In 2023, 1,059 fires destroyed around 1,240 hectares.
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2023 forest fire statistics: area of around 1,771 football pitches burned
In 2023, 1,059 fires destroyed around 1,240 hectares of forest area (2022: 2,397 fires over 3,058 hectares). These figures are sourced from the forest fire statistics provided by the German Federal Information Centre for Agriculture (BZL). The burned area thus corresponds to roughly 1,771 football pitches.
Totalling 1,059, the number of fires registered in 2023 was slightly below the average number of 1,157 fires while the burned forest area was around 44 percent higher than the long-term average value of 859 hectares (since 1991).
The most forest fires occurred between May and July (85 percent). The fires in May alone accounted for almost 60 percent of the damaged area.
A comparison of the German Federal States shows Brandenburg and its highly flammable pine forests and sandy ground in first place with 251 fires over 765 hectares. The second-largest area burned in Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania. There, 192 hectares were damaged in 57 fires. Saxony is in third place, where 114 fires burned across 137 hectares.
Around 77 percent of the forest area (960 hectares) burned for unknown reasons. The second-most common reason was recklessness, which was responsible for roughly 14 percent.
More than half (141) of the fires resulting from recklessness can be traced back to the general public, for instance campers, forest visitors, and children.
The BLE’s complete forest fire statistics (in German) can be found at www.bmel-statistik.de/waldbrandstatistik.
