The severe wildfires affecting Spain and France in July 2026 have forced thousands of people to evacuate, while damaging homes, businesses, livelihoods and large areas of forest. By 28 July, more than 150,000 hectares had burned in Spain, and the major fire near Bordeaux had affected around 42,000 hectares. Extreme heat, wind and dry vegetation have complicated suppression efforts, while a new incoming heatwave is expected to maintain adverse conditions.
Scientific evidence suggests that such events may become more frequent as the climate warms. A study published in npj Climate and Atmospheric Science estimates that parts of southern Europe could experience up to a tenfold increase in the probability of extreme fires under a moderate warming scenario. It also projects that the fire season could become at least ten days longer across 68 percent of southern Europe.
Climate is not the only factor influencing fire behaviour. Accumulated vegetation can create continuous layers of combustible material from the ground to the canopy, helping flames spread and intensify. However, forest management does not mean removing all trees or deadwood. Research developed within the Horizon Europe TRANSFORMIT project promotes an integrative approach combining local biodiversity conservation and productive forestry. In Catalonia, for instance, experimental works are comparing different levels of deadwood retention to assess their effects on biodiversity and forest resilience.
Although managing vegetation is costly, the woody residues it generates can also have value as a renewable energy resource. Through a process called gasification, woody biomass is heated at high temperatures with a limited supply of oxygen, producing a gas that can be converted into biomethane. This renewable gas can replace fossil natural gas in several applications, including residential heating. The International Energy Agency’s Outlook for Biogas and Biomethane assesses the sustainable potential and production costs of biomethane from forestry and wood-processing residues. When sourced responsibly and close to processing facilities, these materials could support rural activity, reduce fossil-gas use and create value from forest-management operations.
The current fires remind us that further planning and action are needed to address increasingly severe fire conditions. Locally adapted forest management can reduce fuel continuity without disregarding biodiversity, while converting residues into biomethane could help support these interventions and expand the renewable energy mix. As part of broader wildfire prevention and land-management strategies, these approaches could contribute to more resilient forests and rural territories.
Researcher in Energy Systems at ISAAC – SUPSI