DIRECTORATE-GENERAL ENVIRONMENT
Directorate B – Natural Capital
Unit ENV.B.1 - Agriculture, Forests & Soil
JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE – Institute for Environment and Sustainability
Unit JRC-H.03 - Forest Resources and Climate
Draft Minutes
32nd Joint DG ENV and DG JRC Meeting of the Commission Expert Group on Forest Fires
Athens,7/8 April 2014
A total of 18 EUMember States were represented at the meeting ( BG, CY, DE, EE, EL, ES, FR,HR, HU, IT, LT, LV, PL, PT, RO, SE, SI and UK) as well asTurkey, Morocco, Algeria, Lebanon,Norway, FAO and DG AGRI.
DG ECHO and Russia sent apologies for being absent.
The European Commission was represented by Mr Ernst Schulte (DG ENV), Mr Jesús San Miguel Ayanz, Mr Andrea Camia (JRC) and Mr Tamas Szedlak (DG AGRI).
The meeting was hosted by the Greek Ministry of Environment, Energy & Climate change. Its representatives addressed words of welcome to the group:
Mr Konstantinos Dimopoulos, Director General of development and Forest Protection
Mr Tryfon Daskalakis, Director of forest, nature and environment protection and
Mr Evangolos Goudofas, Head of Department
A town visit by feet was organised for early birds.
The meeting on the first day took place in the Museum of Cycladic Art and on the second day in the Municipality of Acharnes, followed by a field trip to the National Park of Parnitha (reforestation program, flood and erosion protection works, visit of a forest nursery (Abies cephalonica).
The meeting was jointly chaired by Ernst Schulte and Jesús San Miguel.
1. Adoption of the agenda
The agenda was adopted without changes.
2. Actions from last meeting
- Experts to comment on the proposal of EUROSTAT (deadline end Nov. 2013)
Experts were asked if they had any comment to make on the proposal of EUROSTAT, which was presented at the 31st meeting in Brussels. As only SE gave a negative reply, the experts decided not to follow the proposal.
- Proposals from experts on how to improve EFFIS visibility
The question was on how the experts could contribute in rendering EFFIS more visible at MS or even global level. Discussion on the inclusion of the link to EFFIS in national information systems and the inclusion of national fire information into EFFIS. The issue will need additional follow up once the available national systems are incorporated in EFFIS.
Other proposals were adding in EFFIS an area were to report relevant briefings (e.g., information on critical fire evolution). Adding a link to EFFIS from the International Associations sites (e.g., the International Association of Fire and Rescue Services - CTIF).
On potential improvements of the EFFIS, suggestions from the participants included reporting of large fires (showing the full history of fire evolution and related reports), enriching the information available in EFFIS by e.g., developing normalized indices of fire occurrence and burned area, assessing the length of the fire season, including starting and ending conditions.
- JRC to present and discuss new agenda for future EFFIS meetings
The format of the present agenda could be used for future meetings.
- Concerned countries to investigate over mismatch of their respective fire statistics from the annual fire report and totals from the fire database and report to JRC.
In some of the concerned countries differences were due to provisional statistics that will be adjusted. In other cases the inclusion of agricultural lands in the reported burned area caused the discrepancies. Further attention will be given to ensure statistical matching.
- Fire experts to react to the fire database validation reports sending feedback to JRC
Very little reaction was received by JRC. It was recalled the importance of a careful validation of the fire data in the database.
3.Information/exchange of views on recent and on-going forest and forest fire related activities within the EC
Tamas Szedlak (DG AGRI) and Ernst Schulte (DG ENV) briefed the group on recent activities related to rural development legislation, Forest Strategy, Green Infrastructure, IAS proposal and timber regulation. On behalf of DG ECHO, the pre-fire season meeting of 29 April for civil protectors was announced.
E. Schulte presented the on-going discussions regarding the recent Communication adopted by the European Commission on a EU Forest Strategy. He mentioned that discussions were still on-going in the Council and these would be followed the next year with the discussion of the EU Forest Strategy in the European Parliament. Most probably, MEP Elisabeth Köstinger will be the rapporteur for drafting an opinion on the Strategy;
4.Extension of the working fields of the expert group: reorganisation towards a Commission expert group on forest information (EC)
E. Schulte presented to the Standing Forestry Committee in its meeting of December 3-4, 2013 a proposal to establish a extended expert group on forest information, which would include the Expert Group on Forest Fires but could include other topics such as e.g. biomass, forest health, forest biodiversity, etc.: He noted that the DG ENV will start a reorganisation meaning that, a new expert group on forest health issues would be established in parallel and that both groups would be running under a new Commission expert group on forest information. This would have as a consequence that the expert group on forest fires would only meet once instead of twice a year. Some confusion still needs to be cleared (need for a national focal point?, meeting in autumn or spring?). The experts were asked to send their views within two weeks' time.
