photos: Prime Minister’s Office.

27 October 2017
Regional Consultation on “Cross-Boundary Cooperation in Landscape Fire Management”, organized by the Regional Eastern European Fire Monitoring Center (REEFMC) / National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (NULESU), GFMC, with participation of State Scientific Institute of Forest, National Academy of Sciences (Belarus); Directorate of Forestry, Hungary; Forestry Research Institute, Moldova; Regional Fire Monitoring Center for Southeast Europe / Caucasus (the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia); sponsored by the Council of Europe, Major Hazards Agreement (EUR-OPA) through (GFMC); Kyiv, REEFMC/NULESU, Boyarka Forest Experimental Station, Ukrainian Center of Advance Training of Forestry Professionals, Ukraine.

 26 October 2017
National Round Table “Fires in the Natural and Cultural Landscapes of Ukraine: Towards the Development of a National Fire Management Policy”, organized by the Regional Eastern European Fire Monitoring Center (REEFMC) / National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (NULESU), GFMC and the State Forest Resources Agency of Ukraine, with participation of the Ministries of Agrarian Policy and Food, Internal Affairs and Ecology and Natural Resources, and the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, sponsored by the Council of Europe, Major Hazards Agreement (EUR-OPA) through (GFMC); Kyiv, REEFMC/NULESU, Ukraine.

National Round Table participants, Round Table Chair Sergiy V. Zibtsev, Director of REEFMC, Moderator Yuriy Marchuk and representatives from GFMC (J.G. Goldammer) and the Regional Fire Monitoring Center SE Europe / Caucasus (N. Nikolov). Photos: REEFMC 

16-17 October 2017
2017 OSCE Economic and Environmental Dimension Implementation Meeting with GFMC / REEFMC contribution “Supporting the Implementation of OSCE Ministerial Council Decision 6/14 on Enhancing Disaster Risk Reduction: Enhancing National and Regional Capacities in Wildfire Disaster Risk Reduction” (Session I: Strengthening Disaster Risk Reduction and Management at all Levels), presented by S. Zibtsev, Director of REEFMC, on behalf of GFMC Director; Hofburg, Vienna, Austria.


Presentation of the joint GFMC / REEFMC Statement by Sergiy V. Zibtsev

01-04 December 2016
The “Second National Coordination Meeting on Enhancing Fire Management Capacity in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone” was organized by the Regional Eastern European Fire Monitoring Center (REEFMC), the U.S. Forest Service and the GFMC, with GFMC contribution on the International Wildfire Preparedness Mechanism and the EuroFire Competency Standards; preparation of the National Round Table on Fire Management, Ukraine, and the Regional Consultation on Cross-boundary Cooperation in Fire Management (to be held in Kyiv in 2017) under sponsorship of the Council of Europe (CoE), Secretariat of the Euro-Mediterranean Major Hazards Agreement (EUR-OPA); Tuirya Pasika, Trans-Carpathian Region, Ukraine.

01-02 December 2016
The annual meeting of the Directors of the European and Mediterranean Centres of the EUR-OPA Major Hazards Agreement Meeting (EUR-OPA) convened over the Open Partial Agreement on the Prevention of, Protection Against, and Organization of Relief in Major Natural and Technological Disasters, Council of Europe, with GFMC report of the 2016 project “Enhancing the national interagency and international cross-boundary dialogue and inter-operability in fire management in Southeast Europe and Eastern Europe”, Council of Europe, Paris, France.

Leadership of the EUR-OPA Secretariat and the moderator of the meeting. From left to right: Gianluca Silvestrini (new Executive Secretary of the EUR-OPA Major Hazards Agreement), Frances Pla Castelltort (Deputy Executive Secretary), Meeting Chair (European Centre on Urban Risk – CERU) (Lisbon, Portugal); Eladio Fernandez-Galiano (Head, Democratic Initiatives Department), and Mechthilde Fuhrer (Deputy Executive Secretary).
Photo: N. Nikolov

11 November 2016
The Regional Consultation on Cross-boundary Cooperation in Fire Management was held under sponsorship of the Council of Europe (CoE), Secretariat of the Euro-Mediterranean Major Hazards Agreement (EUR-OPA) (facilitator: GFMC); Skopje, Republic of Macedonia.


Opening of the Regional Consultation by the Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy, Mr. Mihail Cvetkov, followed by presentations and discussion with representatives of agencies from Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Kosovo, FYR Macedonia and Serbia.
Photos: RFMC and Gavriil Xanthopoulos

09 November 2016
The National Round Table on Fire Management, Republic of Macedonia was held under the sponsorship of the Council of Europe (CoE), Secretariat of the Euro-Mediterranean Major Hazards Agreement (EUR-OPA) (facilitator: GFMC); Skopje, Republic of Macedonia.


Vivid discussion at National Round Table on Fire Management hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy.
Photo: RFMC

22-23 September 2016
The First National Coordination Meeting on Enhancing Fire Management Capacity in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone was cooperatively organized by the Regional Eastern European Fire Monitoring Center (REEFMC), the U.S. Forest Service and the GFMC, with GFMC contribution on the International Wildfire Preparedness Mechanism (IWPM) and the EuroFire Competency Standards; preparation of the National Round Table on Fire Management, Ukraine, and the Regional Consultation on Cross-boundary Cooperation in Fire Management (to be held in Kyiv in 2017) under sponsorship of the Council of Europe (CoE), Secretariat of the Euro-Mediterranean Major Hazards Agreement (EUR-OPA); Kyiv, Ukraine.

From top to bottom: Participants of the Coordination Meeting; introductory remarks by Petro Lakyda (National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine), Johann G. Goldammer (GFMC), George Kent (Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of the United State to Ukraine), Sergiy Zibtsev (REEFMC), Vitalii Petruk (Head of the State Agency of Ukraine on the Exclusion Zone Management), Shelia Slemp (U.S. Forest Service International Programs), and the audience from different ministries and agencies of Ukraine. Photos: REEFMC / NULESU.

