The European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) registered almost 2,700 fires by the end of November this year. That is around three times as much as in the long-term comparison from 2006 to 2021. It also burned relatively early this year, namely in March. According to EFFIS estimates, the EU has burned over 7,800 square kilometers this year.
This means that in 2022 more than twice as much area burned as the long-term average. This threshold of almost 3,200 square kilometers was already reached at the end of June. “This year was the year with the second largest burned area in the history of the European Union, surpassed only by 2017,” summarizes Jesus San-Miguel-Ayanz, EFFIS coordinator at the Joint Research Center (JRS) of the EU Commission.
The fires analyzed by EFFIS are not only forest fires, but vegetation fires in general. Fires in Europe with an area of at least 0.3 square kilometers are recorded using satellite data. Fires that take place exclusively on agricultural land are excluded, as they are usually deliberate, controlled fires.
Mediterranean hotspot
It burned particularly often and extensively in southern Europe, for example in Spain, Portugal, France and Italy. “This year the central and western Mediterranean countries were particularly affected,” summarizes San-Miguel-Ayanz. It’s not uncommon for forest fires to break out more easily in hotter, drier areas.
But even in Greater London there were several fires this summer – and British high temperatures of 40.2 degrees Celsius. “The weather conditions have led to the highest fire risk in the last 40 years, and therefore there have been many fires – also in Slovenia, Germany and the Czech Republic,” says San-Miguel-Ayanz.
In Portugal, around 1.14 percent of the entire country burned down, in Spain the proportion was significantly lower at 0.6 percent. While the burned area in Portugal has not increased significantly this year compared to the long-term average, Spain’s burned area has more than quadrupled. But the country-specific comparison is difficult – not only because of different lander sizes, but also because of different landscapes and vegetation.
In any case, it was noticeable this year that the fires took place relatively simultaneously. “Especially in summer, the Mediterranean region is the hotspot,” explains Harald Vacik from the Institute for Silviculture at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) in Vienna. In many places, the fire brigades are on call for days because they already know that they have to react quickly. “That’s not unusual now, but the extent and size of the fires surprised a lot of people,” said the forest fire expert in an interview with ORF.at.
European exchange of experiences essential
The decisive factor in the fight is the options and resources available for the extinguishing work. Portuguese task forces have very different experiences and resources than Romanians, for example. There have been many vegetation fires in Romania this year, in which, for example, farmers have carried out burning of vegetation material. “If this fire gets out of control in an extremely dry spring like this year, it will very quickly spread to the forest,” says Vacik.
In Austria, such fires can be fought relatively quickly thanks to the large number of volunteer fire brigades. The burned area can thus be kept relatively small. If the means and opportunities are lacking to be able to intervene quickly – i.e. within the first hour of the fire – it is difficult to bring such fires under control.
Cooperation and the exchange of experiences were therefore essential again this year, says Vacik, summing up the forest fire season. “It’s something that’s becoming more and more important.” It’s not just about resources, such as firefighting planes and helicopters, but also about communication and language, as well as the exchange of techniques that are used. Cooperation between fire brigades, forest authorities and emergency organizations does not only have to be practiced at national level.
“If the communication between the ground forces of task forces and the airmen, who may come from Italy or Portugal to help, is not good or not coordinated, then you have a lot of resources, but you cannot get them to the ground,” outlines Vacik. Therefore, there are always training courses at European level in which Austrian emergency services also take part. The knowledge gained in the process is then also useful to Austria when there is a fire in their own country.
Increased risk of fire due to climate crisis
It is true that forest fires are also a seasonal natural phenomenon and can serve as a healthy renewal of the ecosystem, especially for the soil. However, in connection with the climate crisis, the number and intensity of extreme weather events such as droughts are also increasing. Dry soils and long heat waves serve as fuel for forest fires. Even the smallest sparks can start a fire that spreads quickly.
extreme weather
Although individual extreme events cannot be directly traced back to a specific cause, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change it is clear that extreme weather events such as floods, storms and heat are becoming more frequent and more intense as a result of the climate crisis.
This connection was also observed in Austria this year with two major forest fires on military training areas in the spring. “The fires in Großmittel and Allentsteig were remarkable by Austrian standards, because there were some 100 hectares that burned there,” says Vacik. This is also due to the very dry situation in spring.
The forest fire season 2022 has shown: The fire season – strongly influenced by the climate crisis – is getting longer and longer. “We see a very strong connection between climate change and the occurrence of fires,” says Vacik.
The season is starting earlier and earlier, which is related to the precipitation patterns. A dry winter with little rain and snow leads to a dry spring. “There is no moisture in the ground because the little snow snows off relatively quickly.”
Conversely, the probability of fires occurring purely due to the weather is also increased if it is unusually warm in autumn – like October this year – for an unusually long time. The fire season therefore tends to end later. San-Miguel-Ayanz also confirms that the trend towards longer fire seasons can be observed throughout Europe. In addition, the fire season is also expanding geographically, with increasingly large areas being affected by fires.
trigger human
The ultimate trigger for forest fires is not dry soil or high temperatures, but mostly people themselves. According to the BOKU forest fire database, around three quarters of all uncontrolled forest fires in 2022 were caused by people, almost a fifth are due to natural causes.
“If there is no trigger factor, then even if the conditions are favorable, there will be no forest fire,” says Vacik. In Austria, the cigarette is still the trigger to a large extent. But campfires and burning work that get out of control are also frequent triggers. “And even arson is still a factor.” There are simple measures to avoid starting a fire in the first place, but unfortunately they are not observed, says the forest fire expert.
Prevention through awareness raising
There is still a lack of sufficient awareness-raising. “I always compare the avalanche warning levels. The trained Austrian knows them. But the same is not common with a forest fire level,” says Vacik. In Austria in particular, the problem is less anchored in people’s minds, and the topic is usually only associated with Mediterranean countries.
For San-Miguel-Ayanz, too, educating people is the most important measure to prevent forest fires: if the risk of fire is high and it is clear that fires that have started can spread quickly, the only way to prevent fires is to find out what caused them to avoid. “In the EU, about 96 percent of fires are man-made.”
The EFFIS coordinator notes the comparatively low number of victims as a positive development this year: “In 2017 – the only year in which more area was burned than this year – there were over 130 people who were killed by fires. In 2022, this number was significantly lower,” says San-Miguel-Ayanz. Thanks to long-term forecasts, it was clear in advance that the risk of fire would be great this year. Many countries had therefore prepared well for the situation.
When it comes to prevention, forest management also plays an important role – the EFFIS officer cites Austria as a good example. “Forestry in Austria is strong, so there is management of the forests, and that helps.” Because limiting the amount of fuel that is on the ground can slow down or contain the spread of fires. In general, however, the expert sees room for improvement in the prevention work of the EU countries.
