Introduction

Following the success of the first two International Conferences on Forest Fires held in Toledo (2008) and in Kos (2010), it has been decided to reconvene the meeting in the New Forest, UK, at the Wessex Institute of Technology campus.

This conference aims to address all aspects of forest fires, from fire propagation in different scenarios to the optimum strategies for firefighting. It will also cover issues related to economic, ecological, social and health effects.

Forest fires are very complex phenomena which, under the right physical conditions, can rapidly devastate large areas, as demonstrated by recent events.

Different approaches are required for controlling fires in rural areas as opposed to urban environments, and strongly depend on the physical characteristics of the surrounding region. It also depends on weather conditions, regional activities, forest type, as well as social and economic factors.

At present there is insufficient knowledge of the behaviour of fires and how they propagate. This lack of appropriate studies makes these phenomena very difficult to control, and is one of the most important obstacles to development of a reliable decision support system. Public concern in this topic is increasing as uncontrolled fires may lead to major ecological disasters, and usually result in negative economic and health implications for the region.

Forest fire analysis and mitigation requires the development of computer codes that can take into consideration a large number of different parameters. This conference will discuss the latest research and applications of available tools to analyse and predict the spread of forest fires in an attempt to prevent or reduce major loss of life and property as well as damage to the environment.