Researchers tackle the growing menace of forest wildfires

Researchers from Europe and Australia have joined forces in the GEO-SAFE H2020 project to improve our understanding of forest wildfires. The project promises to deliver new knowledge and develop software tools that will help emergency services deal with wildfires more effectively. Across the world, around 350-450 million hectares of forest are lost to wildfires every year. Many regions in Europe and Australia are particularly vulnerable to this threat, which can result in significant economic and environmental damage as well as loss of human life. These fires are becoming more severe year on year, putting pressure on fire-fighting authorities on both continents to improve wildfire management and containment.