19-21 September 2016
An all-Russian Scientific Conference with International Participation “Intensification of Russian Forestry: Problems and Innovative Solutions” with the contribution “Need for the development of pragmatic and science-based solutions for forest management and fire management for the Russian Federation” by the GFMC was held; Avialesookhrana and the V.N. Sukachev Institute of Forest, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences; Sukachev Institute of Forest, Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation.


Forest and wildland fire scientists and managers developed science-based proposals and visions for the future of forestry in Russia.
Photo: Sukachev Institute of Forest.

15-18 September 2016
Russian Federation: 25th Anniversary of cooperation between GFMC and Avialesookhrana. At the occasion of the 85th Anniversary of the Aerial Forest Fire Center Avialesookhrana consultations on continuing cooperation between Avialesookhrana, the GFMC and the UNISDR Regional Eurasia Wildland Fire Network were held in Pushkino, Moscow Region, Russian Federation.


Andrey M. Eritsov, Deputy Chief of Avialesookhrana, interpreting the speech of GFMC on “Avialesookhrana, GFMC and the UN System: 25 Years of Cooperation in Fire Management”

11-15 September 2016
International Scientific Workshop “Ecology of Forest Fires” with GFMC contributions presented by Oyunsanaa Byambasuren: (1) Fire ecology of forest and steppe ecosystems of Mongolia: State of knowledge and research; (2) Example of international and cross-disciplinary fire ecology research in Central Eurasia: The Bor Forest Island Fire Experiment (Krasnoyarsk Region, Russian Federation; (3) “Wildland fire science at the fire management and policy interface in Central Asia: The Regional Central Asia Wildland Fire Network and the newly established Fire Management Resource Center – Central Asia Region (FMRC-CAR)”; and (4) “Bringing wildland fire science to fire management application and policy decision support”. Participation at the International Round Table; Siberian Federal University, Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation.

07-09 September 2016
Training Course: “Enhancing Ground and Aerial Forest Fire Suppression Capacities in the Republic of Macedonia.” The training course was held as a joint course organized by the Regional SE Europe / Caucasus Fire Monitoring Center (RFMC), the U.S. Forest Service and the GFMC, with GFMC contribution introducing the “International Fire Aviation Guidelines and International Manual of Common Rules for Fire Aviation”; preparation of the National Round Table on Fire Management, Republic of Macedonia and the Regional Consultation on Cross-boundary Cooperation in Fire Management (to be held in Skopje, 09 and 11 November 2016) under sponsorship of the Council of Europe (CoE), Secretariat of the Euro-Mediterranean Major Hazards Agreement (EUR-OPA); Skopje, Republic of Macedonia.

Air-ground coordination in wildfire suppression operations: Display of fixed-wing and helicopter aerial fire suppression capabilities at Skopje Airbase, training course and resource persons GFMC (J.G. Goldammer), RFMC (N. Nikolov), Serbia (V. Jovanovic), U.S. Forest Service (R. Kuehner and B.R. Warren). Photos: RFMC and R. Kuehner.

28-30 May 2016
Evaluation of forest fire risk in Romania (Project “Disaster Risk Assessment at National Level – RO-RISK”) conducted by GFMC; Bucharest, Bucegi Natural Park, Moroieni and Targoviste, Romania.

17-20 April 2016
VII Ukraine Fire Management Week with Third Eastern European Prescribed Fire Demonstration and Long-term Observation Experiment on the use of prescribed fire for enhancing regeneration of Scots pine stands; Regional Eastern European Fire Monitoring Center (REEFMC), National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (NULESU), Kyiv and Boyarka Forest Research Station, Ukraine.

19 April 2016
National and Regional Inter-Agency Round Table on Fire Management in preparation of the wildfire season 2016; National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (NULESU) / Regional Eastern European Fire Monitoring Center (REEFMC), Kyiv, Ukraine.

18 April 2016
Inception Workshop of the UNEP-GEF Project “Conserving, Enhancing and Managing Carbon Stocks and Biodiversity in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone” with the fire management component; Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine (MENR) and State Agency of Ukraine on the Exclusion Zone Management, Kyiv, Ukraine.

18 April 2016
Consultation on the project “Improving radiological and environmental awareness in territories affected by the Chernobyl accident in Belarus and Ukraine with a focus on wildfire management”; OSCE Office Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine.

02 March 2016
Consultation on operational cooperation between the UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network (GWFN) and the UNEP / OCHA Joint Environment Unit; Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland.

Consultation on GFMC / GWFN support in the implementation of the Sendai framework for Disaster Risk Reduction under UNISDR; UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Geneva, Switzerland.

27-29 January 2016
UNISDR Science and Technology Conference on the Implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, with GFMC panelist and discussant inputs (Oyunsanaa Byambasuren) to Work Stream 1 “The Scientific and Technical Partnership to support the implementation of the Sendai Framework” – Working Group 2 “Regional Science and Technology Networks and Platforms” (27 January 2016), and Work Stream 4 “Leveraging Science through Capacity Development and Research” – Working Group 3 “Research Gaps (29 January 2016); United Nations, Geneva, Switzerland.

30 November to 11 December 2015
Twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) and the eleventh session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP). Discussion about the accountability of Integrated Fire Management (IFM) in a post-Kyoto Protocol agreement; Paris, France.

12-16 October 2015
6th International Wildland Fire Conference, with participation of member states of the UNISDR Regional Eurasia Wildland Fire Network; Pyeonchang, Republic of Korea.

  • Pyeongchang Declaration, Conference Statement, and Regional Statements (including regional session agendas, abstracts and posters of the Regional Wildland Fire Networks): https://gfmc.online/iwfc/korea-2015.html

7-10 September 2015
International Conference “Current Status of Fire Research and Fire Management in the Black Sea and Eastern European Region”, with GFMC contributions “Challenges for global and regional fire management and needs for cooperation” and “New approaches and requirements for fire management in the South Eastern Europe, Black Sea and Caucasus Region”, Odessa, Ukraine.

13 May 2015
4th Fire Season Public Consultation of Rafina-Pikermi Municipality, Greece, with the presentation of the Guidelines for Rural Populations, Local Communities and Municipality Leaders in the Balkan Region “Defence of Villages, Farms and Other Rural Assets against Wildfires”; Rafina-Pikermi Municipality, Greece.

28-30 April 2015
Aerial Fire Fighting Interoperability Workshop (GFMC, convener) and Aerial Fire Fighting Conference 2015, with GFMC Contribution “Towards a Coordinated Approach in International Aerial Firefighting Missions: Results of the Interoperability Workshop”, and presentation of the Walt Darren Award 2015; Zadar, Croatia

25-27 March 2015
Ukraine Fire Management Week with Second Eastern European Prescribed Fire Demonstration and Long-term Observation Experiment on the use of prescribed fire in wildfire hazard reduction in pine stands and Seminar “Fire Management and Research in Forests, Protected Areas and Natural Heritage Sites”; Regional Eastern European Fire Monitoring Center (REEFMC), National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (NULESU), Kyiv and Boyarka Forest Research Station, Ukraine.

17-18 March 2015
National Conference on “Fire in Forest Management and Nature Conservation”, and burning of heathland demonstration, organized by the Directorate General of the State Forests of Poland and the State Fire Service of Poland and the Regional Directorate of State Forests in Zielona Gora; Osrodek Wapoczynkowy “Lesnik”, Lagow; and Forest District Przemków, Poland.

11-12 December 2014
Annual meeting of the Directors of the European and Mediterranean Centres of the EUR-OPA Major Hazards Agreement Meeting (EUR-OPA) (Open Partial Agreement on the Prevention of, Protection Against, and Organization of Relief in Major Natural and Technological Disasters), Council of Europe with presentation of GFMC inputs in 2014; Council of Europe, Strasbourg, France.

3-4 December 2014
2014 OSCE Ministerial Council; Basel, Switzerland. GFMC involvement in the preparatory process and the resulting Council Decision:

25-26 November 2014
Environment and Security (ENVSEC) Initiative Partners Meeting, with OSCE/ENVSEC/GFMC project report “Enhancing National Capacity on Fire Management and Wildfire Disaster Risk Reduction in the South Caucasus” (J.G. Goldammer); Belgrade, Serbia.

18-22 November 2014
72nd session of the UNECE Committee on Forest and the Forest Industry, with final presentation of the UNECE /FAO Team of Specialists on Forest Fire and the progress report on the implementation of the project “UNECE/FAO Regional Forum on Cross-boundary Fire Management” (November, 2013) and presentation of the „International Wildfire Preparedness Mechanism“ (IWPM) (J.G. Goldammer); Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation.


Final Report of the UNECE/FAO Team of Specialists to COFFI-72 Inauguration of the International Wildfire Preparedness Mechanism (IWPM): https://gfmc.online/iwpm/
Photo credit: ©Avialesookhrana

02-06 November 2014
GFMC-GIZ Georgia Mission Integrated Fire Management III in the frame of the GIZ Programme “Sustainable Management of Biodiversity, South Caucasus” and in cooperation with the ENVSEC / GFMC project “Enhancing National Capacity on Fire Management and Wildfire Disaster Risk Reduction in the South Caucasus”; Dedoplistskaro municipality and Tbilisi, Georgia.

23 October 2014
GFMC fire management training sessions at Avialesookhrana headquarters; Pushkino, Moscow Region, Russian Federation.

22 October 2014
Annual meeting of the German-Russian Working Group “Sustainable Forest Management (with GFMC participation and inputs); Moscow, Russian Federation.

20-21 October 2014
7th International Forum “Forest and Man”, with a contribution by GFMC “Investments in Forest Fire Protection for Safeguarding Sustainable Forest Management”; Expocentre, Moscow, Krasnopresnenskaya Naberezhnaya, Russian Federation.

15-17 October 2014
Regional Fire Management Training for the South Caucasus, Western Balkans and Eastern Europe / Central Asia in the frame of the OSCE/ENVSEC project “Enhancing National Capacity on Fire Management and Wildfire Disaster Risk Reduction in the South Caucasus”; Fire Management Training Center, Antalya, Turkey.

16-23 September 2014
ASEAN-Republic of Korea Forest Cooperation (AFoCo) International Thematic Workshop on Forest Disaster Management in Southeast Asia: “Challenges and Way Forward in Forest Fire Management” and Training Course “Training of Trainers on Forest Fire Management” organized by Korea Forest Service (KFS), Korea Forest Research Institute (KFRI) and GFMC, in the frame of activities of the UNISDR Pan-Asia Wildland Fire Network; Seoul, Republic of Korea.

09-12 September 2014
Concluding meeting of the 22nd OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum “Responding to Environmental Challenges with a View to Promoting Cooperation and Security in the OSCE Area”, with GMFC contributions to Session IV “A co-operative response to environmental challenges: OSCE experience and lessons learnt for the future” (with GFMC presentation “OSCE experiences in enhancing national capacities in fire management and wildfire disaster risk reduction”); and to the panel debate Session VII “The Role of the OSCE in responding to environmental challenges”; Prague, Czech Republic.

08-09 September 2014
Regional Consultation Meeting: Initiative “Environment and Security”: Perspectives of Environmental Cooperation in Eastern Europe, with participation of the Regional Eastern European Fire Monitoring Center (REEFMC), with inputs on fire management needs in contaminated forests; Minsk, Belarus.

