Storia, Sviluppi Recenti e Applicazioni della Previsione del Pericolo di Incendio Boschivo in Italia

The history of forest fire danger rating in Italy, the studies and operational applications that have accompanied its evolution over the last 30 years until the latest developments, are revisited critically and in conjunction with what happened in the rest of Europe. The initial stages are described, when an index of fire danger rating taken from Australia was introduced and unsuccessfully attempted to adapt. The subsequent studies to develop an index suitable for describing the fire danger conditions in the regions of the Alps are mentioned. Until the gradual introduction of the Canadian FWI (Fire Weather Index), following recent European studies and in line with parallel developments in other EU countries and within the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS). At this stage the challenge is to focus the research on the fundamentals of this method to enhance the calibration functions and best tailor it to our environmental conditions.JRC.H.7-Land management and natural hazard