Wildland Fires : A Worldwide Reality

It has been estimated that more than 30% of the global land surface is subject to a considerable frequency of vegetation fires (Chuvieco et al., 2008). Li et al. (2013, 2014) argues that fire is an important Earth system process and a primary terrestrial ecosystem disturbance agent on a global scale which depends on an array of attributes, including vegetation characteristics, climate, and human activities, and fire generates feedback by affecting biogeochemical cycles, vegetation composition and structure, landatmosphere water and heat exchanges, atmospheric chemistry and composition, and human health and property. Although wildland fires are characteristic of certain regions and seasons, vegetation fires occur with varying regularity and severity across almost every biome on Earth (Archibald et al., 2013). Earth''s forests and vegetation provide a vast source of fuel, and fires consume huge quantities of biomass in all ecosystems ranging across all biomes, from tundra to savanna and from boreal to tropical forests, where many of our ecosystems are considered fire dependent (Belcher, 2013). It is both friend and foe to the human race, having strongly influenced our social development and success as a species, but also acts as a serious threat to human life (Belcher, 2013). The present book outlines different perspectives regarding wildland fires, mega fires, wildland-urban interfaces, and its ecosystem impacts. It also presents different case-studies from eight countries (Portugal, Spain, Greece, Israel, Algeria, Russia, Lithuania and Chile), including valuable contributions that reflect its title: "Wildland Fires - A Worldwide Reality".