24-28 August 2014
5th International Disaster and Risk Conference IDRC; Davos, Switzerland.

Session “UNISDR DRR Platforms and Networks” (Monday, 25 August 2014, 18:45-20:00, room Flüela)

Presentation of the GFMC Publication “Vegetation Fires and Global Change: Challenges for Concerted International Action: A White Paper directed to the United Nations and International Organizations” (Session TUE7.4: Book Presentations on Integrative Risk Management, Tuesday, 26 August 2014, 17:00-18:00, room “Sertig”).

08 July 2014
Sixth National Round Table on Fire Management in preparation of the National Fire Management Policy for Georgia and the implementation plan, conducted in the frame of the ENVSEC / GFMC project “Enhancing National Capacity on Fire Management and Wildfire Disaster Risk Reduction in the South Caucasus” in Cooperation with the Ministry for Environment and Natural Resources Protection and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GIZ); Tbilisi, Georgia.

28-29 June 2014
Joint Meetings of the UNISDR Wildland Fire Advisory Group (WFAG), International Liaison Committee (ILC) and South Korea Conference Organizing Committee (SKCOC) for the 6th International Wildland Fire Conference, and the International Fire Aviation Working Group (IFAWG), In cooperation with and supported by the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), Forestry and Timber Section, Euro-Mediterranean Major Hazards Agreement (EUR-OPA), Council of Europe, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), United Nations University (UNU), International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), U.S. Forest Service, Korea Forest Service (KFS) and Korea Forest Research Institute (KFRI); GFMC, Freiburg, Germany.

 

27 June 2014
International Workshop “Fire Management in Protected Areas and Cultural and Natural Heritage Sites”. Meeting of members, partners and observers of the Council of Europe / EUR-OPA Project “Fire Management in UNESCO World Natural and Cultural Heritage Sites and other Protected Areas”, in preparation of the IUCN World Parks Congress 2014; GFMC, Freiburg, Germany.

18 June 2014
36th session of the FAO/UNECE Working Party on Forest Statistics, Economics and Management, with the final report of the UNECE/FAO Team of Specialists on Forest Fire; United Nations, Geneva, Switzerland.

07-09 May 2014
First Preparatory Workshop “”Wildfire”” in the frame of the“ “FRISK-GO”” project aimed at defining and establishing a future European Forest Risk Facility; Barcelona, Spain.

06-09 April 2014
Eastern European consultation on the follow-up of the UNECE/FAO Regional Forum on Cross-boundary Fire Management (UN Geneva, 28-29 November 2013) and first Eastern European Prescribed Fire Demonstration and Long-term Observation Experiment on the use of prescribed fire in wildfire hazard reduction in pine stands; Regional Eastern European Fire Monitoring Center (REEFMC), National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (NULESU), Kyiv and Boyarska Forest Research Station, Ukraine.

03-04 April 2014
Fourth meeting of the “International Working Group on Cooperation in Wildfire Preparedness and Response” (IWG-CWPR) for the development of a proposal for international voluntary standards for harmonization, standardization and promotion of best-practice and for safe and efficient sharing of wildfire emergency response resources between countries for wildfire emergency analysis & assessment, wildfire emergency advisory support to nations in distress and wildfire emergency response (in following up the UNECE/FAO Forum on Cross-boundary Fire Management, United Nations, Geneva, 28-29 November 2013); GFMC, Freiburg, Germany.

31 March – 1 April 2014
ENVSEC Regional Meeting for South Eastern Europe (J.G. Goldammer); Podgorica, Montenegro.

23-25 March 2014
Fifth National Round Table on Fire Management in preparation of the National Fire Management Policy for Georgia and the implementation plan, conducted in the frame of the ENVSEC / GFMC project “Enhancing National Capacity on Fire Management and Wildfire Disaster Risk Reduction in the South Caucasus”; Tbilisi, Georgia.

27-28 January 2014
22nd OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum “Responding to Environmental Challenges with a View to Promoting Cooperation and Security in the OSCE Area”, with GMFC contribution to Panel III “Improving environmental security: How can we reduce natural disaster risks? Lessons learned”; donour negotiations for the Phase III of the OSCE-ENVSEC Project “Enhancing National Capacities on Fire Management and Wildfire Disaster Risk Reduction in the South Caucasus”; the proposed project “Improving cooperation on suppression of wildland fires in the Ukrainian and Belorussian parts of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone” and “Strengthening of Fire Management Capabilities in Mongolia and Selected Central Asian Countries (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan) through the Establishment of a Regional Central Asia Fire Management Resource Center”; OSCE Headquarters, Vienna.

27-29 November 2013
UNECE/FAO Regional Forum on Cross-boundary Fire Management, organized by the UNECE/FAO Team of Specialists on Forest Fire through its Coordinator – the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC), Germany, and supported by the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE); United Nations, Geneva, Switzerland.

11-13 November 2013
International Congress and Trade Fair on Forest Fire and Climate Change: Challenges for Fire Management in Natural and Cultural Landscapes of Eurasia. Hosted by the Russian Federation in partnership with the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC); Novosibirsk, Russian Federation.

23-25 October 2013
Meeting of the Pan-Asia Wildland Fire Network (Cluster of the UNISDR Regional Wildland Fire Networks of SE Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, NE Asia and Eurasia), hosted by the Korea Forest Research Institute (KFRI); Seoul, Republic of Korea.

17 September 2013
Joint meeting of the Commission for Peace and Security and the Commission for Environment, Energy and Spatial Planning, Socialist Party of Switzerland, on the future role of Switzerland in addressing global wildland fire issues, with a GFMC contribution for brainstorming; Bern, Bundeshaus, Switzerland.

