Wood industrialization provides a contribution to timber-based building. The Chilean market is based on attributes such as the experience and trust of companies. The sales price, meeting deadlines and quality are attributes that have motivated buyers. There are more attributes to assess that are important for the client and market country: building materials and safety, sustainability, and environmental assessment. Some of these valuations are provided by certifications such as life cycle analysis, reduction of energy, water, gas consumption, thermal, acoustic insulation, fire resistance, etc. The objective is to propose an evaluation tool using sustainability indicators for prefabricated lumber-based buildings, using technical benefits of wood as an option for manufacturing prefabricated structures. They constitute references that can be integrated with international construction standards and with it, a process of improvement of the current standards for the housing solution and protection of the environment. The methodology is based on standards compliance levels, according to current, voluntary, or referential regulations, seeking to differentiate the market offer of prefabricated homes through quality indicators, benchmarking and sustainability. The results are an evaluation model synthesized into three tables according to the category evaluated: materials, products, or structures. It concludes that, to meet demand, the market must adapt its offer to new requirements where it does matter how the housing is produced, not only in the economic aspect, but also its impact on the social aspect and the environment and what it offers in terms of quality of life. The lumber-based building sector needs sustainability attributes indicators to potentiate the companies and start a differentiation business.

Wildfires in the urban-forest interface constitute a civil protection emergency, causing considerable personal injury and damage to properties. The potential impacts of wildfires on buildings can be minimized by reducing the surrounding fuel and the use of structural materials with low flammability. However, the costs associated with implementing these actions and the responsibility for maintenance usually present conflicts with the property owners. This study aimed to identify minimum safety distances in wildland-urban interfaces within priority areas. The priority areas were identified based on the integration of fire risk and fuel hazard. Radiant heat is a variable in the behavior of fire that directly influences the definition of safety distances. In this research the radiant heat transfer was calculated based on the potential fire behavior for each study area. A comparative study of the horizontal heat transfer method and the radiant heat flux model was carried out. The horizontal heat transfer method indicated the highest vegetation-free distances, ranging from 23 m to 32 m. Some safety distances were validated using experimental fires and wildfires. The findings from the experimental fires and wildfires emphasize the need for a progressive fuel load reduction to mitigate radiant heat transfer. This may include both the removal of surface fuel and removal of trees to mitigate against crown fires. Our findings provide relevant information for decision-making on the effectiveness and efficiency of safety distances at the wildland-urban interface.

Forest ecosystems play an important role in hydrological processes as surface and subsurface runoff, as well as the storage of water at the catchment scale. Therefore, it is important to have a greater understanding of the effects of forests in the long-term water balance of Mediterranean catchments. In this sense, this study evaluates the effect of native forests, forest plantations, and the combination of both, on long-term streamflow variations in central Chile, an unusual area of Mediterranean climate characterized by a well-marked annual cycle with dry summers and wet winters. Thus, the temporal pattern of monthly streamflow was evaluated for mean flow (Qmean), maximum flow (Qmax), and minimum flow (Qmin) in 42 large-scale (>200 km²) Mediterranean catchments. Each series of monthly streamflow data was QA/QC, and then evaluated using the Mann–Kendall’s non-parametric statistical test to detect temporal variations between 1994 and 2015. In addition to the previous analysis, the monthly series were grouped into wet seasons (April–September) and dry seasons (October–April), to determine if there were any significant differences within the annual hydrological cycle. The areas covered with native and forest plantations and their relative changes were evaluated for each catchment through streamflow variations and forest cover indicators. Results revealed that streamflow variations are positive and significant when more forest cover exists. The intra-catchment relationships assessed for both species revealed the significant role of native forests and mixed masses as key ecosystems for the long-term conservation of summer streamflow in Mediterranean catchments of central Chile. These findings encourage an urgent need to create highland afforestation programs on degraded areas of central Chile, to maximize water storage in a region that is quickly drying out due to unsustainable water and land use management practices and the effects of global warming.