Greece: The 1992 Forest Fire Season in Greece (IFFN No. 8 – January 1993)

 

The 1992 Forest Fire Season in Greece

(IFFN No. 8 – January 1993, p. 8)

Unlike 1991, Greece had a very “hot” and prolonged fire season during 1992. Up to the end of September, 1815 fires burned 42,000 ha out of which 12,000 ha approximately were high forest. During the same period last year (1991), 791 fires burned 11,800 ha. Thus, on the average, the area burned per fire was 21.3 ha in 1992 as opposed to 14.9 in 1991. The remarkable difference is attributed to heavy spring and summer rainfall during 1991. Also, a new law that permits the former owners of abandoned agricultural fields which have been forested over many years to reclaim them from the State is assumed to have had a very significant effect on the wave of forest fires that swept through Greece during 1992.

The Aegean islands and the Attica peninsula paid the heaviest toll. The fire season started with a 500 ha fire on Lesbos Island and ended on 2 October with a huge 4000 ha fire on Rhodes Island (set accidentally by an apiarist) which burned most of the forests at the southern end of the island and during which a firefighter lost his life. Rhodes forests were also burned 1985 and 1987, causing an extreme ecological loss and a heavy impact on island tourism.

The largest fire of the season was a proven case of incendiarism on the Attica peninsula which burned during 4-5 September, started near Kiourka village, and caused panic in the heavily populated area. Great publicity was given to this fire and the Prime Minister himself was involved in the fire control efforts and rehabilitation of the burned area.

 

 

From: Alexander P.Dimitrakopoulos
Address:
University of the Aegean
Department of Environmental Studies
17 Karadoni Str.
GR-81 100 Mytilene

Country Notes

 

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Greece: The 1993 Forest Fire Season in Greece (IFFN No. 10 – January 1994)

 

The 1993 Forest Fire Season in Greece

(IFFN No. 10 – January 1994, p. 11-12)

Last year was a record year in the forest fire history of Greece: during the fire season from May to October, 2417 fires ravaged Greek forests, marking an all-time record in the fire statistics of Greece since the national average does not exceed 1100 fires per year. Approximately 47,000 ha of forest land were burned by these fires during 1993.

This dramatic increase in the number of forest fires can be primarily attributed to the following reasons:

  • A new law that legalised unlawful, arbitrary private structures in public forest lands that were previously burned, gave rise to a “wave” of arson in public forests. The prospect of subsequent arbitrary construction on the burned sites that would be rendered legal by taking advantage of the new law, during a year of national elections like 1993, was very tempting!
  • Equally important, a wave of illegal immigrants from Albania crossed the border in Northern Greece and, through remote forest trails, crossed the mountainous regions in order to seek temporary employment at the urban centres of Thessaloniki and Athens. These people, having to spend nights in the open air inside the forests, have caused many forest fires by negligence (abandoned camping fires) or malice (animosity towards immigration authorities). Many of these fires burned in areas of low fire risk, such as the high elevation forests of fir, beech and black pine of Northern Greece.
  • A third reason, independent of human acts, is the prolonged drought that has continued in Greece for four consecutive years and has left Southern Greece without a single drop of rain for 4.5 months!

At the same time, many extraordinary events marked the unique 1993 fire season in Greece:

