Forest fires, exacerbated by the fallout from climate change, threaten Turkey’s evergreen land. The country saw 226,845 hectares of forests damaged or completely burned between 2012 and 2021, with more than 61% of this loss taking place in 2021 alone.
Data from the Directorate General of Forestry shows a total of 27,150 forest fires took place across the country in the past decade. Fires, though not uncommon, appear to have increased in intensity, something blamed on strong winds spreading them and searing temperatures further aggravating the flames.
Though last year may seem the worst in terms of the size of the forests that succumbed to the blazes, the highest number of fires took place in 2013, at 3,755, one year before the country recorded its least fires in a decade at 2,149.
Last year, 2,793 forest fires were reported. Most of them, as was the case in the past, took place during the summer season. The majority of the huge fires were in Antalya and Muğla, two southern provinces on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The deadly blazes claimed the lives of at least eight people. The wildfires prompted a nationwide mobilization to help the burned down villages and triggered a debate on the country’s response to such massive fires. The forest fires that erupted in more than 500 locations in two provinces lasted for days, the longest for 15 days, causing the evacuation of villages in Manavgat, the worst-hit district in Antalya, as well as evacuations from Bodrum and Marmaris, two popular vacation destinations in the neighboring Muğla province.
As the summer approaches, Turkey readies for another potential season of wildfires, sometimes stemming from arson by terrorist groups but more often than not due to negligence, like haphazardly discarded inflammable materials. This year 55 helicopters and 20 airplanes have been reserved for dumping water on burning forests, while some 15,000 volunteers are ready to be on the field, along with the professional staff. The country also deploys drones in forests, monitoring them around the clock for faster response to the wildfires.
Still, there is a lot more to be done. Professor Hüseyin Barış Tecimen from the Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Forestry at Istanbul University, says red pines are most prone to burn easily. The species are among the majority of trees in Turkey’s forests. “Red pine forests can regrow faster and we can keep our red pine forests. But we should also take extra measures, like creating protective strips with fire-retardant trees.
Tecimen said having a large source of manpower to fight the fires has little effect against forest fires without early intervention. “Only fast response accompanied with aerial support can stop the fires. First response crews should be well-trained and fast so that the fires can be prevented even without the assistance of helicopters or aircraft,” he told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Wednesday.
He added that global warming manifested itself as a massive drought and triggered a “physiological reaction” in trees. “In the coming years, we will see a change of species in forest ecosystems, a ‘resettlement’ in a sense. This is an unfortunate consequence of global warming,” he said. “Certainly, trees of humid climate will not adapt to the environments closer to sea, but it is possible that their growth will be stunted. Combined with heavy rainfall ensued by land erosion, climate change is a factor weakening forest ecosystems,” he warned.