09-10 September 2013
Third meeting of the “International Working Group on Cooperation in Wildfire Preparedness and Response” (IWG-CWPR) for the development of a proposal for international voluntary standards for harmonization, standardization and promotion of best-practice and for safe and efficient sharing of wildfire emergency response resources between countries for wildfire emergency analysis & assessment, wildfire emergency advisory support to nations in distress and wildfire emergency response (in preparation of the UNECE/FAO Forum on Cross-boundary Fire Management, United Nations, Geneva, 28-29 November 2013); Barcelona, Spain.

02 September 2013
General Assembly and 20th Anniversary of Green Cross International (GCI): Ceremony of Green Star Awards of GCI with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to awardees of the Global Wildland Fire Network Nikola Nikolov (Regional Southeast Europe Fire Monitoring Center, Macedonia), Sundar P. Sharma (UNISDR Regional South Asia Wildland Fire Network, Nepal) and Sergiy Zibtsev (Regional Eastern European Fire Monitoring Center, Ukraine); UN Geneva, Switzerland.

27-31 August 2013
Eastern European Consultation in Preparation of the UNECE/FAO Regional Forum on Cross-boundary Fire Management; National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine / Regional Eastern European Fire Monitoring Center (REEFMC), Kiev / Simferopol, Ukraine.

20-22 August 2013
National Training for Trainers in Fire Management and Third National Round Table for developing a National Fire Management Policy for Armenia, a contribution of Phase III of the Environment and Security Initiative (ENVSEC) “Enhancing National Capacity on Fire Management and Wildfire Disaster Risk Reduction in the South Caucasus” through GFMC and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE); Yerevan, Armenia.

17-23 June 2013
Second “International Fire Management Week” in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russian Federation, organized by the GFMC and the Russian Federal Forest Service Rosleskhoz and the National Aerial Forest Fire Center Avialesookhrana in the frame of the “German-Russian Forest Fire Task Force” and the UNISDR Regional Eurasia Wildland Fire Network (UNECE/FAO Team of Specialists on Forest Fire), with (a) Scientific Conference “Post-Fire Natural Regeneration of Forests in Siberia”, and (b) revisit of the Bor Forest Island Fire Experiment of 1993; Krasnoyarsk, Bor Forest Island, Russian Federation.

03-04 June 2013
Second meeting of the “International Working Group on Cooperation in Wildfire Preparedness and Response” for the development of a proposal for international voluntary standards for harmonization, standardization and promotion of best-practice and for safe and efficient sharing of wildfire emergency response resources between countries for wildfire emergency analysis & assessment, wildfire emergency advisory support to nations in distress and wildfire emergency response (in preparation of the UNECE/FAO Forum on Cross-boundary Fire Management, United Nations, Geneva, 28-29 November 2013); GFMC.

14 May 2013
National Round Table on Fire Management “Sharing Responsibilities and Resources at Economically Difficult Times”, under the co-auspices of the Hellenic Agricultural Organization “Dimitra”, General Secretariat for Civil Protection, General Secretariat of Forests, General Secretariat of the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change, and the UNECE/FAO Team of Specialists on Forest Fire; supported by Council of Europe and Maria Tsakos Foundation; Evgenideio Conference Center, Athens, Greece.

13 May 2013
Workshop “Defense of Villages, Farms and Other Rural Assets against Wildfires: Guidelines for Rural Populations, Local Community and Municipality Leaders in the Balkan Region”, supported by Council of Europe, the Regional Fire Monitoring Center SE Europe / Caucasus (RFMC), Regional Eastern European Fire Monitoring Center (REEFMC) and the UNECE/FAO Team of Specialists on Forest Fire; European Center of Forest Fires (ECFF), National Technical University of Athens, Athens, Greece.

06 May 2013
Joint meeting of the German-Russian Working Group on Sustainable Forest Management (German Federal Ministry for Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection and Federal Forest Agency of the Russian Federation), on bilateral cooperation in forestry, including the joint fire management programme; Hanover, Germany.

22-25 April 2013
Thirty-fifth session of the Joint FAO/UNECE Working Party on Forest Statistics, Economics and Management, Economic Commission for Europe Food and Agriculture Organization, Timber Committee European Forestry Commission, with a presentation of the report of the UNECE/FAO Team of Specialists on Forest Fire; United Nations, Geneva, Switzerland.

14-15 March 2013
Kick-off meeting of the “International Working Group on Cooperation in Wildfire Preparedness and Response” for the development of a proposal for international voluntary standards for harmonization, standardization and promotion of best-practice and for safe and efficient sharing of wildfire emergency response resources between countries for wildfire emergency analysis & assessment, wildfire emergency advisory support to nations in distress and wildfire emergency response (in preparation of the UNECE/FAO Regional Forum on Cross-boundary Fire Management (United Nations, Geneva, 28-29 November 2013); GFMC.

09 March 2013
Consultation between GFMC, the Regional Fire Monitoring Center (Skopje, FYROM), the Balkan Environment Center (Thessaloniki, Greece), the Regional Fire Management Training Center (Antalya, Turkey) and members of the UNECE/FAO Team of Specialists on Forest Fire, on coordination and sharing resources in enhancing fire monitoring and fire management capacity building in fire management in the SE Europe / Balkans region; Thessaloniki, Greece.

04 March 2013
Inauguration of the Regional Eastern European Fire Monitoring Center (REEFMC) and Regional Seminar and Consultation “Wildfires in the Eastern European Region: Science, Policies and Management”, at National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (NULESU) / Regional Eastern European Fire Monitoring Center; supported by GFMC, UNECE/FAO Team of Specialists on Forest Fire and Council of Europe; Kyiv, Ukraine.

