Better managing fire in flammable tree plantations

•Plantations are critically important sources of wood. They are also flammable.•Greater consideration of, and planning for, fire risks in plantations is needed.•What tree species are planted where and natural fire regimes need consideration.•Juxtaposition of different land uses may help limit spatial contagion in wildfires.•New technologies can help detect and more quickly extinguish fires in plantations.