When you think about battling wildfires, what is the image you see in front of your eyes? Probably an air tanker (at least that was what I saw...). After this interview, your optics will change about 180 degrees. Dr Cathelijne Stoof explained to me why strategies focused ultimately on fire resistance and suppression are deemed to fail, and why we need to learn to manage the risks in our forests. Through a combination of landscape management, efficient ground firefighting, aerial support and social campaigns we can achieve safety from the threat, that seems more imminent than ever before.

But the discussion is not only about the politics and tactics. It is also about diversity, human aspect of fire science and social constructs that highly impact the fire risks. It is about a fascinating journey, for which dr Stoof has taken 15 (sic!) PhD students scattered all over the world, trained in over two dozen scientific units, who will be the foundation for the new generation of interdisciplinary fire experts.

PyroLife as a project has some ambitious goals and sets a new benchmark on career management, interdisciplinary research and research communication. It is focused on moving the paradigm from fire resistance to fire resilience, through risk quantification, management and communication. This part of project description summarizes it the best: 

"PyroLife is built upon four axes of diversity: interdisciplinarity, intersectorality, geography, and gender.  Its unique integrated training program provides 15 early stage researchers the in-depth, interdisciplinary, integrated and transferable knowledge and skills required to successfully complete their research projects and maximize their future employability. In a field that is still male-dominated, PyroLife is characterized by strong female participation not just as a gender equity goal but as a strategy to stimulate creativity and changing the way that fire is approached, moving from fire resistance to landscape resilience, and fostering community resilience with participatory approaches."

Please learn more about the Pyrolife ITN project at:
PyroLife project website

and connect at: 

• PyroLife Twitter 
• Cathelijne's Twitter 

Some supplementary items to our discussion can be found at:

• Diversity helps fight wildfires
• The role of fire in UK peatland and moorland management: the need for informed, unbiased debate
• Prescribed burning in southern Europe: Developing fire management in a dynamic landscape
  
  

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