Interview with Dr. Antje Bischoff

PYROPHOB: Research into fire-resistant forests in the age of the climate crisis

Project profile

Eight partners from different disciplines are working together on the PYROPHOB ("fire-resistant") research project to investigate how forests can protect themselves against fires and global warming.

Dr Antje Bischoff is responsible for the PYROPHOB project at the Wilderness Foundation. In an interview, she answers the most important questions about the research project.

What is the PYROPHOB project about?

“PYROPHOB is a major research project on forest fires and their consequences. The many fires in recent years have unfortunately shown that the climate crisis has arrived on our doorstep. The fact is that major forest fires are always dramatic events for people and nature. As sad as it is, once there has been a fire, we should at least find out how the burnt areas will develop and how we can deal with them in the future. This is where PYROPHOB comes in. We are interested in what kind of forests we need in times of increasing forest fire risk. What they should look like so that they don't burn down so quickly, i.e. so that they are "pyrophobic", i.e. fire-repellent.“

What do you hope to gain from the project?

“The great opportunity - and therefore also the hope - of the project lies in the holistic approach: eight institutions are researching the effects of the fires in a huge open-air laboratory, both in the commercial forest and in the total forest reserve on our foundation's land. We are not only investigating abiotics, i.e. water, soil and climate, and biotics, i.e. flora, fauna and fungi, but also forest ecology and forest management measures. As I said at the beginning, we hope to gain scientifically sound insights into what the climate change resilient forests of tomorrow should look like and how we can ultimately prevent forest fires.

Incidentally, an overall research package like PYROPHOB is unique in Germany. This is one of the reasons why the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture have been funding it as part of the Forest Climate Fund since May 2020.“

Are there any interesting results yet?

“Yes, definitely. There are clear differences between the areas analysed. The microclimate seems to be more balanced in places where not everything has been cleared away, where there seems to be less leachate and also less nutrient leaching. Prof Thilo Heinken from the University of Potsdam made this clear in a radio interview last year.

Or let's take the trees: natural regeneration was well underway on the areas after the fires. We were able to observe that a very large number of trees actually established themselves through seed germination. These were mainly trembling poplars. So the vegetation came back - and more diverse than before. Even after there was another fire in the areas last year, the aspen trees sprouted again after just a few weeks. In the truest sense of the word, like a phoenix rising from the ashes. Nature helps itself.“

Why is the project so important?

“In my view, we urgently need to change course and press ahead with forest reorganisation due to the increasing risk of forest fires. Pine monocultures in Brandenburg are particularly problematic. Our forests need more structures that cool the soil and improve water retention. This also includes thick dead wood that decomposes and forms humus. Rotting wood stores water, protects the forest floor and the herb layer from drying out quickly and provides a habitat for countless organisms such as fungi and insects. The PYROPHOB results to date support this claim. This is why the project is so important - it serves as a role model.”

What personally fascinates Dr Antje Bischoff about the PYROPHOB project?

“It fascinates me to be part of a project that, in my eyes, really has its finger on the pulse of the times - despite or perhaps because of the sad fire events. PYROPHOB gives me hope that forest reorganisation can succeed in the long term.

Personally, I have my favourites among all the objects under investigation: The mushrooms. Not only do they have wonderful names such as Kohlenschüppling or Brandstellenmürbling - which shows that they appear just a few days after the fire - but they also significantly break down toxic substances in just a few months. Of course, fungi also decompose dead wood, leaves and needles, making nutrients available for other living organisms. Some species of fungi are symbiotic partners of sprouting young plants. This so-called mycorrhizal connection often makes recolonisation possible in the first place. This is why, for me, fungi are the secret heroes after a forest fire.”