Olympic Rebirth

By G. Lyrintzis, G. Baloutsos, G. Karetsos, E.N. Daskalakou, G. Xanthopoulos, C. Tsagari, G. Mantaka

Only two years after being burned by wildfire, the birthplace of the Olympic Games has been nearly restored thanks to extensive planting and reforestation efforts.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Protecting the forest from fire will require a comprehensive fire management plan that will be prepared by highly specialized experts in cooperation with all local authorities and groups that will be involved in its application. The plan should:

Foresee scenarios for fires starting within or near the perimeter of the site, and for large fires coming from a distance.
Identify specific weaknesses, such as construction materials, and outline measures to be taken for risk mitigation.
Design a firefighting infrastructure, including water transport system, hydrants, sprinklers and other tools, appropriately located and able to function under adverse conditions via backup and redundancy.
Provide guidance for vegetation management to keep fuels under control. Certain options, such as wide firebreaks, might not be viable for practical or aesthetic reasons.
Include a plan of action for the safety of visitors.
Train all personnel involved — archaeological authorities, firefighters, local authorities and seasonal personnel.
Provide for public relations and for informing the neighboring population about the potential for disaster and the actions they can take to reduce it.

Finally, special sites such as Olympia have their own recommendations.
Any intervention should strive to be continuous and moderate, without irreversible changes to the natural and cultural environment.
Management should maintain landscape complexity and diversity by conserving the abundance of ecological and cultural landscape units.
New structures should respect local styles and take into consideration the natural and anthropogenic environment surrounding the archaeological site, respect the historical references and avoid being "violently" visible.

G. Lyrintzis, G. Baloutsos, G. Karetsos, E.N. Daskalakou, G. Xanthopoulos, C. Tsagari, G. Mantakas and A. Bourletsikas are affiliated with the National Agricultural Research Foundation, Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems & Forest Products Technology, in Athens.