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Berlin (German news agency) – In view of the increasing risk of forest fires, Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir (Greens) has warned of campfires in the forest and appealed to smokers not to dispose of cigarette butts in the forest. “I am emphatically calling on all citizens to behave carefully in the forest, not to make fires and not to throw away cigarette butts,” Özdemir told the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” (Friday editions).
Even a spark can ignite a sea of flames. “The forest has already been badly damaged by drought and heat – we all have a responsibility to ensure that it doesn’t suffer any more damage.” The minister also pointed out the need for climate change-adapted forest conversion. The effects of the climate crisis were becoming increasingly noticeable in Germany with extreme heat and droughts. The droughts of recent years have severely damaged 500,000 hectares of forest. “Forest fires can spread even more easily in the already damaged forests,” said Özdemir. The forest must be prepared for the further course of the climate crisis through conversion. “Above all, this means: away from monocultures and towards near-natural mixed forests, which are more resilient to extreme weather conditions due to their biodiversity and nature.” The preservation of the forest is important: “Forest fires endanger or change the diverse ecosystems, destroy biotopes, destroy the economic values of the forest owners,” says Özdemir.