Analyzing the impact of reforestation on forest fires and the economic outcome in an area in northern Greece.

Abstract

The reforestation that occurred in the South Evros region in northern Greece was documented and studied. Our hypothesis is that the economic footprint of reforestation with conifers is negative, and the presence of conifers influences the size of the burned area in forest fires. The reforested area, the species, the amount spent on reforestation and operations to enhance the quality of the forest products, as well as the amount of money spent to protect such areas and prevent fires, were documented. Additionally, the extraction of forest products and the sales income were examined. The numbers of fires, as well as the total burned area, were documented for the fires that occurred in the studied forests between 1980 and 2016. Then, the fire episodes that had burned areas of more than 100 hectares, were examined. In order to compare spending across time, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was utilized to convert all gathered expense numbers to December 2016 values. The cost of reforestation is significantly greater than the income it produces, and there is a correlation between the size of the burned forest area and the presence of conifers in the burned area. Based on the results of the present study, the use of conifers in reforestations must be avoided in all cases in the studied area, as well as in similar areas regarding their characteristics and ecology