Dr. Gavriil Xanthopoulos is a forester who holds a B.Sc. degree in Forestry from the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki, Greece, and M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Forestry with a specialization in Forest Fire Science from the University of Montana, U.S.A. He currently serves as Senior Researcher in forest fires, and is the Head of the Forest Fire Laboratory at the Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems of the Hellenic Agricultural Organization "Demeter". Dr. Xanthopoulos has been active in European forest fire research for 30 years. He has participated in more than 30 research projects and has produced numerous scientific publications. In parallel with his research activities, he has been involved in many areas of operational fire management as Advisor to the General Secretary of Forests and Natural Environment, to the Minister of Public Order and to the General Secretary of Civil Protection in Greece.