Criticism of the authorities is growing in Greece. The fires could have been extinguished within days, say Greek forest scientists. They accuse the fire department of intervening too late. “No matter how many planes they have, no matter how many fire engines they have, if the fire gets big, it won’t stop until it’s all burned up,” Director General of the Natural Environment Agency Yannis Mitsopoulos told the Kathimerini newspaper. . Thousands of people had to be evacuated – that too could have been avoided.
In Germany, the risk of forest fires is lower than in southern Europe. But here, too, areas of several thousand hectares burn every year. This has less to do with climate change and more to do with human error. Cigarette butts, matches or leftovers from the barbecue are among the fatal fire triggers. There are simple rules for environmental friends and holidaymakers so that trips into nature do not turn into a fiasco.
It sounds banal, but: In the forest, visitors should not smoke – or at least stick to the smoking bans that apply in some cases. The regulations differ in the individual federal states. In Brandenburg, Berlin, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony, Thuringia and Rhineland-Palatinate, smoking is always prohibited in the forest. Saxony-Anhalt bans cancer-promoting enjoyment in the forest from February 15th to October 15th. In all other federal states, the smoking ban in the forest applies from March 1st to October 31st. If you get caught, you have to expect expensive penalties. Depending on the federal state, the fine is between 80 and 50,000 euros.
Basically, no fire should be lit in the forest. Barbecue enthusiasts should only indulge in cooking in the open air on designated barbecue areas. Cars should be parked in designated parking spaces “and not simply on forest paths or areas with easily flammable ground,” emphasizes the Nature Conservation Union (Nabu). Because overheated catalytic converters can also cause a forest fire.
Visitors should heed warnings at the edge of the forest and postpone the walk in the forest if there is a high risk of fire.
If, despite all caution, the flames flare up, observers should immediately alert the fire brigade – “even if it is a supposedly small fire or smoke development,” writes the Bergen fire brigade.
Forest scientists call for citizens to be more involved in firefighting. For example, by providing more information about how forest fires start and what to do in an emergency.
Fires don’t have to get out of control immediately. The risk is low when forests are particularly green and damp. Forest fire experts like Alexander Held from the fire ecology working group at the Max Planck Institute are calling for forests to be thought of as “closer to nature” again. In some parts of Germany, monocultures of pine and spruce dominate because they are easy to care for and their wood is easy to process. However, they are also particularly dry and therefore more susceptible to fire than, for example, beech, oak or maple. A mixed forest of deciduous trees keeps moisture in the soil and in the air because heat and sun rays are blocked by the treetops. Fires tend to be small and confined to the forest floor. There they either go out by themselves or can be well controlled by the fire brigade.
Forest scientists also advocate fire protection buffers or fire protection bars. Forests are thinned out, i.e. the distance between the trees is increased, so that the flames rarely go from one treetop to the next. Aisles remove the basis of the fire. Ditches can also stop fires. Ammunition remains from the world wars and from former military training areas are good ignition material for forest and wildfires. In Brandenburg alone, one seventh of the state area is contaminated with explosive ordnance. Forest fire experts call for extinguishing tanks to fight such fires.
So far too little. In its coalition agreement, the traffic light government agreed to participate in the resEU aid initiative. Specially equipped fire-fighting aircraft are made available for EU member states in need. The Federal Republic could also benefit from this. So far, however, the government has not provided any planes.
At its last meeting, the Conference of Agriculture Ministers discussed the risk of forest fires. The ministers suggested that the federal government launch a joint forest fire prevention strategy.
Sources: Nabu, Bavarian Hiking Association, Bergen Volunteer Fire Brigade, German Forestry Council