25-28 February 2013
Field mission of GFMC staff Ioannis Mitsopoulos in following-up of the conference Our Response to Wildfire Threat – Cooperation of a better Chios, held 15-16 October 2012 by the Maria Tsakos Foundation, sponsored by the Minister of Mercantile Marine and Island Policy of Greece, and in cooperation of the Regional Prefecture of Chios Island, with GFMC contribution United Nations Partnerships in Strengthening the Role of Civil Society in Fire Management, presented by J.G. Goldammer on behalf of the UN Secretary General, BAN Ki-moon, and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs); Chios, Greece.

15 January 2013
International Symposium on Strategy Development of Advanced Forest Fire Policy and Organization, hosted by the Korea Forest Research Institute (KFRI), supported by the Korea Forest (KFS), the UNECE/FAO Team of Specialists on Forest Fire, and GFMC; Seoul, Republic of Korea.

03 December 2012
Second National Round Table for developing a National Fire Management Policy for Armenia, a contribution of Phase III of the Environment and Security Initiative (ENVSEC) “Enhancing National Capacity on Fire Management and Wildfire Disaster Risk Reduction in the South Caucasus” through GFMC and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE); Yerevan, Armenia.

09 November 2012
First Regional Workshop on the Development of “Guidelines for the Defense of Rural Populations, Settlements and other Assets Against Wildfires and Smoke Pollution for the EECCA Region”, convened by GFMC, ECFF and RFMC, funded by the Council of Europe; Skopje, Republic of Macedonia.

24-27 October 2012
International Fire Management Round Table, with GFMC contribution “The Krasnoyarsk 10-Point Programme on the Future of Fire Management in Russia: Recommendations by Participants of the „International Fire Management Week“ (Krasnoyarsk Krai, 2-8 September 2012)”, and exchange work at the All Russian Institute of Continuous Education in Forestry (ARICEF / VIPKLH) and the National Aerial Fire Management Center Avialesookhrana; Moscow / Pushkino, Russian Federation.

15-16 October 2012
Conference Our Response to Wildfire Threat – Cooperation of a better Chios, organized under by the Maria Tsakos Foundation, sponsored by the Minister of Mercantile Marine and Island Policy of Greece, and in cooperation of the Regional Prefecture of Chios Island; Omireion Cultural Center and Maria Tsakos Foundation, City of Chios, Chios, Greece.

22-28 September 2012
Fire management training course, national forest fire exercise and Second National Round Table on Fire Management, for developing a National Fire Management Policy for Azerbaijan, a contribution of Phase III of the Environment and Security Initiative (ENVSEC) “Enhancing National Capacity on Fire Management and Wildfire Disaster Risk Reduction in the South Caucasus” through GFMC and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE); Baku, Gabala, and field sites in Azerbaijan.

17 September 2012
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) Workshop “International Response to Major Natural and Man-made Disasters: The Role of the OSCE”, with GFMC contribution “Enhancing National and Regional Capacities on Fire Management and Wildfire Disaster Risk Reduction”; Vienna, Austria.

01-10 September 2012
“International Fire Management Week” in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russian Federation, organized by the GFMC and the Russian Federal Forest Service Rosleskhoz and the National Aerial Forest Fire Center Avialesookhrana in the frame of the “German-Russian Forest Fire Task Force” and the UNISDR Regional Eurasia Wildland Fire Network (UNECE/FAO Team of Specialists on Forest Fire), with (a) classroom and field training on prescribed burning for wildfire hazard reduction and conservation for practitioners, trainers and decision makers, (b) Round Table on Fire Management, Krasnoyarsk Krai”, and (c) revisit of the Bor Forest Island Fire Experiment of 1993; Krasnoyarsk, Bor Forest Island, Russian Federation.

30 May 2012
Workshop Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction for Resilient and Sustainable Development for the South Caucasus Region (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia): Field day on Progress in Capacity Building in Fire Management at Community Level at Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park (J.G. Goldammer); Tbilisi, Borjomi, Georgia.

29 May 2012
Fourth National Round Table on Fire Management in preparation of a National Fire Management Policy for Georgia, conducted in the frame of the ENVSEC / GFMC project “Phase Two – Enhancing National Capacity on Fire Management and Wildfire Disaster Risk Reduction in the South Caucasus”; Tbilisi, Georgia.

21 May 2012
World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe Workshop „Health aspects of wildfire smoke“, organized in collaboration with the WHO European Centre for Environment and Health (WHO-ECEH) and the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Finland, in conjunction with the 15th Meeting of the Joint Convention / WHO Task Force on Health Aspects of Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution. GFMC key inputs on „Transboundary co-operation in the management of vegetation fires and fire emissions“ (J.G. Goldammer); Bonn, UN Campus, Germany.

03-04 April 2012
Regional Meeting of the Environment and Security Initiative (ENVSEC) in the South Caucasus was a review of the work programme of the Phases II and III of the Environment and Security (ENVSEC) Initiative, including the project “Enhancing National Capacity on Fire Management and Wildfire Disaster Risk Reduction in the South Caucasus”. See OSCE brochure with a short description of the project (pp. 8-9). Tbilisi, Georgia.

22-24 March 2012
First prescribed burning campaign in the field project “Prescribed burning on former military terrain contaminated by unexploded ordnance [UXO]”, Teltow-Flaeming County, Germany; Heidehof-Golmberg Nature Reserve, Germany.

16 March 2012
International Conference “Vocational Education and Training in Forest Management for State Forestry Personnel”, hosted by the All-Russian Institute of Continuous Education in Forestry (ARICEF), with GFMC / UNU contribution on International Educational Projects in Forest Fire Management (J.G. Goldammer); Pushkino, Moscow Region, Russian Federation.

12-14 September 2011
Armenia: First National Fire Management Training Course, Forest Fire Exercise and National Round Table on Fire Management. This first fire management training course, a national forest fire exercise and the first National Conference & Round Table on Fire Management was conducted in September 2011 in Armenia. This was a contribution of Phase II of the Environment and Security Initiative (ENVSEC) Enhancing National Capacity on Fire Management and Wildfire Disaster Risk Reduction in the South Caucasus through GFMC and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Kapan / Yerevan, Armenia.

