Forest fires - Brandenburg had the most forest fires in 2023
In the past year, forest fires in Germany destroyed approximately 1.771 football fields worth of forest area. The majority of incidents occurred in Brandenburg. A total of 1,059 forest fires were recorded in Germany in 2023, which destroyed around 1,240 hectares of forest area, according to the Federal Information Centre for Agriculture (BZL) in Bonn. In 2022, the numbers were higher with 2,397 forest fires and 3,058 hectares of destroyed forest area.
The number of forest fires was slightly below the long-term average of 1,157, but the destroyed forest area was around 44 percent above the average of 859 hectares. Most forest fires occurred in the months of May to July, where 85 percent of the incidents were recorded. In May, more than half of the damage occurred.
Brandenburg: Sad Leader
According to BZL, the most forest fires occurred in Brandenburg among the federal states in the previous year, due to its easily flammable coniferous forests and sandy soils: 251 forest fires were recorded on approximately 765 hectares. However, the 2023 season was still rather favorable. In 2022, there were 523 forest fires and 1,426 hectares affected.
The second largest area was burned in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern with 192 hectares at 57 forest fires. This was followed by Saxony with 114 forest fires and a burned area of 137 hectares.
The exact cause of the forest fires remained unknown according to BZL in most cases. Around 77 percent of the forest area burned due to unknown causes, while 14 percent were attributed to negligence. More than half of the negligence-related forest fires were attributed to the general public, such as campers, forest visitors, or children.
The forest fires in Brandenburg, one of the worst-affected areas in Germany, often occur on its coniferous forests and sandy soils. Despite the high number of forest fires in 2022, the 2023 season was relatively favorable for Brandenburg, with only 251 forest fires consuming approximately 765 hectares. Forest fires in Germany, such as the one on a soccer field reported near Brandenburg, are frequently caused by unknown causes or negligence, with the public contributing to over half of the negligence-related cases.
