Countries are now discovering that sometimes, unexpected benefits come from appreciating the finer things in life. This lesson is especially important as fires grow more severe across Europe.

European countries are shifting their approach to wildfires. Instead of focusing solely on responding to fires, they are preparing for them methodically. This strategy involves adapting resilient landscapes to counteract forest fires, an idea that is gaining traction following recent fire seasons.

One striking example comes from Catalonia, Spain. Flames engulfed a forest, racing toward acres of pine trees and dense underbrush. Yet, before the fire destroyed these areas, it encountered Celler Abadal, an 800-year-old family vineyard. Located among red-clay hills, the vineyard’s rows of grapes, separated from the surrounding tree line by a small stretch of barren soil, stopped the blaze unexpectedly.

It’s not only that it is beautiful, explained Ramón Roqueta, owner of Celler Abadal, as he walked through his terraced vineyard recently. It’s also making the area more resilient. This incident from 2017 highlighted landscapes like vineyards that can slow or partially halt runaway forest fires.

Wildfires in Europe are becoming increasingly intense and devastating. Last year marked the continent’s most severe wildfire season since record-keeping began in 2006, with nearly 2.5 million acres burned. As of 2026, the accumulated area burnt already exceeds the yearly average recorded from 2006 to 2025.