Azerbaijan: Wildland Fire Assessment Mission and First National Round Table on Fire Management (Baku, Azerbaijan, 30 June – 6 July 2011)
A nationwide Wildland Fire Assessment Mission and First National Round Table for developing a National Fire Management Policy for Azerbaijan, a contribution of Phase II of the Environment and Security Initiative (ENVSEC) “Enhancing National Capacity on Fire Management and Wildfire Disaster Risk Reduction in the South Caucasus” through GFMC and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) (J.G. Goldammer); Baku and field sites, Azerbaijan.

Regional Southeast Europe / Caucasus Fire Monitoring Center (RFMC) established
In 2010 the GFMC and the Council of Europe (EUR-OPA) supported the establishment of the Regional Fire Monitoring Center for the Southeast Europe / Caucasus Region (RFMC). The RFMC is based at the Faculty of Forestry, FY Republic of Macedonia. The RFMC website was launched in December 2010:

Fire Management Training Course – Southern Caucasus Region (Borjomi, Georgia, 12-14 July 2010) and Second and Third National Round Table on Fire Management in preparation of a National Fire Management Policy for Georgia
The second Fire Management Training Course – Southern Caucasus Region was conducted in the frame of the ENVSEC / GFMC project “Phase Two – Enhancing National Capacity on Fire Management and Wildfire Disaster Risk Reduction in the South Caucasus”, followed by a workshop for representatives of local communities “Community participation in fire management”. Both events were conducted in Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park. These events were followed by the Second and Third National Round Tables on Fire Management in preparation of a National Fire Management Policy for Georgia) (15 July and 13 December 2010).

International Meeting on Open Burning and the Arctic: Causes, Impacts, and Mitigation Approaches
Between 8-9 November 2010 over seventy policymakers, scientists, activists, and academics from Russia, Europe and North America met in St Petersburg, Russia, for a two-day conference to discuss the causes and impacts of set fires in forests, peatlands, croplands, and steppe in Northern Eurasia and North America.

International Conference “Forest Fires: Management and International Cooperation for Preventing Forest Fires in the APEC Region” (2010)
The International Conference “Forest Fires: Management and International Cooperation in Preventing forest Fires in APEC Region” was convened at the initiative of the Russian Federation in Khabarovsk, Russia, 4-6 October 2010. The conference aimed to strengthen cooperation between the emergency services of the APEC member economies in order to express readiness of the region to reduce the risks of wildfire disasters. 53 representatives from 8 APEC member economies and key experts from the world, including the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) and representatives of the Global Wildland Fire Network, took part in this event.

Regional Conference on Cross-Border Fires (2010)
The “International Conference on Cross-Border Forest Fires and Cooperation in their Suppression” was hosted by the government of Russia, supported by GFMC, UNISDR and the UNECE/FAO Team of Specialists on Forest Fire, with participation of government agencies of China, Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, South Korea, and the USA. The conference was held in Irkutsk, Russian Federation, 16-18 June 2010.

Advanced Regional Seminar in Wildland Fire Management in Antalya, Turkey. March 2010
An Advanced Regional Seminar in Wildland Fire Management was conducted by the General Directorate of Forestry (Orman Genel Müdürlügü, Ankara) in cooperation with and co-sponsored by Environment and Security Initiative (ENVSEC), the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) / United Nations University (UNU), Faculty of Forestry, Karadeniz Teknik Üniversitesi, (Trabzon, Turkey), the UNISDR Regional Southeast Europe Wildland Fire Network and the UNECE / FAO Team of Specialists on Forest Fire in Antalya, Turkey, 1-3 March 2010:

Advanced Seminar “Wildfires and Human Security: Fire Management on Terrain Contaminated by Radioactivity, Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) and Land Mines”
This seminar addressed the consequences of wildfires and fire management on contaminated terrain and will be conducted in Kiev and Chornobyl, Ukraine, 6-8 October 2009, by the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) in the frame of the activities of the Council of Europe (CoE) and the joint project “Enhancing National Capacity on Fire Management and Risk Reduction in the South Caucasus” (Environment and Security Initiative [ENVSEC]), the UNISDR Regional Southeast Europe / Caucasus and Central Asia Wildland Fire Networks and the UNECE / FAO Team of Specialists on Forest Fire.

Participation in the Pan-Asia Wildland Fire Network (initiated in 2009)
Besides the role of the Central Asian network as one of six networks within the region of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN-ECE) (see also: UNECE/FAO Team of Specialists on Forest Fire) it is now also belonging to one of four networks within the Pan-Asia Wildland Fire Network, which was founded in the Republic of Korea in February 2009:

Regional Consultation 2008 of the UNISDR Regional Southeast Europe / Caucasus Wildland Fire Network
The 2008 meeting of the network was held at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy, Skopje, Republic Macedonia, 4-6 December 2008. The main objectives of the meeting were the review of the fire situation in the region in 2007-2008 and the preparation for the 2009 Regional Seminar on “Fire Management on Terrain contaminated by Unexploded Ordnance (UXO), Land Mines and Radioactivity.

First International Central Asian Wildland Fire Joint Conference, Consultation and Forest Fire Experiment (2008)
The First International Central Asian Wildland Fire Conference “Wildland Fires in Natural Ecosystems of the Central Asian Region: Ecology and Management Implications” (2-6 June 2008, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia) addressed the most pressing issues in Mongolia and neighbouring countries. A second component was a consultation of the agencies and other stakeholders involved in fire management in Mongolia. The third element of the conference was devoted to demonstrate advanced techniques in fire management. The events were a cooperative effort with the UNECE/FAO Team of Specialists on Forest Fire:

Ukraine: Second National Round Table and Consultation on Irradiated Forests
The Ministry of Ukraine on Emergencies and Affairs of Populations Affected by the consequences of the Chernobyl catastrophe convened a Round Table on „Reduction of Risk of Disaster from Wildfires in the Chernobyl Irradiated Forests. The meeting was held on 6 October 2008 at the Ministry and cosponsored by Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Global Institute of Sustainable Forestry (U.S.A.) and the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC).

