Blognotice 15.08.2015: Incendies de forêt à Schramberg en Forêt-Noire et processus de californisation du paysage

The 2015 wildfires in Schramberg (Black Forest, Germany)—occurring on July 16 (Oberer Göttelbach) and August 11 (Rappenfelsen)—highlighted the increasing wildfire risk in Central Europe under exceptionally dry and hot conditions. This study examines the concept of "Californisation", a term used in geography and fire ecology to describe the interlocking of dense vegetation and human settlements, creating landscapes where wildfires are difficult to control and pose significant risks to life and property. In the U.S., this phenomenon is referred to as the "urban-wilderness interface".
Inspired by Mediterranean fire regimes and first applied in Europe following the 1990 Collobrières fire (Var, France), the term "Californisation" captures the accumulation of fuel (vegetation, deadwood) near human habitats, a pattern now observed in Schramberg, Lauterbach (Black Forest), and Mediterranean France. The study argues that climate change and land-use changes are driving the emergence of Mediterranean-like fire regimes in Central Europe, necessitating adapted fire management strategies to mitigate risks in these vulnerable landscapes.