Driving Factors of Post-Fire Vegetation Regrowth in Mediterranean Forest

Catarina de Almeida Pinheiro (), Bruno Martins, Adélia Nunes, António Bento-Gonçalves and Manuela Laranjeira
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Catarina de Almeida Pinheiro: CECS (Communication and Society Research Centre), Department of Geography, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
Bruno Martins: CEGOT (Centre of Studies on Geography and Spatial Planning), Department of Geography and Tourism, University of Coimbra, 3004-530 Coimbra, Portugal
Adélia Nunes: CEGOT (Centre of Studies on Geography and Spatial Planning), Department of Geography and Tourism, University of Coimbra, 3004-530 Coimbra, Portugal
António Bento-Gonçalves: CECS (Communication and Society Research Centre), Department of Geography, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
Manuela Laranjeira: CECS (Communication and Society Research Centre), Department of Geography, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 3, 1-19

Abstract: Large wildfires have increased in the Mediterranean region due to socio-economic and land-use changes. The most immediate and concerning consequence of the wildfires is the loss of vegetation. However, there are few studies on the relationship between wildfire and vegetation recovery, especially on the complex relationship between species composition, burn severity and geo-environmental context. This study focuses on the analysis of post-fire vegetation regrowth (RV) in Mediterranean forests. Therefore, two objectives were set: (i) to analyse the influence of pre-fire conditions, burn severity and topographic variables on growth rates for each stage of recovery and (ii) to identify the drivers of post-fire vegetation recovery. The results show that NDVI increases rapidly in the first two years after the wildfire and more slowly in the following years. Except for the first year, RV shows a positive relationship with burn severity. In the first year, the importance of topographical features, especially curvature and flow accumulation, stands out. In the fourth year, when NDVI values are highest, RV is mainly explained by the presence of pre-fire vegetation, followed by burn severity and altitude. These results can be an important step towards more effective local management strategies leading to a resilient and sustainable territory.

Keywords: post-fire vegetation regrowth; Mediterranean Europe; remote sensing; GIS; resilience (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:3:p:448-:d:1596376

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