Symposium on Fire Management in Cultural and Natural Landscapes, Nature Conservation and Forestry in Temperate-Boreal Eurasia
This symposium was sponsored by the UNECE/FAO Team of Specialists on Forest Fire, held at GFMC, Freiburg, Germany, 25-28 January 2008, and resulted in the production of the “Freiburg White Paper on the Use of Prescribed Fire in Land Management, Nature Conservation and Forestry in Temperate-Boreal Eurasia” (finalized in February 2010):

Fourth Meeting of the Regional Northeast Asia Wildland Fire Network
On 16-17 December 2007, the 4th meeting of the network was convened in Harbin, China, with the participation of UNECE member state Russia

International Consultation on Fire in Irradiated Forests
An International Meeting on “Reduction of Disaster Risk from Catastrophic Wildfires in the Chernobyl Irradiated Forests” was held under the auspices of the National Agricultural University of Ukraine, Yale University, GFMC / UNISDR / UNECE/FAO in Kiev, Ukraine, 25-28 July 2007.

Regional Wildland Fire Consultation 2007
On 19-21 March 2007 the Regional Wildland Fire Consultation on the “Development of a Strategy on International Cooperation in Wildland Fire Management in the Regional South East European / Caucasus Wildland Fire Network” was hosted by the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) and the National Forestry Board, Ministry in Sofia, Bulgaria, supported by the UNECE/FAO Team of Specialists on Forest Fire. The participating countries included Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Georgia, Hungary, Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia, Romania, Turkey and Ukraine (due to technical reason invited focal points from Greece, Slovakia and Azerbaijan could not participate in the meeting).

The First International Northeast Asia Wildland Fire Conference and the Third Meeting of the UNSIDR Regional Northeast Asia Wildland Fire Network
The meetings were held in tandem in Khabarovsk, Russian Federation, 28-30 September 2006, supported by the UNECE/FAO Team of Specialists on Forest Fire. For details see:

Network Meeting 2006
The next regional meeting of the UNISDR Regional Southeast European Wildland Fire Network was held in conjunction with the 33rd Session of the FAO European Forestry Commission, Zvolen, Slovakia, 22-26 May 2006. The regional network coordinator together with the GFMC / Coordinator of the Global Wildland Fire Network presented an initial proposal for the development of a “Regional Strategy on International Cooperation in Wildland Fire Management in the Regional South East European Wildland Fire Network”.

Regional Central Asia Fire Management Consultation and Study Tour (2005)
The next follow-up activity was a Regional Central Asia Fire Management Consultation and Study Tour in 2005 which brought together wildland fire management specialists from Central Asia. For details see:

Regional Scientific and Technical Consultation 2005
On 4-5 April 2005 the Republic of Macedonia hosted the International Technical and Scientific Consultation “Forest Fire Management in the Balkan Region”. The conference was sponsored by theUNECE/FAO Team of Specialists on Forest Fire, theUN-ISDR Wildland Fire Advisory Group / Global Wildland Fire Network through its Coordinator and Secretariat, the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC). Funding of the consultation was provided by the German Foreign Office (represented by the GFMC) and contributions by the participating and contributing countries (Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, Turkey). Fore more details and participation see:

2nd Meeting of the Regional Northeast Asia Wildland Fire Network in conjunction with International Symposium “View of Northeast Asia Forest Fires from Cosmos”
The meetings was held on 18 January 2005, Sendai, Japan. For details see:

Regional Network Meeting
Regional Eurasian (at that time “Baltic”) network meeting convened in Helsinki, Finland, 10 May 2004, hosted by the Ministry for Interior, Finland

Foundation Meeting of the Regional Northeast Asia Wildland Fire Network in conjunction with the North East Asia Forest Fire International Symposium
This foundation meeting was held with the participation of members of theUNECE/FAO Team of Specialists on Forest Fire, 5-6 March 2004, Seoul, Korea

First Regional Conference
A regional “Conference on Forest Fire Management and International Cooperation in Fire Emergencies in the Eastern Mediterranean, Balkans and adjoining Regions of the Near East and Central Asia” was held in Antalya, Turkey, 30 March – 3 April 2004. The conference provided a forum for the exchange of information of forest services and fire services of the region and resulted in the release of the “Antalya Declaration on Cooperation in Wildland Fire Management in the Balkans, Eastern Mediterranean, Near East and Central Asia”:

Joint FAO/ECE/ILO Seminar on “Forest, Fire, and Global Change”
The UNECE/FAO Team of Specialists on Forest Fire, operating under the auspices of the Joint FAO/ECE/ILO Committee on Forest Technology, Management and Training, held the first international conference on the theme “Forest, Fire, and Global Change” (Shushenskoe, Russian Federation, 4-9 August 1996)

The Bor Forest Island Fire Experiment
In 1993 a conference on Fire in Ecosystems of Boreal Eurasia, and a subsequent Fire Research Campaign Asia-North (FIRESCAN) were organized in tandem by the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) in Krasnoyarsk Region, Russian Federation. The aim of the conference was to compile, discuss and publish the state of knowledge on fire in boreal ecosystems, particularly in Eurasia. The research component was a large forest fire experiment, which was conducted on Bor Forest Island, Krasnoyarsk Region on 6 July 1993. In this paper the results of the first phase of the experiment are given and the medium- to long-term objectives of follow-up research are described.

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