Reacción a "Study assesses benefits of prescribed forest fires for air pollution"

The methodology used is sound and rigorous, as is typical for air pollution analysis. Obviously, the topography of a specific location combined with current weather conditions can affect the results of the measurements, especially if we apply them to other areas, such as the Mediterranean.

The effects of air pollution caused by large wildfires, as well as by prescribed burns, had been addressed previously. However, the trade-offs between the risk of large wildfires and their impact on human health—in relation to emissions from prescribed burns—have been addressed only rarely—and certainly not on this scale—while also accounting for the potential reduction in burned area and, consequently, in gas emissions due to their preventive function.

As noted [above], climate, topography, and population density vary greatly from one area to another, making this type of research crucial for areas with ventilation problems during the seasons most suitable for prescribed burning, whereas in areas with sufficient ventilation it would be less relevant. It provides solid grounds for counterarguments in legal challenges against prescribed burning, which have frequently halted such practices in North America or Australia, when it can be demonstrated that the risk of much higher emissions due to the absence of prescribed burning is the greater evil to be avoided.

In Europe, the tradition of prescribed burning—whether carried out by rural communities, forestry services, or firefighting agencies—is considerably less widespread compared to the Western United States. Despite this, it is expanding, though perhaps not with the desired intensity. Here, the population’s resources are not the main impediment, but rather the availability of trained personnel, the limited windows of opportunity in many areas, and support from local stakeholders in areas where the practice has little tradition, following decades of fire suppression.

A prime example is the GRAF of Bombers de Catalunya, which has been expanding [prescribed burns] throughout the region, reaching its operational limit. Currently, they are considering delegating certain burns to professionals specifically trained in this field. Information and cooperation from local governments are also key, especially given the high fragmentation of land ownership, particularly in coastal areas where the urban-forest interface exacerbates the problem. In any case, an objective assessment with a solid scientific basis is essential to overcome the obstacles to preventive actions on forest lands and agricultural areas or urban-forest interface zones that are clearly abandoned, when it is demonstrated that the factors at play between a mega-fire and preventive actions—and especially prescribed burns—(cost, gas emissions, risks to people and property, etc.) and the effects of these fall within thresholds that lead to obvious decisions by those responsible for fire prevention.