The risk of forest fire in Brandenburg: Heat and drought threaten the forests!

The risk of forest fire in Brandenburg: Heat and drought threaten the forests!

It gets hot in Germany, and not only because of the summer temperatures! The risk of forest fire is currently great, especially in regions such as Brandenburg, where the drought in the top floor strikes noticeably. The division manager Cimolino recently commented on the dramatic Situation in the "Rheinische Post". Unfortunately, forecasts hardly predict rainfall until the end of the month, while the temperatures continue to rise. The fire brigade associations urgently draw attention to the need for smoke, grill and entrance banks in forest areas in order not to further tighten the endangered situation. The last forest fires, including in Lower Saxony (Goslar) and Brandenburg (Ostprignitz-Ruppin district), are a worrying sign of this development, as reports.

forest fires are still a serious topic in Germany, but the units also show positive aspects. In 2023 there were 1,059 forest fires, which represents a decline by half compared to 2022. But even if the number of fires has dropped, the affected forest area with 1,240 hectares above the long -term average of 710 hectares. This situation means that experts predict an increasing risk of forest fires in the coming decades. Especially in northern and eastern Germany, the conditions are ideal for burning disaster due to increasing dry and heat periods, as the Federal Environment Agency shows.

The effects of the fires

forest fires not only have unmistakable effects on nature, they also release considerable emissions that affect people's health, including fine dust and greenhouse gases. In 2022, an estimated 0.28 million tons of CO2 equivalents were emitted by forest fires. The damage caused by these fire are diverse: forest fires lost 1.19 million euros in the past year. In particular, the forest ecosystems suffer from the consequences, depending on the type and intensity of the fire, the roots and seeds can be severely damaged. A hard blow for nature that endangers the stability of the forests, such as Statista.

Another alarming statistics is that no cause could be determined in 51 % of the 2023 fires. In fact, around 40 % of these fires were due to human action, especially to irresponsible behavior of forest visitors and campers. Natural causes such as lightning strike, on the other hand, only played a subordinate role. Between May and July, the forest fire hazard in 2023 was highest, which shows that the correct behavior and compliance with bans are of great importance in these weeks.

forest fires in the global context

A look beyond the national borders illustrates that forest fires are a global problem. Southern European countries, the USA and the Amazon region are particularly badly affected. In 2023, around 11.9 million hectares of forest area were destroyed by fires worldwide. It is no secret that the risk of forest fires continues to increase due to climate change, and Germany is not spared, as the reports always illustrate.