Forests are essential not only for their ecological roles but also as invaluable natural resources supporting biodiversity, climate regulation, and human livelihoods. In Mediterranean regions, pine-tree forests are particularly susceptible to intense wildfires, which pose significant challenges to containment and long-term forest health. This study focuses on the pine-tree forests of North Euboea, examining their embedded energy, natural regenerative capacity, and sustainable management approaches. Key aspects investigated include the forest’s contributions to biomass and resin productivity, the social and economic impacts of wildfire events, and the role of managed grazing as a proactive tool in fire prevention and forest stewardship. Our analysis highlights the potential benefits of grazing as a strategic measure to manage forest biomass levels, thereby reducing the fuel load and lowering the intensity of possible future fires. Grazing is also shown to support broader access across the forest landscape, allowing firefighting forces to respond more effectively in case of a fire outbreak. By utilizing grazing to maintain forest ecosystems beyond just the periphery, this approach can enhance both ecological resilience and community cohesion in regions vulnerable to forest fires. The study underscores the need for integrated management practices that balance forest use with conservation, leveraging grazing as a means to sustain the health and accessibility of Mediterranean pine-tree forests.

1. Our World in Data. Global primary energy consumption by source. Available online: https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/global-energy-substitution (accessed on 15 October 2024).

2. Xu W, Lippke BR, Perez-Garcia J. Valuing Biodiversity, Aesthetics, and Job Losses Associated with Ecosystem Management Using Stated Preferences. Forest Science. 2003; 49(2): 247-257. doi: 10.1093/forestscience/49.2.247

3. Brockerhoff EG, Barbaro L, Castagneyrol B, et al. Forest biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services. Biodiversity and Conservation. 2017; 26(13): 3005-3035. doi: 10.1007/s10531-017-1453-2

4. Aerts R, Honnay O. Forest restoration, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. BMC Ecology. 2011; 11(1): 29. doi: 10.1186/1472-6785-11-29

5. Wilson ER. Transforming forests and forest cultures in a changing world. Forestry and Energy Review. 2024; 14 (1): 58-62.

6. Sargentis GF, Mamassis N, Kitsou O, et al. The role of technology in the water–energy–food nexus. A case study: Kerinthos, North Euboea, Greece. Frontiers in Water. 2024; 6. doi: 10.3389/frwa.2024.1343344

7. Erb KH, Kastner T, Plutzar C, et al. Unexpectedly large impact of forest management and grazing on global vegetation biomass. Nature. 2017; 553(7686): 73-76. doi: 10.1038/nature25138

8. Kumar R, Kumar A, Saikia P. (2022). Deforestation and Forests Degradation Impacts on the Environment. In: Singh VP, Yadav S, Yadav KK, Yadava RN (editors). Springer, Cham; 2022.

9. Castro M, Fernández-Núñez E. Seasonal grazing of goats and sheep on Mediterranean mountainrangelands of northeast Portugal. Available online: http://www.lrrd.org/lrrd28/5/cast28091.html (accessed on 15 October 2024).

10. Herder M den, Helle S, Niemelä P, et al. Large Herbivore Grazing Limits Small-Mammal Densities in Finnish Lapland. Annales Zoologici Fennici. 2016; 53(3-4): 154-164. doi: 10.5735/086.053.0404

11. Der Herden M, Paulo JA. Sheep as forest managers: Management of young forest stands by grazing sheep Available online: https://euraf.isa.utl.pt/files/pub/newsletter4_sheep_as_forest_managers_management_of_young_forest_stands_by_grazing_sheep.pdf (accessed on 5 November 2021)

12. Lovreglio R, Lovreglio J, Satta GGA, et al. Assessing the Role of Forest Grazing in Reducing Fire Severity: A Mitigation Strategy. Fire. 2024; 7(11): 409. doi: 10.3390/fire7110409

13. Davies KW, Wollstein K, Dragt B, et al. Grazing management to reduce wildfire risk in invasive annual grass prone sagebrush communities. Rangelands. 2022; 44(3): 194-199. doi: 10.1016/j.rala.2022.02.001

14. Nakamura G. Harvesting forest biomass reduces wildfire fuel. California Agriculture. 1996; 50(2): 13-16. doi: 10.3733/ca.v050n02p13

15. Colantoni A, Egidi G, Quaranta G, et al. Sustainable Land Management, Wildfire Risk and the Role of Grazing in Mediterranean Urban-Rural Interfaces: A Regional Approach from Greece. Land. 2020; 9(1): 21. doi: 10.3390/land9010021

16. Lovreglio R, Meddour-Sahar O, Leone V. Goat grazing as a wildfire prevention tool: a basic review. iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry. 2014; 7(4): 260-268. doi: 10.3832/ifor1112-007

17. Managing the complexities of land & livestock. Available online: https://savory.global/holistic-management/ (accessed on 5 November 2021).

