Enhancing post-fire decision-making: a framework for rapid wildfire impact assessment and evidence-based management planning
Introduction: Altered wildfire regimes, exacerbated by unsustainable management, threaten natural ecosystem recovery post-fire. Effective restoration requires timely fire impact assessments and tailored, evidence-based management. While fire databases and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) framew...
| Autores: | , , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2026 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya) |
| Repositorio: | Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:recercat.cat:10256/28270 |
| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/10256/28270 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Incendis forestals -- Aspectes ambientals Forest fires -- Environmental aspects Boscos -- Gestió Forest management Repoblació forestal Reforestation |
| Sumario: | Introduction: Altered wildfire regimes, exacerbated by unsustainable management, threaten natural ecosystem recovery post-fire. Effective restoration requires timely fire impact assessments and tailored, evidence-based management. While fire databases and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) frameworks partially support decision-making, a holistic platform linking assessment, planning, and operational actions is still lacking. Objectives: Our goal was to develop and test a web-based Post-Fire Spatial Decision Support System (PF-SDSS) that facilitates decision-making across three post-fire management levels: problem definition, strategic planning, and operational management. Methods: PF-SDSS integrates satellite imagery with high-resolution cartography in a participatory multi-criteria analysis (MCA), using server- and cloud-based computing for real-time analyses. The generated soil erosion risk (SER) and vegetation recovery potential (VRP) maps underpin rule-based restoration prioritization and recommendations that provide site-specific practices derived from a comprehensive literature review. Field validation (Spearman's correlation), sensitivity analysis (MCA weight variations), and usability evaluation (System Usability Scale [SUS] method) assessed the system's performance. Results: PF-SDSS is freely available online, with a demonstration for Ávila Province, Spain. Validation showed significant correlations for SER (ρ = 0.56) and VRP (ρ = 0.42). Sensitivity analysis confirmed MCA robustness under 20% weight variations, and the 75% SUS score indicated satisfactory usability and acceptance among end-users. Conclusions: This study automated the post-wildfire management planning cycle within a modular framework. The EIA module supports problem definition by mapping fire impacts. The strategic planning module identifies priority areas and sets site-specific management objectives. The operational planning module offers spatially oriented, evidence-based management alternatives |
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