“FRISK-GO” worshop in Barcelona: “Defining a role of future Platform for European forest risks in the field of forest fire protection”

On 7-9 May 2014 a workshop of the project “FRISK-GO”: “Defining a role of future Platform for European forest risk in the field of forest fire protection” was held in Barcelona. The host of the event was the branch of the European Forest Institute in Germany (EFFICINET). The objective of the seminar is the exchange of experience of experts from different countries including forest practitioners, researchers and politicians regarding the issues connected with forest risks and consequences of wildfires damage.

The event was conducted within the framework of the project FRISK-GO, which objective is the realization of a platform where science can meet policy and practice. This platform should introduce a new European strategy with transnational access to the knowledge and experience including the existing experience in Europe. The project was launched in January, 2014, and will conduct a number of workshops devoted to discussion of specific issues of forest risks, namely: wildfires, hurricanes, pests and forest diseases, droughts, wild ungulate animals. The seminar on wildfires was the first in this range. Several filed trips were arranged in the course of the seminar.

The subject matter specialists from Spain, Denmark, Austria, France, Germany, Scotland and Russia participated in the seminar. Irina S. Shepeleva, the head of the development and process engineering sector of the research department of forest fire protection management, participated in the seminar on behalf of FBI “SPbFRI”.

The cooperation on the international level is an important instrument for improvement of forest fire protection management. The use of pan-European experience and knowledge may assist in more efficient formation and improvement of regional and federal system of forest fire protection taking into consideration national peculiarities.