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Abstract
Southeastern France is the most wildfire prone region of the country, covering 14.7 percent of its land area-entire country, is the region most affected by wildfires, with 55 percent of the total number of fires recorded in the whole country from 2006 to 2008. It is a typical Mediterranean climate with hot and dry summers, often with strong NW wind, and includes plant communities well adapted to these drastic climate conditions. These combined fuels and weather conditions significantly increase the fire risk in this regions. Regionally, large fires (≥ 100ha) may be up to 11 580 ha although they generally are not as big as in other Mediterranean countries. However, because of the high proportion of Wildland-Urban Interface in the region, these large fires are a major concern, especially in the most populated parts (départements Var and Bouches du Rhône) which also concentrate most fires.
Parent Publication
Citation
Ganteaume, Anne; Jappiot, Marielle. 2015. Characterization of the large fire regime in SE France. In: Keane, Robert E.; Jolly, Matt; Parsons, Russell; Riley, Karin. Proceedings of the large wildland fires conference; May 19-23, 2014; Missoula, MT. Proc. RMRS-P-73. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 286-289.
