The highest risk of forest fire: Saxony calls for caution!

The highest risk of forest fire: Saxony calls for caution!

The eyes of the forest owners and nature lovers in Saxony are currently aimed at the impressive but also potentially dangerous forests. From Saturday, June 22, 2025, the Saxon forest owner association and Sachsenforst will warn of a high risk of forest fire in the Free State. The forecast of the German Weather Service is alarming: The highest risk level (level 5) is expected for Sunday, especially along the Saxon-Brandenburg state border. This applies in particular to the northern parts of the Northern Saxony, Meißen, Bautzen, Görlitz, Görlitz and the city of Dresden, where the dry weather is now noticeable.

Behind this threat are several factors: too little precipitation, high temperatures and the dry wind have already dried up the soil layers. The appeal of state forest president Utz Hempfling, who emphasizes that man is the main cause of forest fires, is all the more important. Last year, around 75 percent of all fires were triggered by human misconduct. In view of the past catastrophic fires in Saxon and Bohemian Switzerland, prudent behavior is particularly challenged.

precautionary measures and rules of conduct

What should visitors to the forests consider? All year round caution is required in dealing with open fire. According to the Saxon Waldgesetz it is strictly forbidden to smoke in the forest, grill or ignite campfire. Even leaving the sky lanterns has been prohibited since 2009 in order not to endanger anyone unnecessarily. The punishments for violations can be sensitive and fines up to 1,000 euros.

In addition, paths to forests should not be blocked, as these are vital escape routes. In the event of a discovered forest fire, the authorities propose to immediately contact the fire brigade under number 112. Visitors should be particularly careful when the forest fire danger levels 4 or 5 are reached, since in such cases even access to forests can be limited.

The location of the risk of forest fire in Saxony

The forest fire season in Saxony extends from March 1 to October, and about 91 percent of the fires occur during this time. The latest statistics also provide insightful information: In 2022, 215 forest fires were reported in Saxony, which damaged over 780 hectares of forest. 177 of these fires alone appeared between May and August. Only a small part of natural causes such as lightning strikes are affected, the majority are tragic results of negligent behavior.

With the feeling that there is something, everyone who loves nature should take the calls to the authorities seriously. Sachsenforst and the Saxon forest owner association regularly provide current information on the risk of forest fire. If you want to know more, you can find everything on Sachsenforst and in the mobile app "Saxony Risk of Saxony", which even offers emergency call and location functions. To be informed is the first step towards security in nature.