Recently, a large variety of different aspects-features of the set-up of the hydraulic fracturing (HF) has been investigated. The texture anisotropy and/or crack anisotropy have a great influence over the effective mechanical properties of rocks and the way of their fracturing and failure. We believe that the influence of texture and/or crack anisotropy, as a characteristic property of most of the rocks, deserves to be studied in greater detail.

The submitted project has two main objectives, which are: 1) Analysis of the influence of wildfires and high temperatures on the changes in physical and mechanical characteristics of rocks (strength, porosity, permeability, etc.) and thus the stability of rock masses. The analysis will be carried out on different rocks (sandstones, limestones, crystalline rocks). 2) Analysis of the future evolution of rock masses and their stability affected by short- and long-term exogenous (temperature) influences related to ongoing climate change.

The project titled ''Changes in Rock Mass Properties After Wildfires'' directed by our department member Prof. Dr. Tolga Görüm on the Turkish side, and Dr. Jan Blahut from the Czech Academy of Sciences on the Czechia side, has been funded by TÜBİTAK - Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS) Bilateral Cooperation Support Programme.
  
The focus of the project is understanding the short and long-term effects of forest fires on erosional mass loss and debris flows in different slope environments under changing climatic conditions.