Trial by fire

Each year 600,000 hectares of forest around the Mediterranean basin are destroyed by fire. The breadth of this destruction calls for research into the development of forest fires.

Scientists at the University of Corte have developed mathematical models from which computer simulations of fires can be constructed. The goal is to understand the propagation of the forest fire fronts in order to improve prevention and control of the fires.

To make the simulation more accurate, large-scale tests have to be carried out in the field. An area of maquis 75 m by 25 m was selected for the first experiment in July 2004, near Santa Lucia di Porti Vecchju. The scientists took three types of measurements: the speed of propagation of the fire front, the effects of the fire on aerology, and lastly the measurement of heat flows.