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The risk of forest fires is decreasing in Lower Saxony: relaxation in sight!
On June 22, 2025, the risk of forest fires in Lower Saxony will decrease, despite the past heat wave; important rules of conduct remain in place.
The risk of forest fires is decreasing in Lower Saxony: relaxation in sight!
On Monday, June 22, 2025, the risk of forest fires in Lower Saxony is expected to ease. How NDR reported, the forest fire danger index of the German Weather Service (DWD) only shows a low danger level for a large part of Lower Saxony. Only in some regions, including Cuxhaven, Bassum and Bad Harzburg, will the medium danger level 3 remain in place until Tuesday, before a reduction to low is also expected here.
The rising thermometer over the weekend, which climbed above 30 degrees, led to an increased risk of forest fires. In many regions, the highest warning levels of 4 and even 5 were registered. The head of the forest fire center, Knut Sierk, warns of the consequences of the drought, which has been going on in Lower Saxony for months. The forestry staff have been working tirelessly since March, which represents a record number of days of operation for the forest fire center in Lüneburg. In addition, the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research is active by providing data on soil moisture that confirms that the topsoil has almost completely dried out, thus endangering the young seedlings.
Smoking and open flames prohibited
In Lower Saxony there is a strict ban on open fires in forests, moors and heaths until October 31st, and smoking is also prohibited in these areas. This is a response to the increasing risk of forest fires, which is particularly fueled by human error. The most common causes of forest fires are careless behavior, such as throwing away cigarettes, and intentional arson. Therefore, all forest visitors are urgently requested to observe the existing bans and to notify the fire brigade immediately if smoke develops. Niedersachsen.de issues helpful rules of conduct:
- Rauchen im Wald ist strengstens untersagt.
- Wurf von Zigaretten und brennenden Objekten ist verboten.
- Grillen darf nur an ausgewiesenen Plätzen stattfinden.
- Ein Mindestabstand von 50 Metern zum Wald ist einzuhalten.
- Auf ausgewiesenen Waldparkplätzen parken.
- Brände sofort melden und den genauen Standort angeben.
In addition, when there is an increased risk of forest fires, as is now the case, the Harz narrow-gauge railways are allowed to change their timetable. Steam locomotives are no longer allowed to travel to the Brocken, but instead stop at Drei Annen Hohne. These are important measures to further minimize the risk of fires.
Climate change as a driving force
Climate change has noticeably increased the risk of forest fires in Lower Saxony. Like that Federal Environment Agency notes, dry vegetation and extreme weather conditions – such as those we have experienced in recent years – are key to the increasing risk. Even though the overall area of forest fires in Germany decreased between 1991 and 2017, there was a significant increase between 2018 and 2019 due to extreme drought, especially in the northeastern federal states. Investments in prevention measures and infrastructure are therefore needed to effectively meet the challenges of the upcoming summer.
With these measures and a vigilant eye on nature, we can hopefully prevent forest fires from spreading further and increasing the danger to people and animals.