Rhineland-Palatinate & Saarland: Significantly fewer forest fires in Hesse

Rhineland-Palatinate & Saarland
Significantly fewer forest fires in Hesse

09.09.2024, 04:08 a.m.

These are comparatively positive figures: there have been fewer fires in Hesse’s forests in 2024 than in the previous year. Was the summer weather something to do with this?

Wiesbaden (dpa/lrs) – The number of reported forest fires in Hesse this year was significantly lower than in the same period last year. As the Hessian Ministry of the Environment announced in response to a request from the German Press Agency, around 20 rather small registered forest fires were counted up to and including August 2024, destroying a total area of ​​around 0.3 hectares. In 2023, 52 forest fires were registered, causing 20.5 hectares of damage.

For Hesse, which, along with Rhineland-Palatinate, is one of the most forested states in Germany, the rainy weather since the beginning of the year has been particularly significant. “Due to the predominantly very wet weather in spring and much of the summer, the risk of forest fires in Hesse has been largely low so far this year,” says the Hesse Ministry of the Environment. It is assumed that the rest of the year will also see a generally quiet forest fire season.

However, a positive trend should not be expected in the next few years, says Christian Raupach, managing director of the Hessian Forest Owners Association. Due to climate change, it is more likely that the dry and hot summer like in 2022 could repeat itself – at that time there were 264 forest fires in Hesse. The risk of forest fires could then increase again.