A Look at Airborne Wildfire Prevention Efforts in Bavaria, 2024: Over 100 Missions Taken
Regular Wildfire Threat Assessment in 2024: Over 100 Airborne Inspections Anticipated - Enhanced Forest Fire Prevention: Over 100 Aerial Fire Spotters Expected by 2024
Here's a rundown of the airborne efforts made to tackle wildfires in the German state of Bavaria last year.
In 2024, air observers were deployed 106 times at the behest of various government districts across Bavaria. The Bavarian Air Rescue Squadron, stationed in Würzburg, oversaw these operations. The pilots logged the most flights in the Upper Palatinate (49), followed by Upper Bavaria (15). On the other hand, the fewest missions were carried out in Swabia (2) and Middle Franconia (7).
Initially, these airborne missions were stretched out due to flood support in Swabia and Upper Bavaria. Later in the year, despite scorching daytime temperatures, the number of missions remained low due to frequent rainfall following the hot days.
Voluntary observation flights played a crucial role too. Last year, the Bavarian Air Rescue Squadron executed 476 ordered flights, in addition to approximately 13,800 voluntary observation flights to quickly identify wildfires. Compared to the previous year, there was an increase of around 2,800 unpaid flights by the air rescue squadron.
From around 30 support points scattered across Bavaria, air observers are dispatched when the wildfire risk is high. Typically, a firefighter and a forester join the pilot in the small aircraft, both specially trained for these missions and frequenting periodic air observer training sessions.
In total, the flights for 2024 amounted to approximately 8,000 hours for the air rescue squadron. The squadron had 341 pilots at their disposal, who clocked in a combined 7,981 hours in the air with 136 aircraft and 2 helicopters. Of course, these flights were not exclusively for wildfire observation purposes but also included aid to disaster protection authorities.
As per recent forecasts by the German Weather Service (DWD), the wildfire risk in Bavaria is set to rise again at the beginning of the new week.
- Wildfire Risk
- Wildfire
- Bavaria
- Air Rescue Squadron
- Upper Palatinate
- Upper Bavaria
- Swabia
- Middle Franconia
- Disaster Protection
- Climate Change
Insights into Climate Change and Wildfire Risk
In Bavaria, climate change contributes to excessive dryness and altered precipitation patterns, significantly impacting wildfire risks in various regions, particularly Swabia, Upper Palatinate, Upper Bavaria, and Middle Franconia.
Drought and Water Scarcity
- Climate change leads to unpredictable rainfall patterns, with periods of intense downpours followed by extended dry spells, creating moisture-stressed soil and tinderbox-like conditions in forests.
- Prolonged droughts decrease water levels in rivers and lakes, such as Lake Constance in Swabia, causing vegetation to dry out and increasing combustibility.
Biomass and Combustion Sources
- Increased particulate pollution due to organic aerosols from biomass burning, (as seen in wood heating), contributes to wildfire risks, particularly in rural areas.
- Forest vulnerability due to pest infestations (like bark beetles) and storm damage escalates deadwood levels and heightens fuel loads in regions like Upper Bavaria and Upper Palatinate.
Regional Stressors
- Shallow-rooted plants common in Franconian meadows struggle to tap groundwater during droughts, accelerating vegetation desiccation.
- Climate adaptation gaps in flood-prone areas (such as the Danube basin in Swabia) leave ecosystems less resilient to alternating floods and droughts, further destabilizing landscapes.
collective increases wildfire risks, particularly in areas already affected by climate-related disruptions.
- The wildfire risks in Bavaria are on the rise, with climate change playing a significant role in creating tinderbox-like conditions in forests.
- In Bavaria, changed precipitation patterns due to climate change have led to extended dry spells, causing vegetation to dry out and increasing wildfire risks, particularly in Swabia, Upper Palatinate, Upper Bavaria, and Middle Franconia.
- These dry spells, combined with unpredictable rainfall patterns, have diminished water levels in rivers like Lake Constance, accelerating vegetation desiccation and raising wildfire risks.
- Increased particulate pollution from organic aerosols released during wood heating contributes to wildfire risks in rural areas of Bavaria.
- The impact of climate change on forests in Bavaria goes beyond dryness, as factors like pest infestations, storm damage, and ecosystem resilience in flood-prone areas, such as the Danube basin in Swabia, also contribute to escalating wildfire risks.
- The Bavarian Air Rescue Squadron, alongside disaster protection authorities, will likely continue to play a crucial role in combating these wildfires in the future, given the ongoing threat they pose due to climate-related disruptions in the region.
