Forest fire and draught

What causes a forest fire? Which forests are most likely to burn? How do the trees and plants cope with the fire? SLU investigates these questions.

Summer - a High Risk Period for Forest Fires

Prolonged heat, very limited rainfall, and frequent lightning are all factors that increase the risk of forest fires. The summer of 2018 is a good example when 7,000 fires destroyed well over 22,000 hectares (ha) of Swedish forests.

Forest fires create forage for moose

Old burned areas are popular habitats for browsing moose. In addition, more forage suitable for moose was created in areas burned by wildfires than where prescribed burns were carried out to benefit biodiversity.

Grazing moose in snow with a yellow collar. Photo.

We need a national database on burnt forest

Despite discussions over the last 20 years, there is still no database over wildfires and management fires in Sweden, which hampers both fire protection and nature conservation. A new SLU report details the need for accurate statistics in this area, the current status of relevant data sources and potential design of a national wildland fire database.

Do you have questions?

Do you have questions about forest fire and/ or drought? Please contact SLU Forest Damage Centre's analyst Inka Bohlin.

Published: 10 November 2023 - Page editor: theres.svensson@slu.se

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