The drought: the forest-disabling consequences as a last resort

in Most cases, a small spark is enough, and not always the person to blame for it. When forests burn, can also eruptions, lightning strikes or volcanic be the cause. As a result of climate change and global warming according to scientific studies, to have significantly more Lightning and fires in the consequence more forest.

Oliver Bock

correspondent of the Rhein-Main-Zeitung for the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis and Wiesbaden.

not manage to determine The cause of the fire in the forest, in many cases, but. Lightning plays, according to a study by the Federal environment Agency, at most, five percent of the forest fires, a role in the state of Hesse, according to the Ministry of the environment looking back on ten years account for only two percent. Usually it is arson, and the careless behavior of forest visitors, as well as negligence in the case of forestry and agricultural Work, the flames will prepare the way.

The impression that it burns more often in the forest, does not disappoint. 2018 there are 1708 forest fires in Germany, the highest number in 15 years. 2019 there were 1523 slightly less. In the hot and dry year of 2003, there were 2524. That forest fires are in Germany and Hesse nothing out of the ordinary, is evidenced by the statistics: In the years between 1993 and 2017 978 forest fires registered.

Since 1977, there is a forest fire statistics. Accordingly, it burned in 2018 on an area of 2350 hectares and 2019 even on 2711 hectares, while the long-term average is only around 500 acres. The damage was estimated 2018 to 2.67 million euros and 2019, to 2.2 million. This is significantly more than the mean of 1.28 million. In Hesse, the damage to EUR 91,000 in the year 2018 and 115,000 Euro in 2019, however, were very low, because of the smaller ground fires are on the lower surface of the rule.

Appeals to the visitor in the Woods

The third hot, dry summer in a row, the forest fire hazard once again on the rise. Most of the Federal States of Brandenburg, Saxony and lower Saxony are affected, however, almost always. Especially in the state of Brandenburg with its sandy soils and pine forests burn frequently. In the year 2019 at least 417 Times in Hessen, only 84 fires (2018: 139 fires) were recorded. The cause remained in 51 cases cleared, but 26 of the fires had been deliberately placed. Five fire of the negligence and carelessness were due to some of the campers. This also shows that it is difficult to avoid the majority of the forest fires alone, by Appeals to the rule, the prudent forest visitors and campers. Until the end of July of this year, the Ministry of the environment registered 70 forest fires. The level is thus expected to be high.

The managing Director of the Hessian forest owner Association, Christian Raupach, holds the risk of forest fires in the state of Hesse, currently, even "for as high as never before". His explanation is simple: Due to the long drought, some of the deciduous trees begin now, dry leaves drop on the ground and is highly flammable. And because of the bark beetle infestation and the removal of dead spruce is a lot of brushwood on the remaining bare surfaces, which is highly flammable.