Areas affected by forest fires in 2022 reached a historic low, the Forestry Department said on Monday.
According to data cited by the Department, the state forest area burned in 2022 was just 0.4 hectares, the smallest since 1960.
Also, the forest area burned was the smallest in 20, with 30 hectares, while the average area burned per forest fire was the smallest in 20 years, at just 0.5 hectares.
Furthermore, the percentage of wildfires was the smallest in a decade at 31% of total fires.
In 2022, the Department said that 179 fires broke out in its area of responsibility, with a total burned area of 143 hectares.
Although the number of fires was 18% higher than the 2012-2021 average (152 fires), the burned area was 77% lower than the average (611 hectares).
Regarding the causes of forest fires for 2022, intentional fires were first, amounting to 50% of all human-caused forest fires and 44% of all forest fires.
A percentage of 12% of all forest fires are due to natural causes (lightning), while the remaining 44%, is due to human negligence.
“The results of this year’s fire season, in the area of ​​responsibility of the Forestry Department, are exceptional. It is noteworthy that in 2022, in the Forest Department’s area of ​​responsibility, the largest forest fire had an area of ​​only 3.6 hectares,” the Department said in its press release.
Technology, the Department adds, will assist in detecting and managing forest fires earlier and identifying the perpetrators of intentional fires.
The main factors that led to the reduction of fires were, according to the Department, the improvement of its operational capacity, as well as the strengthening of the forest fire response system.
