Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Paulo Fernandes

@paulomfernandes.bsky.social

430 followers 200 following 19 posts

fire behaviour | fire ecology | fire management Associate Professor at University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro,

Videos

Environmental science 63%

Engineering 16%

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Paulo Fernandes @paulomfernandes.bsky.social · Jul 1

Incêndios aumentaram nas áreas protegidas. Cientistas pedem melhor gestão do risco www.publico.pt/2025/06/30/a...

Incêndios aumentaram nas áreas protegidas. Cientistas pedem melhor gestão do risco

As áreas altamente protegidas precisam de ter formas mais activas de protecção contra incêndios, salienta estudo em que participam investigadores da Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro.

www.publico.pt

Paulo Fernandes @paulomfernandes.bsky.social · Apr 17

It burns fiercely should a canopy fire develops, as the foliage is flammable and relatively dry. It will also resprout strongly after fire

1 2

Paulo Fernandes @paulomfernandes.bsky.social · Apr 17

Out today: royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...

Paulo Fernandes @paulomfernandes.bsky.social · Mar 23

Mostly good fire doing ecological work

Paulo Fernandes @paulomfernandes.bsky.social · Mar 18

#FIRE-ADAPT project new paper

Integrated fire management as an adaptation and mitigation strategy to altered fire regimes - Communications Earth & Environment

Integrated Fire Management can be used as a valuable adaptation and mitigation strategy combining fire prevention, response, and recovery across different ecological, socio-economic, and cultural cont...

www.nature.com

6 9

Reposted by Paulo M. Fernandes, Rebecca Bliege Bird

Steve Pyne @sjpyne.bsky.social · Jan 19

The Hollywood Reporter asked for 700 words for a special section on the fires they have just published. Something looking at the fire itself.So I repurposed some sentences on 'fire as biology' and gave the notion a long leash. Alas, the title is *not* mine. www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/local-n...

What Fire Wants: Understanding the Enemy

What long has been considered merely a chemical reaction perhaps is best compared to another all-too-familiar scourge — a virus.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

3 20 54

Reposted by Paulo M. Fernandes

Susan Prichard @susanprichard.bsky.social · Jan 12

longreads.com/2018/12/04/t...

The Case for Letting Malibu Burn - Longreads

Many of California's native ecosystems evolved to burn. Modern fire suppression creates fuels that lead to catastrophic fires. So why do people insist on rebuilding in the firebelt?

longreads.com

1 3 10

Paulo Fernandes @paulomfernandes.bsky.social · Jan 8

New paper out: a review of the last 20 yrs or so of experimental field quantification of #firebehaviour characteristics
link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Global Synthesis of Quantification of Fire Behaviour Characteristics in Forests and Shrublands: Recent Progress - Current Forestry Reports

Purpose of Review The behaviour of wildland fires, namely their free spreading nature, destructive energy fluxes and hazardous environment, make it a phenomenon difficult to study. Field experimental ...

link.springer.com

Paulo Fernandes @paulomfernandes.bsky.social · Dec 20

Extreme #wildfire behaviour: The 90th percentile of #firebehaviour metrics by broad fuel type placed on the fire characteristics chart of the USDA Forest Service. Data from the worldwide BONFIRE database.

2 4

Paulo Fernandes @paulomfernandes.bsky.social · Dec 18

New paper out, by an interdisciplinary team and based on a stakeholders' participatory approach
www.publish.csiro.au/WF/WF24042

An integrated framework for habitat restoration in fire-prone areas: part 1 – co-creation of land management scenarios

Background Recent policy instruments for integrated landscape management in Portugal provide an opportunity to develop strategies that optimise the implementation of global policies at a local scale.A...

www.publish.csiro.au

Paulo Fernandes @paulomfernandes.bsky.social · Dec 12

New paper alert: using #LiDAR to estimate #canopy #fuel characteristics
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Unlocking the potential of Airborne LiDAR for direct assessment of fuel bulk density and load distributions for wildfire hazard mapping

Large-scale mapping of fuel load and fuel vertical distribution is essential for assessing fire danger, setting strategic goals and actions, and deter…

www.sciencedirect.com

2 6

Paulo Fernandes @paulomfernandes.bsky.social · Dec 8

Will be posted on Nero's website

Paulo Fernandes @paulomfernandes.bsky.social · Dec 8

Yes

Paulo Fernandes @paulomfernandes.bsky.social · Dec 6

Will be talking about #fuel & extreme #firebehaviour at the next NERO webinar
nero-network.eu/news/nero-ne...

NERO Network Café December– Understanding Fuel Characteristics and Their Role in Fire Behaviour – NERO

nero-network.eu

2 3 12

Paulo Fernandes @paulomfernandes.bsky.social · Dec 1

I just went through the eucalypt-related links & found just 1 research paper but plenty of content reflecting the view of non-scientists and people strange to either fire or forest management

Paulo Fernandes @paulomfernandes.bsky.social · Dec 1

Not really, it's eucalypts vs almost everything else, but especially vs conifers, shrublands and evergreen oak forests. Forest structure & fuel load, rather than forest composition, govern wildfire behaviour & severity & this is increasingly true for increasingly more difficult fire weather

Paulo Fernandes @paulomfernandes.bsky.social · Dec 1

Thanks Tim, it seems to involve substantial effort but I will consider it

Paulo Fernandes @paulomfernandes.bsky.social · Dec 1

Less related w/fire, stating that litter decomposition is slow (it's midway between conifers & deciduous forests) and nothing grows underneath the trees (unmanaged stands often have dense understory vegetation).

Paulo Fernandes @paulomfernandes.bsky.social · Dec 1

Mostly the overall impression given by the article that eucalypts are behind all this wildfire activity. Saying that flammable chemicals concentration is high in litter & bark (it's high in live foliage, but most of it goes away, unlike conifer litter that retains resin).

Paulo Fernandes @paulomfernandes.bsky.social · Dec 1

I enjoyed reading it, but I wish these pieces could be informed by science (rather than perceptions/opinions) regarding fire & eucalypt plantations. Here, we thoroughly examined the relationships:

1 2

Paulo Fernandes @paulomfernandes.bsky.social · Dec 1

Not a bad read, but as usual a poorly informed piece regarding eucalypt plantations, e.g. claiming that nothing grows underneath the trees, that litter decomposes slowly, or that plantations increased fire risk, when it has been shown that is not the case.

1 1

Reposted by Paulo M. Fernandes

Jonathan Coop @coopecology.bsky.social · Nov 18

For anyone interested in cultural burning, Indigenous knowledge, and prescribed fire, looks like you can watch this free on local PBS or their app tomorrow. #fireismedicine
sandezeig.com

FireLighters - SandeZeig.Com

Firelighters Fire is medicine Premiere Dates November 16thPremiere at Arcata Theatre Lounge1036 G Street, Arcata CA 95521Doors @ 5pmMovie @ 5:30pm Buy Tickets November 18thBroadcastPBS WORLD / 8pm EST...

sandezeig.com

13 34

Reposted by Paulo M. Fernandes, Brian J. Harvey

juli g pausas @jgpausas.bsky.social · Nov 15

Here is the current Fire BlueSky landscape

Fire starter packs:
Fire ecology: bsky.app/starter-pack...
Wildfire experts: bsky.app/starter-pack...

Feeds:
Disasters: Fire bsky.app/profile/did:...
Wildfires (fire science): bsky.app/profile/davi...

🧪🌍🌳🔥🌿

bsky.app

11 55 110