Global warming advances forest fire season, study shows.
Forest Fire Season Starting Earlier and Lasting Longer Worldwide, Causing High Forest Loss
Due to global warming, forest fires are starting earlier and lasting longer, causing high forest loss worldwide. According to Global Forest Watch data, 318 million hectares of forest areas were destroyed in the 2001-2021 period, in which forest fires caused a third (119 million hectares) of the loss. The year with the highest forest loss was 2016 with 9.6 million hectares, while in 2021, 9.3 million hectares of forest area were lost due to fires, and 37% of the forest loss in 2021 was caused by fires.
Russia had the highest forest loss as a result of fires, followed by Canada, the USA, Brazil and Australia. In Turkey, the forest fire season generally begins in mid-June and lasts for 19 weeks. 87.7 thousand hectares of the loss of 537 thousand hectares of forest area was due to fires, and the highest forest loss due to fires in Turkey was seen in 2021 with an area of 27 thousand hectares.
Global warming is the main reason for the rapid increase in forest fires in recent years, causing fires to occur in unusual regions such as the Arctic, Canada and Russia. The United Nations warns that “the frequency of forest fires will increase by 50 percent in the coming period”. Forests have to cope with many stressors such as increasing temperatures and dry soil, which make trees more sensitive to fire risks and cause them to burn more violently and faster. These incidents are becoming more frequent in regions that are not accustomed to forest fires due to global warming.
Forests act as “natural sinks” against carbon emissions, which have a critical importance in preventing climate change. Forests can absorb 7.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions per year, which is equal to the annual amount of emissions caused by the USA. The loss of forest areas is also among the most important reasons that trigger climate change. To reduce the likelihood and impact of forest fires, raising awareness and setting policies accordingly is one of the most important measures. It is also essential to accelerate individual, national and global steps to reduce carbon emissions that cause global warming and to strengthen adaptation to the effects of climate change. It is time to increase awareness and act creatively and strategically to reduce risks.