  • An arson fire on the island of Ikaria in the Northeast Aegean sea, cost the lives of 11 farmers who were burned in their efforts to escape from the fire or were suffocated by smoke inside their homes. A National day of mourning was declared, and the Prime Minister visited the fire-stricken island, promising increased fire protection measures for all Greece.
  • Unlike other years, Northern Greece experienced many destructive fires, similar to those that traditionally occur in the drier and more flammable regions of Southern Greece which are covered by Mediterranean-type vegetation (maquis, garriques). Thus, high-elevation forest of fir, beech and black pine, located in Northern Greece, that had never experienced fires since the Second World War due to existing climatic (cold, humid areas) and socio-economic conditions (lack of population pressure or grazing intensity), were destroyed by fires set by illegal immigrants who entered the country through them. The geographical regions of Epirus and Macedonia had a record-high of 400 and 600 fires, respectively, which burned over 20,000 ha of high forest. Thus, Northern Greece did not escape forest fires this year.
  • The National Parks of “Valia Calda” in Epirus, covered with magnificent black pine forests, and “Olympus Mountain” in Macedonia, covered by fir forests, were burned. Thus, picturesque landscapes of amazing beauty and historical heritage were turned into ashes, leaving homeless the “12 Deities” of the Ancient Greek Pantheon!
  • For the second time, German firefighting helicopters successfully helped in forest firefighting in Greece. The helicopters were sent “gratis” by the German Government to Greece. Ten helicopters hired from a Canadian company, were used in forest fire fighting, after the successful German example in Greece.
  • A smokejumper unit was formed for the first time in Greece. It consists of former members of the “special forces” of the Greek Army who received special training. Bureaucracy and lack of funds delayed the unit’s deployment until late in the fire season, and its effectiveness is therefore difficult to assess.
  • Two huge forest fires, set for grazing land improvement at Peloponese (Megalopoli Arkadias) and Crete (Lasithi), burned over 4,000 ha each and destroyed farms and other agricultural property, forcing the temporary evacuation of whole villages. Thus, the role of farmers in forest fire prevention and protection is under consideration, while the possibility of introducing prescribed burning in Greece is being reexamined.

In 1993 once again forest fires monopolized the headlines of news in the mass media, increasing public awareness and rendering forest fires the number one environmental problem of Greece over the last fifteen years.

 

 

From: Alexander P.Dimitrakopoulos
Address:
University of the Aegean
Department of Environmental Studies
17 Karadoni Str.
GR-81 100 Mytilene

Country Notes

 

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Greece: Wildland Fire Science at Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania (MAICH) (IFFN No. 10 – January 1994)

 

Wildland Fire Science at Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania
(MAICH)

(IFFN No. 10 – January 1994, p. 13-14)

Introduction

The Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania (MAICH) has established a modern Wildland Fire Science Laboratory as a part of major research facilities in 1993. The establishment was partly supported by EEC funds. The complexity of the wildland fire problem requires basic and applied research combined with education and training in modern methods and technologies from various scientific disciplines. The objectives of the Wildland Fire Science Laboratory at MAICH therefore are twofold:

  • Promote basic and applied research on the principles, management and ecology of wildland fires.
  • Provide post-graduate education and training with updated methods and modern technologies in wildland fire prevention, suppression and management in combination with ecological considerations.

Instrumentation

The instrumentation of the laboratory provides the most modern technological means in the field of fire and pyrolysis analysis:

  • Automatic data loggers equipped with thermocouples for high temperature measurements
  • A thermal analysis system for determining pyric properties and combustion processes of wildland fuels, consisting of (a) differential scanning calorimetry, and (b) thermogravimetric analyser
  • Adiabatic bomb calorimeter for measuring the calorific value of different substances
  • Gas chromatography
  • Friction chamber for silica-ash determination
  • Field instrumentation for fuel measurements and fire weather monitoring
  • Instrumentation for prescribed burning documentation
  • Complete collection of software packages on fire behaviour simulation, fire danger rating, fuel modelling and wildland fire management decision making

Research

The complete and updated instrumentation of the laboratory enables basic and applied research in various aspects of fire science:

  • Fire behaviour principles
  • Combustion processes
  • Pyrolysis and thermochemical reactions
  • Analysis of physical and chemical properties of fuels
  • Inflammability and combustibility
  • Pyric parameters
  • Fire ecology
  • Fire effects
  • Fire management systems
  • Fire suppression organisation operations research.

The Fire Science Laboratory of MAICH is engaged in the following research programs:

  • Programme ENVIRONMENT: “Modelling of forest fires”. The project aims at developing a wildland fire behaviour prediction model with managerial implications.
  • Programme STRIDE: ” Rehabilitation of burned areas and wildland fire prevention”. The project seeks to create a system for forest fire risk assessment based on meteorological data and to provide training in fire prevention and control methods.
  • Programme AIR: “Conservation and protection of low-elevation Mediterranean coniferous forests threatened by wildfires”. The role of fires as an ecosystem process and evolutionary force in Mediterranean-type ecosystems is investigated.

