The REMAINS R-package: Paving the way for fire-landscape modeling and management

Modelling landscape dynamics is crucial for assessing the potential effectiveness of upgraded land management. In fire-prone regions, wildfires play a critical role in shaping landscapes, and land-use and fire suppression policies strongly influence landscape patterns and fire regimes. In this paper, we introduce REMAINS, a spatially explicit process-based model, implemented as a user-friendly R package. REMAINS enables the simulation of fire-landscape dynamics under different land-use and fire management scenarios. The package incorporates the spatial interaction of fire-related processes including fire ignition, spread and extinction, as well as vegetation dynamics such as including natural succession and post-fire regeneration. With a comprehensive set of functions, REMAINS allows for the simulation of two fire-suppression strategies, prescribed fire approaches, and land-use policy scenarios. Furthermore, REMAINS facilitates the assessment of the impacts of such management options on fire regime attributes. This model enhances capacity building beyond academia and supports policy- and decision-making process.

This research was partially funded by Portuguese national funds through FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P., under the FirESmart project (PCIF/MOG/0083/2017) and MCIN/AEI through the projects GREENRISK (PID2020-119933RB-C22) and CEX-2018-000828-S “Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa”. AR and NA are funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (IJC2019-041033-I and FCJ2020-046387-I, respectively). SP received support from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through the PhD grant 2020.09853.BD. PF contributed to the frame of the FCT-funded project UIDB/04033/2020.