Erfurt (dpa/th) - According to the state forest institute, the persistent drought in Thuringia had already led to 53 forest fires by mid-August. ThüringenForst announced on Wednesday that this was the highest number in a forest fire season in ten years. "So one thing is certain: 2022 will be the record year for forest fires in this decade." By mid-August, around 16.7 hectares of forest were in flames. That corresponds to almost half of the Oktoberfest area in Munich and is the second largest area burned in a ten-year comparison.
In the comparatively rainy and cool year 2021, there were only ten forest fires on around 1.7 hectares in Thuringia by the end of the year, which corresponds to around two football pitches.
In Germany, almost 3,800 hectares of forest have already gone up in flames this summer. According to the information, the damage is estimated at around 20 to 30 million euros, 28 times as high as last year.
A very well developed network of forest paths, an improved system of extinguishing water ponds and the upgrading of the forest offices with extinguishing technology and a well-trained fire brigade have prevented worse things from happening. But the need for additional pension benefits is increasing. The installation and maintenance of fire protection strips, the renovation of further fire-fighting water ponds and the continuation of the technical upgrade, in particular with fire-fighting water tank trailers, will continue to be associated with high costs in the future.
