El Periódico: “Europe turns Moianès into a laboratory for how tree removal can help curb large wildfires”
We are pleased to share a recently published article by El Periódico on our TRANSFORMIT Living Lab in Moianès, Catalonia: a landscape where forest management must respond simultaneously to drought, rising temperatures, biodiversity loss, and the risk of large wildfires.
Across 30,000 hectares, our local partners are testing different approaches to managing dead trees and forest biomass: removing some wood, retaining large logs as shelter and food for species, or applying intermediate solutions. The aim is not simply to “cut down trees”, but to learn – through evidence on the ground – which practices can create more diverse, resilient forests that are easier to manage in the face of extreme fires.
The article also reflects something that is central to our project: transformation does not just happen through forest processes, it happens through active collaboration and dialogue. Teresa Baiges, from the Centre de la Propietat Forestal of the Catalan Government, highlights the need to integrate biodiversity and climate-adaptative approaches into forest management. Mercè Vilardosa, a forestry technician for the region, works with landowners and links local needs to potential solutions. Other voices, including Pilar Clapers from the environmental group El Fanal, Josep Maria Espelta, a researcher at CREAF, Asier Larrañaga from the GRAF unit of the Catalan Fire and Rescue Service, and forest owner Antoni Masferrer demonstrate why collaboration among science, public authorities, landowners, civil society and emergency services is vital for creating climate-resilient forest futures.
The Moianès Living Lab and case study is relevant as it shows that integrative forest management requires place-based and adaptive decisions: retaining trees with high ecological value, reducing fuel continuity, and evaluating outcomes over the long term. Managed areas may not necessarily stop a fire, but they can reduce its intensity and give firefighting teams more opportunities to intervene safely.
What complex questions must we address to support Mediterranean forests in adapting to a changing climate?
Read the full article by El Periódico in Spanish here: “Europa convierte el Moianès en un laboratorio sobre cómo talar árboles para frenar grandes incendios”