Podpolanie, Slovakia

Pilot Description

Name of landscape: Podpolanie

Approximate location of case study area: Podpolanie is in the central part of Slovakia (Figure 1), particularly within region of Banská Bystrica and its district Detva. Within case study area are situated two towns (Detva and Hriňová) and 13 municipalities. In 2011 the population of Detva district was almost 33 000 residents and population density 73 persons per km2. The area belonged to the regions with the highest unemployment rate in Slovakia, when in 2011 its rate was 16,68 %.

The location of the Podpolanie case study area within NUTS classification is as follows:

  • NUTS1 SK0 – The Slovak Republic (republic = republika)
  • NUTS2 SK03 – Central Slovakia (area = oblasť)
  • NUTS3 SK032 – Banská Bystrica Region (region = kraj)
  • LAU 1 604 – Detva District (district = okres)

Figure 1: Case study area Podpolanie within NUTS classification in Slovakia

The case study area is agricultural – forest land with forests in the north and agricultural land in the south. For an upper part of the forest area are typical beech and fir-beech forests, in contrast to lower part where do prevail the Carpathian oak-hornbeam forests. Agricultural land is characterized by middle to low productive. The region is considered rather as region with specific cultural landscape development. In particular, the surrounding of Hriňová town is characterized by dispersed rural settlements and by traditional land use (e.g., small private owners). The region has never undergone collectivization in the 20th century; therefore, it represents a unique opportunity to study relations between the man and the landscape. Moreover, region could be characterized as highland territory with different land-use patterns. There are grown commercial deciduous and mixed coniferous-deciduous forests, meadows, pastures, arable land, and areas with non-forest woody vegetation. Some parts of the mountain pastures and meadows are abandoned and overgrown.

In terms of forest land ownership in Podpolanie case study area (Figure 2), the state forest proportion is 84,7 %. This area is administered by the State Enterprise Forest’s branch plant Kriváň, which is the largest forest subject in the region. Forest land whose owners are unknown (3,7 %) is also managed by this forest holding. From non-state owners the biggest share is in communal ownership (8,3 %). Private owners own 3,2 % and church only 0,1 % of forest land. Very small part of forest land is in municipal and agricultural cooperatives ownership.

Figure 2: Ownership structure in case study area Podpolanie

Figure 3: Protected areas within Podpolanie case study area

North part of the case study area (almost forest) is under nature protection (table 1), particularly it belongs to Protected Landscape Area Poľana – the Poľana Biosphere Reserve (Figure 3). Protected Landscape Area (PLA) Poľana was launched in 1981 for the protection of inanimate nature, plant, and animal communities as well as a special landscape character. Agricultural land as the mountain meadows and pastures is either mowed or grazed by cattle and sheep. Re-cultivation in recent past, to some degree has changed the original floristic composition of the grasslands. Despite this, enough natural plant and animal communities is still present. The area is dominated by the massif of Poľana Mountain that is the highest extinct volcano in Central Europe with its altitude of 1458 m. Elevation range is about 1000 m (the lowest point of 460 m. a.s.l. and the highest of 1458 m. a.s.l.). The whole mountain is part of the Carpathian arc. In a relatively small area exists a presence of mountain
thermophile species of plants and animals.

The forest land in the area has important protection functions concerning the water, soil, and biodiversity. Within the territory is located a water reservoir Hriňová, which is an important source of drinking water for the surrounding region. Moreover, the recreational function of the area is also significant. Due to Protected game area of Poľana is Podpolanie case study area well known for its hunting. On the area of more than 20 000 hectares is provided a coordinated ecological and large-scale management of game, especially of red deer population of Carpathian deer. Additionally, the forest is also intensively used for mushrooms, forests’ fruits, and nuts picking. To the outdoor activities mainly belong summer activities as tourism, ecotourism, and various sports.

Table 1: Proportion of protected areas in Podpolanie case study area

Protected areas within Podpolanie case study area  | Area (ha) | %-share
Protected Landscape Area (CHKO) | 6,795 | 32
Special areas of conservation (ÚEV) | 12,085 | 57
Small, protected areas (MCHÚ) | 749 | 3.5

 

1st Pilot Implementation in 2023

The first implementation of the Slovak pilot took place between 24th and 26th of April 2023. The goal of the Slovak pilot was to demonstrate early detection of fire and smoke, followed by the quick and efficient deployment of firefighters, fire trucks, drones, robots, and helicopters until the fire was extinguished, as a trial demonstration in the development of the SILVANUS platform.

SILVANUS partners TUZVO, 3MON, UISAV, FRS MB, PLAMEN, ITTI, ASFOR, SGSP, THALES, EXUS, EDP and VTG worked closely on the implementation of the pilot, which was initiated with the demonstration of a fire and its subsequent systematic detection. The information about the fire (location, link to camera footage) was sent to the operation centre. This followed with a deployment of drones from the Slovak Academy of Sciences, after which firefighters (under the Slovak Ministry of Interior) and the M17 helicopter (provided by the Slovak Ministry of Defence) were navigated and monitored.

Ground robots supplied by 3MON assisted in the transfer of heavy materials and equipment, putting out the fire with a water gun in a complex and hard-to-reach terrain under adverse weather conditions. The robot demonstrated five or six water spray methods. The uniqueness of the robot operation was in the ability to generate multiple types of water flow to counteract the spread of wildfire. A Bambi bucket was attached to the M17 helicopter and was used to deploy large quantities of water to the most active wildfire spots.

With the successful implementation of the 2nd SILVANUS pilot in 2023 (the 1st one took place in Croatia on the 18th and 19th of April) and its integration of technologies with the deployment of forces, important data was accumulated for the development of the SILVANUS platform.

2nd Pilot Implementation in 2024

Organised by Consortium member Technical University of Zvolen, the 2nd pilot was preceded by the international scientific conference Advances in Fire and Safety Engineering on October 14th, 2024 in Zvolen in central Slovakia.

The conference included 117 participants, including members of the Fire and Rescue Service, voluntary fire brigades, forestry sector, academia, research organisations, and companies that offer complex solutions in the field protection and safety. SILVANUS team members from 3MON, Thales, Atos, Catalink Ltd, Plamen and Institute of Informatics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, which showcased the SILVANUS platform as an innovative technological solution for wildfire management.

The following day was focused on the pilot exercise, at the Bakova Jama site on the outskirts of Zvolen, where a fire simulation operation was implemented and the platform was tested with an emphasis on the following components: