On 14 October 2024, the University of Padova (UNIPD) hosted the Italian Associated Partners and Stakeholders Workshop at the Corte Benedettina building in Leganro, where the Cirgeo Interdepartmental laboratory is located.
The workshop was organised by means of the newly launched Wildfire Central Europe Project, focused on “Enabling cross-boundary assessment, communication and management of wildfire risks in Central Europe”, and falls within the first semester goals a spart of the work package 3.1.1.
The University of Padova, as a project partner, was honoured to welcome a diverse group of associated partners and stakeholders from the Italian territory , all of whom are interested in being involved in this cooperation framework.
The workshop was held in hybrid mode, in presence and online, and guests came from different regions and backgrounds.
Among them:
- The Forestry Directorate of the Autonomous Province of Trento;
- The Italian Central Administration of Fire Fighters taskforce
- Representatives of the Fire Fighters‘ regional delegations;
- Civil Protection directors of Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regional administrations;
- D.R.E.Am. ITALIA Forestry Corporation;
- The Forest Planning Office of Bolzano;
- The Forest Fire Fighter (AIB) Volunteer Corp of Piedmont;
- Trento-Sopramonte Forestry Company;
- The National Alpine Association;
- The Ticino Park Volunteer Corps;
- The Central Directorate for Agri-Food, Forestry and Fisheries Resources of Friuli Venezia Giulia;
- Representatives of the Higher Education Center for Forest Fires and Civil Protection;
- The Tarvisio Biodiversity Department Carabinieri;
- Representatives of the Federation of Volunteer Fire Brigades of the Province of Trento;
- Veneto Region Territorial Planning Directorate;
- Veneto Region Forestry Services;
- University of Bolzano;
- National Research Council Institute for BioEconomy;
In the morning, Professor Francesco Pirotti (UNIPD) opened the agenda by officially introducing the Wilfire CE project contents and goals to the audience, followed by Dott. Erico Kutchartt (UNIPD & CTFC), who shared experiences from the pan-European fuel type mapping and modelling coming from the recent FIRE-RES project, funded by the European Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.Shortly after, the floor was left for Dott. Luca Tonarelli, a leading representative of D.R.E.Am. ITALIA Forestry Corporation. Dott. Tonarelli conveniently exposed the wildfire prevention issues he had encountered over his last longing field and administrative experience, mainly related to regional plans and strategies within the Italian territory.
All the contents and arguments shared during the morning were enlightening and made most participants better navigate the round table and the discussion after lunch.
Dott. Alessandro Wolynski (Planning, Silviculture and Forestry Office General Director of the Autonomous Province of Trento), together with Prof. Francesco Pirotti (UNIPD & CIRGEO), were the main facilitators of the round table. It aimed to discuss the complex Italian legal framework around wild forest fire management and emergency response, which includes specific laws or regulations, as well as data gathering and collection management.
A particular focus was given to the regions falling at the national borders with other European countries involved in the Wildfire CE project, such as Trentino Alto-Adige, Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia.
Despite the provision of a national good practice guide and a national law code, few differences emerged when discussing the emergency approaches since Regional governments are in charge of deliberating specific regulations to respond to fire events and to collect data.
The entire workshop resulted in an exciting and necessary debate, underscoring the urgent need to enhance coordination among parties when responding to fire emergencies both within and outside national borders, the need for updated strategies and local fire fighting plans, the need to improve data gathering, especially the ones concerning fuel type mapping and monitoring, and the need to train local administration employees on the usage of remote sensing data and software.
The outcomes of the Italian Associated Partners and Stakeholders Workshop have set the stage for better cooperation and practical activities to combat wildfires within border regions in the near future, instilling a sense of optimism and hope.
Written by: Veronica Manduca