Role in FIRE-ADAPT: researcher of the thematic area “carbon dynamics” and co-hostess of the Spain Study Hub
Organisation: Centre de Ciència i Tecnologia Forestal de Cataluña (CTFC)
Country: Spain
About the activities at the CTFC, part of the gathering at the Spain Study Hub
What was the objective of these activities
For me, the most inspiring and interesting thing about those days was, above all, to meet, to share similar problems that we have in different countries that are very distant from each other, but with a common goal that is to reduce the impact of large wildfires. In the project we have different thematic areas and different working groups, but the participation is very transversal and we all shared very intensely our problems and possible solutions.
During those days, we worked mainly doing activities of sharing and to know the different teams and the lines of work, the problems we have, experiences that are underway in the different countries, etc. Then we moved on to see the different topics that we will work on in this project. The activities of the Study Hubs of the coming years were also presented and we had the opportunity to go to the field, as it could not be less. Foresters and those who work in forest science and fires always have to go to the forest to see the real experiences in situ. We went one day to see experiences of prescribed burns that we are doing from CTFC in collaboration with the Bombers of the Generalitat de Catalunya, and we also visited a couple of areas where we had large fires and are doing restoration work.
Why field trips are so interesting
The most interesting thing about field trips is that everything that is spoken in the classroom, in the conference room, you can see and feel, and especially there is where you can share the most practical knowledge. They are essential because, at the end of the day, what is done in the mountains, the implementation, is what will have final relevance, which will have an impact on the achievement of the objectives, which in this case is to reduce the impact of fires and make landscapes more resistant and resilient to large fires. The countryside is an ideal environment to see things. On a practical level, being able to discuss and specify them is always very inspiring and enriching.
What I would like partners to haven taken home from the days they spent at CTFC
Above all, having had a good time, that they found the experience interesting and that everything they saw would have contributed something to them and that they returned to their homes with a greater knowledge of the subject and above all inspired by what they saw here, so that they can continue and grow more in what they are doing in their countries in relation to Integrated Fire Management. Basically, that they felt welcome apart from all the work and all the sharing we did. Also, that they took a much deeper knowledge of the project after having gone very in detail through all its parts. It is not easy to read a project proposal, and it is much easier and more enriching to share it. We all left with a very good knowledge of the project, of all the working groups, and we already started working collecting information, gathering ideas from the different countries to see what we could do together during the next years. We also met the different participants in person and this, for me, is the best.
What impact in the country the activities of the Study Hub can have
We had big fires in Spain during April and May, and we already are in a fire campaign. I hope that the activities at our Study Hub, with so many countries, from so many perspectives and with so many professionals from different fields, all with the same objective of reducing the impact of fires and avoiding large fires, especially extreme ones, will contribute to our governments and politicians so that they see that large fires are a problem that is on the table and needs immediate solutions.
This is me
Favourite food: rice
Favourite singer or band: Led Zeppelin
I admire: anyone who has done good things in life and shares and disseminates them.
Superpower I´d like to have: connect society with nature, with the rural and discover the peace and beauty in it.
In Spain, I’d take you to: the Pyrenees