Risk of forest fires reemerges in Lower Saxony - Looming Danger of Wildfires in Lower Saxony Forests
In Lower Saxony, the Forest Fire Control Center is on high alert as the risk of forest fires increases due to a combination of climate change factors and bark beetle infestations. The six districts of Lüneburg, Heidekreis, Uelzen, Gifhorn, Lüchow-Dannenberg, and Celle are under constant monitoring, with hundreds of reports coming in daily from the 17 camera sites across the region.
The increasing forest fire risk is primarily driven by hotter temperatures and prolonged heatwaves, which create drier conditions that facilitate the ignition and spread of fires. Additionally, bark beetle infestations have weakened and killed pine forests, leaving large amounts of dead wood that serve as fuel for forest fires.
Areas most affected include pine forests vulnerable to bark beetle outbreaks and other forests experiencing drought stress due to the record-breaking European heatwaves of 2025. Although specific zones within Lower Saxony are not detailed, given the region's ecology, areas with dense pine and mixed forests are at highest risk.
Preventive measures focus on active forest management, including pest control, thinning dense forests, and removing deadwood to reduce fuel loads. Landowners are also encouraged to implement fire prevention plans, especially during high-risk periods with heat and drought warnings. Early warnings and status alerts are crucial to trigger rapid response and public awareness. Coordinated firefighting efforts, including regional assistance programs, aim to maintain healthier and less fire-prone forests.
As of Tuesday, the second-highest forest fire danger level of 4 had already been reached in the area around Celle. The German Weather Service (DWD) forecasts many parts of Lower Saxony will reach high warning levels from Wednesday onwards, particularly in the northeast. The coniferous vegetation in the northeast of Lower Saxony is at risk, with forests adjacent to agricultural fields being particularly vulnerable due to ongoing harvesting activities.
Machines that have been standing all year in agricultural fields are prone to catching fire due to the current weather conditions. If the humus layer is scraped away, the mineral soil is not moist in the forest soils of Lower Saxony. The conditions have changed compared to early summer, with this year's vegetation already partially dried out.
Knut Sierk, the head of the Forest Fire Control Center in Lüneburg, stated that the predominant vegetation in these areas is pine trees due to their drought resistance. The Center will be continuously staffed in the coming days to monitor the situation closely. The Lüneburg Heath, Brandenburg, and areas up to the Polish border are classic high-risk areas for forest fires. The total monitored area by the Forest Fire Control Center is almost one million hectares.
These measures aim to transform fire risk into forest resilience by maintaining healthier and less fire-prone forests through proactive interventions.
- The rising forest fire risk in Lower Saxony is primarily associated with climate change factors such as hotter temperatures, prolonged heatwaves, and environmental changes, which contribute to creating drier conditions that promote the ignition and expansion of wildfires.
- Implementing proactive interventions like active forest management, pest control, and altering landowner practices to reduce fuel loads and implement fire prevention plans is crucial to transform the high forest fire risk in Lower Saxony into forest resilience, especially in high-risk zones made up of pine and mixed forests.
