ABSTRACT
Portugal has a warm temperate Mediterranean climate, with marked dry Mediterranean conditions in the south to more wet Atlantic conditions in the Northwest. Nevertheless all the regions are characterized by hot, dry summers and cooler, wet winters. Since 1980, the mean annual area burned in Portugal is 1070 km2, which slightly exceeds one percent of the total area of the country, and has the highest fire incidence in Europe. After forest fires, the largest amounts of sediment and solute loss occur during the first four months. Important nutrient losses occur during the first rainfall events that are large enough to saturate the ash layer and promote overland flow. Our review of the recent literature suggests that prescribed fire effects on soil and water conservation seldom reach the magnitude of wildfires; therefore, one of the main solutions for the forest fire problem in Portugal is to reintroduce prescribed fire. Prescribe fire can control shrubs and the forest understory, allowing a higher landscape diversity, which creates natural breaks to the forest fires progression and, therefore, eases their suppression. However, forest fires are going to continue to occur, therefore it is necessary to identify areas for intervention immediately after a fire and implement cost-effective mitigation strategies.