In general, MS express their concern for the potential loss of visibility of the EGFF and the issue of forest fires. This was noted by ENV & JRC and it was mentioned that a suitable way of maintaining the word forest fires in the title of the expert group would be sought (e.g. Commission Expert Group on Forest Information – Forest Fires).
5.Preparing for the forest fire campaign 2014
-National fire campaigns (All)
Fire Experts summarized in a tour the table the current settings in their respective countries to prepare for the incoming fire season. In some countries fire activity was already reported following a relatively warm and dry winter. A remarkable note was made for Norway that experienced major fire episodes in January; it is the first time in modern times that forest fires are reported in Scandinavia during winter.
- New developments in EFFIS (EC/JRC)
J. San-Miguel announced the progress in the implementation of the mobile EFFIS application, which would be available by the end of the current year and fully in operation for the 2015 fire season.
The environmental module regarding forest fire emissions will be available for the 2015 fire campaign.
6.Preparation of the Forest Fire Report 2013 and data submission (All)
A. Camia presented the status of reporting by the countries in preparation for the Forest Fires in Europe, Middle East and North Africa 2013. It was underlined the importance of issuing early in the fire season the annual report. It was agreed to deliver country contributions by the end of May. The agreed deadline for the submission of 2013 data to the European Fire Database is the end of the year, however it has been asked to deliver the fire data as soon as they become available.
Guidelines for the preparation of the data submission have been published and can be downloaded from
7.Burnt area reporting within EFFIS and within LULUCF (EC)
J. San-Miguel presented a preliminary report on the reporting of burnt areas by countries in two different contexts. Countries report burnt areas to the European Forest Fire Information System and secondly they report burnt areas in the context on Land Use Land Use Changes in Forestry (LULUCF). The presentation highlighted the similarities and differences among the figures reported under the two schemes and called for better harmonization within the countries. A final report on this issue is expected by the end of 2014.
8.News from Research (reports from Experts)
Lebanon reported on their on-going research activities on forest fire risk mapping (recent paper published) and on developing a FireWise initiative for the country.
Portugal is following a research project on the optimization of fire prevention intervention spatial arrangement.
The fire expert from Romania mentioned his on-going PhD study.
UK reported on two research projects. A first one on fire danger calculation and dissemination and a second one on fire threat analysis using a method developed in New Zeeland.
9.AOB
- (1) Presentation of the Working Plan of the Forest Fire Working Group of Silva Mediterranea
FAO presented the work plan 2013-2016 of the Silva-Mediterranea working group on Forest Fires, The main role of the Working group is facilitating the exchange of information and experiences among all the Mediterranean countries with the goal of preventing forest fires. The activities of the National Focal Points have to be oriented to raise the awareness of the relevant stakeholders on the need to look at the national and local problems in the frame of a common environment that is the Mediterranean Basin.
FAO announced that the Report on the State of Mediterranean Forests 2013 is now available in EN and FR languages.
(2) Norway reported on two major fires in January 2014 which destroyed 66 of 130 homes and caused damage of 20M€.
SI described its problem with sleet (ice rain) damage occurred in January 2014, which damaged 40% of SI forests (500,000 ha), 420 M€ damage, almost 8M m³ wood.
-(3) EFI/ JRC meeting in Germany, Jan 2014:
JRC and EFI held a meeting in Freiburg in January 2014 with the aim of establishing a closer collaboration on topics that would be of interest for both organizations. Forest damage is a topic on which EFI would like to invest in the coming years and is seeking collaboration with the JRC. Other topics include analysis and valuation of ecosystem services, forest and the EU bio-economy and forests and climate change.
(4) EFI meeting Barcelona, 2014:
EFI organized a meeting with a high level Russian delegation to investigate opportunities for future collaboration in the area of forest fires. The JRC was invited to participate to this meeting, where J. San-Miguel presented the on-going activities in EFFIS and the aim of developing a global wildfire information system (GWIS), which would include the monitoring of the Russian territory.
-(5) Report on progress towards the development of the Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS):
J. San-Miguel presented the progress in the development and implementation of a Global Wildfire Information System under the auspices of the GEO (Group on Earth Observation) and the GOFC Fire IT (Global Observation of Forest Cover Fire Implementation Team).
Next meeting: 6 and 7November 2014, Hanover/Germany
Documents can be consulted on the CIRCA webpage
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