- More money for ammunition clearance after Lübtheen forest fire
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is slowly progressing in the often challenging and dangerous task of removing military remnants. As announced by the Ministry of the Interior in Schwerin, 370 hectares of forest contaminated with munitions were made usable again for forestry in the previous year. Around 70 hectares were completely cleared by the state's munitions recovery service, and 300 hectares were made safe for forest management. "The goal is to clear the approximately 10,000 hectares of heavily contaminated forest areas in the state within 20 years," said Interior Minister Christian Pegel (SPD), emphasizing the scale of the task.
Forest fires cause munitions to detonate
Notably, the devastating forest fire in the summer of 2019 in Lübtheen (district of Ludwigslust-Parchim) highlighted the ongoing danger posed by munitions from World War II and exercises by the National People's Army (NVA) and the Red Army in the soil of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. During this fire, old munitions repeatedly detonated, preventing firefighters from approaching the blazes and hindering their efforts to extinguish the fire. Similar difficulties were encountered during a forest fire near Wöbbelin south of Schwerin.
In 2023, preliminary investigations were conducted on heavily contaminated forest areas around several locations, with approximately 485 hectares examined by the munitions recovery service. As a result, a nearly completely cleared area was created near Wöbbelin. Further areas were cleared of old munitions in Rosenow, Wilhelminenhof, Neubrück, Peetsch (all in the district of Mecklenburgische Seenplatte), and Crivitz (district of Ludwigslust-Parchim).
The forest fire in Lübtheen as a wake-up call
"The forest fire in Lübtheen in the summer of 2019 was a clear signal that the federal and state governments need to better prepare for forest fires with a national strategy," said Pegel. The successes of the past year are partly due to the agreement signed in 2022 with the Federal Institute for Real Estate Tasks for the implementation of the ordnance disposal program, as well as the state's significant increase in funding for clearance. "Munitions remnants are a major problem, both in terms of safety and environmental protection. We must gradually eliminate them, for our generation and for our children and grandchildren," said Pegel.
The following entries were added to the list of cleared areas: nearly completely cleared area near Wöbbelin, cleared areas in Rosenow, Wilhelminenhof, Neubrück, Peetsch, and Crivitz. As a result of these investigations and clearances, The following entries are added to the number of usable forest areas: these nearly completely cleared and other cleared areas were made safe for forest management.