18. Sargentis GF, Kougkia M. Vulnerabilities of water-energy and food nexus in cities of digital era. Insight - Civil Engineering. 2024; 7(1): 608. doi: 10.18282/ice.v7i1.608

19. Sargentis GF, Lagaros ND, Cascella GL, et al. Threats in Water–Energy–Food–Land Nexus by the 2022 Military and Economic Conflict. Land. 2022; 11(9): 1569. doi: 10.3390/land11091569

20. Sargentis G-F. Issues of prosperity: Stochastic evaluation of data related to environment, infrastructures, economy and society. Zenodo. Published online June 14, 2022. doi: 10.5281/ZENODO.6785733

21. Sargentis GF, Ioannidis R, Bairaktaris I, et al. Wildfires vs. Sustainable Forest Partitioning. Conservation. 2022; 2(1): 195-218. doi: 10.3390/conservation2010013

22. Sargentis GF, Moraiti K, Benekos I, et al. Fast-Track Documentation of the Alterations on the Landscape, before and after a Natural Hazard—Case Study: North Euboea Greece before and after Storms Daniel and Elias. Rural and Regional Development. 2024; 2(2): 10016-10016. doi: 10.70322/rrd.2024.10016

23. Google. Google Earth Pro, Version 7.3.3.7786. Map Publisher: Washington, DC, USA; 2021.

24. CORINE Land Cover 2012 (vector/raster 100 m), Europe, 6-yearly. Available online: https://land.copernicus.eu/en/products/corine-land-cover/clc-2012 (accessed on 15 October 2024).

25. Sargentis GF, Iliopoulou T, Dimitriadis P, et al. Stratification: An Entropic View of Society’s Structure. World. 2021; 2(2): 153-174. doi: 10.3390/world2020011

26. Oliver CD, & Larson BC. Forest Stand Dynamics. Available online: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313658392_Forest_Stand_Dynamics (accessed on 15 October 2024).

27. Ashton NS, Kelty MJ. The Practice of Silviculture: Applied Forest Ecology, 10th Edition. Available online: https://www.wiley.com/en-us/The+Practice+of+Silviculture%3A+Applied+Forest+Ecology%2C+10th+Edition-p-9781119270959 (accessed on 15 October 2024).

28. Lanner RM, Stetter C. Trees of the Great Basin: A Natural History. Available online: https://www.google.gr/books/edition/_/bPhvAAAAIAAJ?hl (accessed on 15 October 2024).

29. Leslie A, Wilson E, Park A. Increasing resistance and resilience of forests, a case study of Great Britain. iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry. 2024; 17(2): 69-79. doi: 10.3832/ifor4552-017

30. Velasco Pereira EA, Varo Martínez MA, Ruiz Gómez FJ, et al. Temporal Changes in Mediterranean Pine Forest Biomass Using Synergy Models of ALOS PALSAR-Sentinel 1-Landsat 8 Sensors. Remote Sensing. 2023; 15(13): 3430. doi: 10.3390/rs15133430

31. Gómez C, White JC, Wulder MA. Changing Trends of Biomass and Carbon Pools in Mediterranean Pine Forests. In: Bravo F, LeMay V, Jandl R (editors). Springer, Cham; 2017.

32. Alfaro-Sánchez R, López-Serrano FR, Rubio E, et al. Biomass storage in low timber productivity Mediterranean forests managed after natural post-fire regeneration in south-eastern Spain. European Journal of Forest Research. Published online March 14, 2014. doi: 10.1007/s10342-014-0797-3

33. Our world in data. Energy consumption by source, Greece. Available online: https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/energy-consumption-by-source-and-country?stackMode=absolute&country=~GRC (accessed on 15 October 2024).

34. Mamassis N, Efstratiadis A, Dimitriadis P, et al. (2021). Water and Energy. In: Handbook of Water Resources Management: Discourses, Concepts and Examples. Springer, Cham; 2021.

35. Adams P, Bridgwater T, Lea-Langton A, et al. Biomass Conversion Technologies. Greenhouse Gases Balances of Bioenergy Systems. Published online 2018: 107-139. doi: 10.1016/b978-0-08-101036-5.00008-2

36. Sargentis GF, Koutsoyiannis D. The Function of Money in Water–Energy–Food and Land Nexus. Land. 2023; 12(3): 669. doi: 10.3390/land12030669

37. Sargentis GF, Ioannidis R. The impacts of altering biodiversity to the Water–Energy–Food nexus: case study North Euboea, Greece. Discover Water. 2024; 4(1). doi: 10.1007/s43832-024-00165-y

38. Greek Constitution. Available online: https://www.hellenicparliament.gr/Vouli-ton-Ellinon/To-Politevma/Syntagma/ (accessed on 15 Oktober 2021).

39. Legislative decree 86/1969. Available online: http://www.fdparnonas.gr/files/ND86_69.pdf (accessed on 15 Oktober 2021).

40. Law 4264/2014. Available online: https://www.kodiko.gr/nomologia/download_fek?f=fek/2014/a/fek_a_118_2014.pdf&t=e518855486f0aa6e8d244d08a282e55f (accessed on 15 Oktober 2021).

41. European Union. The Value of Grazing As a Wildfire Prevention Tool. Available online: https://civil-protection-knowledge-network.europa.eu/stories/value-grazing-wildfire-prevention-tool (accessed on 15 October 2021).