12 Jun 2024

The Laboratory of Forest Management and Remote Sensing of the Department of Forestry and Natural Environment at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh), in collaboration with the Municipality of Rafina-Pikermi, organized the Greek Pilot Site (PS5) demonstration event on June 12, 2024. The event was held in the conference room of Hotel “Avra” in Rafina and spanned from 9 am to 5 pm. It featured a hybrid format with presentations in both English and Greek by FirEurisk partners from across Europe. During the final session, participants evaluated the products using interactive online tools.

Eastern Attica and Rafina-Pikermi Municipality serve as the Pilot Site (PS5) and Demonstration Area (DA) in Greece for FirEUrisk research. The research focuses on developing cartographic and methodological tools, and practices for assessing critical situations to support forest fire prevention and preparation at local and regional levels. These products include:

• Mapping of forest fuel and Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) zones.
• Methodology and mapping of priority intervention sites for vegetation management around critical infrastructures (roads, power networks, etc.).
• Assessment of seasonal fire risk and mapping of expected seasonal risk for the 2024 fire season.
• Analysis of climate change impacts on the area’s forest fire risk.
• Evaluation of the socio-economic conditions in Eastern Attica concerning fire risk and forest fire management, and exploring possibilities for cooperation between authorities and citizens.
• Guidelines and policies for reducing anthropogenic fires, managing extreme fire incidents, and developing manuals and educational materials for citizens.

The project partners will consider the evaluation of these products for further refinement to best meet the specific operational needs of the area. Upon the project’s completion, these products will be available to the Municipality of Rafina-Pikermi and other interested entities.

Enjoy a brief preview of the event in the video below.