TREEADS – 7th and Final General Assembly Meeting

On 9–10 April 2025, the TREEADS consortium convened in Oslo, Norway, for its 7th and final General Assembly meeting. The event was graciously hosted by RISE Fire Research AS and brought together partners from across Europe and beyond to mark the culmination of 42 months of collaboration in developing a comprehensive ecosystem for wildfire prevention, detection, and environmental restoration.

 

Preceding the official agenda, on 8 April, a group of TREEADS partners participated in a guided forest walk through a Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) area near Oslo — a symbolic and relevant activity reflecting the project’s core mission in wildfire resilience.

 

The meeting commenced with an inspiring keynote by Prof. Samuel L. Manzello, a globally recognised expert in WUI fires, followed by a captivating cultural performance by Viktor Bomstad, who introduced participants to the rich Sámi tradition of joik.

 

The first day continued with presentations summarising final outcomes from the project’s key Work Packages, as well as conclusions from the Austrian, Italian, and Norwegian Use Cases. The agenda also included valuable contributions from civil protection authorities, reinforcing the importance of institutional engagement in fire management strategies.

 

 

The second and final day focused on real-world impact and international cooperation. A keynote address by Mr. Johan Marius Ly from the Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection (DSB) offered critical insights into the current wildfire challenges in Norway and the broader Nordic region, underlining the significance of coordinated, multi-agency responses to climate-driven risks.

 

This was followed by a comprehensive review of the project’s international Use Cases in Romania, Spain, Greece, Taiwan, and Germany. Each case study highlighted key lessons and practical approaches to implementing holistic wildfire management in diverse ecological and socio-political contexts.

Our colleagues, Zacharenia Lekka and Marios Siganos, represented K3Y by discussing the current status and final insights of Tasks T3.1 and T3.5. The discussion focused on wildfire models, stakeholder feedback on the development and validation of the TREEADS platform, as well as standards and interoperability within Pan-European fire management platforms.

 

We are proud to be part of this impactful initiative and to contribute to its mission for a safer, more resilient future.

 

You can learn more about this exceptional project here.