INTERREG-SUDOE Efhera Project: Enhancing after-Fire Hydrological and Environmental Recovery of Agroforestry zones

The EFHERA project, "Optimizing the hydrological and environmental recovery of agroforestry areas affected by large fires," focuses on optimizing post-fire action planning, ensuring the recovery of areas affected by large forest fires (LFFs) in southwestern Europe due to climate change. Affected areas undergo rapid degradation processes in the months immediately following a fire. In a climate change scenario, this degradation process is accelerating.

If the recovery and management measures implemented are not correct or are not carried out immediately, the agroforestry recovery of the area may not occur. Therefore, the rapid and effective implementation of protection and recovery measures in the first months after a fire is fundamental. Furthermore, the proliferation of large fires, which hinders simultaneous post-fire action across the entire affected area, means that the recovery of burned areas can only be addressed through comprehensive and systematic planning. It is therefore essential to establish the areas requiring priority action and the most appropriate measures to implement.

The project's activities are aimed at identifying and leveraging synergies between forest management services and the scientific community, utilizing recent advances in the understanding of hydrological and geochemical processes along with hydro-morphodynamic simulation tools to design specific actions in affected areas. This project will provide forest management services with a digital hydro-morpho-ecological model of the fire-affected area for assessing zones where post-fire action is a priority and for designing and monitoring medium- to long-term agroforestry restoration measures. The EFHERA project's activities will result in optimized planning with the ultimate goal of minimizing environmental degradation and forest loss in southwestern Europe.