Education

MAICH is one of the four agronomic institutes of the international Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (ICAMAS). It is an educational organisation which offers graduate study programs leading to the M.Sc. degree. The Department of Environmental and Renewable Resources offers in its curriculum courses on Wildland Fire Ecology and Management. Among them, an intensive course on “Ecology and Management of Wildland Fires in the Mediterranean Region” is attended by many international students who are exposed to modern laboratory technologies as part of their education. Visiting faculty members and researchers participate in the educational and research procedures at MAICH.

A number of competent graduate students is conducting research for their M.Sc. degrees in the discipline of Wildland Fire Science using the laboratory facilities.

 

 

From: Alexander P.Dimitrakopoulos
Scientific Responsible, Wildland Fire Laboratory
Address:
Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania
Department of Environmental and Renewable Resources
P.O. Box 85
Alsyllio Agrokipiou
GR – 73100 Chania (Crete)

Phone: ++30-821-81153
Fax:     ++30-821-81154

Country Notes

 

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Greece: The 1994 Forest Fire Season (IFFN No. 12 – January 1995)

 

The 1994 Forest Fire Season

(IFFN No. 12 – January 1995, p. 9-11)

Greece had slightly fewer forest fires in 1994 than during the previous year. At the end of October, with the fire season practically over due to heavy rains, a total of 2074 fires had been reported. The area burned was 54.000 hectares which is at the same level as in the last two years (Fig. 1 and 2).

The Greek Forest Service had anticipated a difficult fire season from the start of the summer. Contrary to the previous years that had been very dry, plenty of rain fell all over the country during the growing season resulting in unusually heavy growth of grasses and forbs. July and August were dry as usual with unnaturally hot and dry weather extending through all of September, prolonging the fire season.

The heavy load of grasses, once cured in the summer months, favoured quick fire acceleration and extreme rates of spread. As usual, a small number of fires that escaped initial attack under high winds became very large burning between 2,000 and 4,000 hectares. Most of these fires burned, in addition to the forest lands, unusually high acreage of agricultural lands, mainly olive groves. This was due to the high loading of grasses under the crop trees.

The difficulty of the fire season did not result in a larger burned area, which was due to the increased firefighting ability and effort of the Greek Forest Service with the help in many instances of the Urban Firefighting Service. The fleet of forest firefighting vehicles, with the recent addition of two hundred 4X4 semi-trucks equipped with slip-on firefighting units and 40 new UNIMOG 2150, exceeded a total of 600 vehicles. A total of 6000 seasonal employees, in addition to the permanent Forest Service personnel, manned this fleet. This force resulted in improved initial attack capability that was strengthened further by 375 specially trained airborne firefighters.

The airborne firefighters were deployed in ten helicopter bases and were transported for initial attack to the fires by helicopters that were made available by the Greek Armed Forces. The helicopters used were medium-size Bell UH-1H (Huey) and heavy lift CHINOOK CH-47. In addition to firefighter transport, the helicopters were also used for firefighting carrying water with “Bambi” buckets.

An important priority in firefighting in 1994 was the effort to avoid loss of life and housing property. In the last fifteen years there has been an increasing trend in forest fire related deaths. More than twenty lives were lost in 1993 alone. A major cause of this increase, which has also contributed to the increase in the total number of fires, is the development of extensive urban-wildland interface areas in the last two decades. The effort for protection of such areas was successful and loss of life was avoided there. Of course, this high priority effort put a heavy load on the firefighting forces reducing their ability to control the spread of the fire as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, the accidental crash of a Bell UH-1H helicopter in September on its return trip from a mission caused the death of 7 airborne firefighters and the 3-man crew. The official investigation that followed attributed the accident to pilot error.

 

Fig.1. Number of forest fires in Greece during the period 1980-1994
(will be added later)

 

Fig.2. Burned area per year in Greece during the period 1980-1994
(will be added later)

 

 

From: Gavriil Xanthopoulos
Forester – Forest Fire Specialist
Address:
Ministry of Agriculture
General Secretariat of Forests and Natural Environment
3-5 Ippokratous str.
GR – Athens 10164

 

Country Notes

 

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