Divulgação

The InduForestFire Project: questioning the current fuel management practices in Portugal and insights for developing fire-smart management strategies

Os investigadores da ESAC/IPC e parceiros, no âmbito do projeto InduForestFire publicaram o resumo "The InduForestFire Project: questioning the current fuel management practices in Portugal and insights for developing fire-smart management strategies" no Livro de resumos do 2º International Congress on Fire in the Earth System: Humans and Nature que decorreu em Granada - ES, em julho de 2023. O FES 2023 foi uma conferência híbrida que reuniu cientistas, cidadãos e profissionais para compartilhar informações, ideias e objetivos para usar o fogo como ferramenta para alcançar a sustentabilidade. Foram apresentados trabalhos sobre a dinâmica do fogo, gestão do risco de incêndio, efeitos do fogo na vegetação, fauna, solo e água, e abordagens socioeconómicas, históricas, geográficas, de percepção política e de gestão da terra.

The effect of broadleaf forests in wildfire mitigation in the WUI – A simulation study

Os investigadores da ESAC/IPC, no âmbito do projeto InduForestFire publicaram o trabalho "The effect of broadleaf forests in wildfire mitigation in the WUI – A simulation study" na revista International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. Veja o resumo do trabalho abaixo e acesse o trabalho completo em: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212420923002686   

Abstract

The increasing occurrence of large wildfires in Southern European countries calls for the adoption of more effective measures of fire prevention, to protect people and infrastructures, namely in the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI). Previous research suggests that broadleaf forests could mitigate the effects of these wildfires due to their lower flammability. However, few attempts have been made to investigate the possibility of using broadleaf-based green firebreaks to protect infrastructures, as an alternative to current less ecologically and economically sustainable fuel reduction techniques. Here, we assess the relevance of a broadleaves fuel model in reducing fire hazard in the WUI, by analyzing a set of six Industrial Zones (IZs) in Central Portugal, severely affected by wildfires during the catastrophic fire season of 2017. We developed alternative scenarios for the spatial simulation of fire behavior, using a factorial combination of weather conditions (standard and extreme), buffer around each IZ (distances of 100?m and 500?m) and land cover (current and broadleaves fuel model). The simulations were grounded on real-world data obtained from reconstructed fire front isochrones and fieldwork. Our results suggest that replacing the flammable vegetation present in the WUI with broadleaf forests could reduce fireline intensity by up to five times, even under extreme weather conditions. This reduction occurs subtly as the broadleaf cover interface is expanded from 100?m to 500?m. Our results show that fires that exceed the suppression capacity in pine and eucalypt forests (>4?m flame length) can be effectively suppressed in broadleaf forests under extreme fire weather (1.4?m flame length) and easily suppressed in broadleaf forests in standard weather (0.8?m flame length). Due to significant changes in land use and extreme weather events, future large wildfires could occur again in Portugal. In this regard, our results corroborate the urgent need to discuss forest management in the country, which has already proven to be insufficient to prevent fire disasters in the WUI.

Numerical modelling of composite steel and concrete double-skin and double-tube square cross-section columns subjected to fire

Os investigadores da ITECONS/UC, no âmbito do projeto InduForestFire publicaram o trabalho "Numerical modelling of composite steel and concrete double-skin and double-tube square cross-section columns subjected to fire" na revista Fire Safety Journal. Veja o resumo do trabalho abaixo e acesse o trabalho completo em: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0379711223000760

Abstract

The fire resistance of composite steel and concrete double-tube and double-skin square cross-section columns has been previously evaluated through experimental tests carried out at the University of Coimbra. The results of these experimental tests were used to calibrate a finite element numerical model. This numerical model allowed a parametric study for developing new simplified fire design formulas for these types of columns. The heat transfer modelling used an implicit analysis where different thermal parameters have been tested. In the mechanical modelling, an explicit analysis was used considering the mechanical properties at high temperatures proposed by different authors for steel and concrete. In the parametric study, the influence of the relative slenderness, loading level and axial and rotational restraining levels in the column's critical and ultimate collapse times were analysed. Columns with slenderness higher than 0.5 showed lower ultimate collapse times than columns with relative slenderness between 0.25 and 0.5, despite the axial and rotational restraining level applied to them. Loading levels above 40% in the columns led to columns' premature ultimate collapse. The increasing axial and rotational restraining level benefited the columns' critical times, however columns showed similar ultimate collapse times when using restraining levels above K₁.

Fire hazard differences between contiguous forests in Central Portugal

Os investigadores da ESAC/IPC e parceiros, no âmbito do projeto InduForestFire publicaram o resumo "Fire hazard differences between contiguous forests in Central Portugal" no 8th International Wildland Fire Conference em Porto, Portugal, em maio de 2023. O Wildland Fire 2023 foi uma conferência  que reuniu cientistas, cidadãos e profissionais para compartilhar informações, ideias e objetivos para alcançar uma melhor governação dos incêndios florestais e proteger a biodiversidade, promover o sequestro de carbono e garantir que as florestas saudáveis fornecem bens e serviços que não desaparecem com o fumo dos incêndios florestais.

Damages on industrial buildings caused by forest fires and their repair: the portuguese case

Os investigadores da ITECONS/UC, no âmbito do projeto InduForestFire publicaram o trabalho "Damages on industrial buildings caused by forest fires and their repair: the portuguese case" no CIB W116 Seminar - Fire, Heat and Flooding: Responsive Approaches. O trabalho avalia os edifícios industriais danificados pelos GIF de 2017 a nível das estruturas, materiais usados em fachadas e coberturas e a influência que estes tiveram em impedir ou em colaborar na propagação de incêndios florestais.