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To support political decisions, the Global Fire Monitoring Center at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and the University of Freiburg is presenting a position paper with a reassessment of landscape fires in Germany, combined with a recommendation for an interdisciplinary national climate conference.
Joint press release from the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz, and the University of Freiburg
· Reassessment of fire risks in Germany: Fires are increasingly affecting landscapes outside of forests, such as the outskirts of settlements, heathlands, and agricultural areas.
· The paper recommends more preventive measures and a national conference on the climate crisis.
Devastating fires are currently being reported daily in Southern Europe and North America. But the wildfire risk is also increasing in Germany. Fires in Germany no longer only affect forests. They are increasingly spreading to open-land ecosystems, including nature reserves, moors, heaths, agricultural land, and the outskirts of towns and villages. The Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) – a joint institution of the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and the University of Freiburg – has now published a comprehensive reassessment of landscape fires in Germany. It recommends a fundamental reorientation of political and administrative approaches to fire management.
Landscape fires are more than just forest fires
The term “landscape fire” was introduced by the GFMC to describe the complex reality that fires today often burn across different landscape features.
“The current focus on forest fires is too narrow,” emphasizes Professor Johann Georg Goldammer, head of the GFMC. “While Germany is almost a third covered by forest, 50 percent of the land is used for agriculture and another four percent consists of open land such as bogs and heaths. All of these are at risk from fire. Yet, there is currently no systematic recording of wildfires burning outside of forests.”
Initial satellite data analyzed by the GFMC show that for several years now, significantly larger areas outside of forests have been affected by fires than those within forests themselves.
“However, this data requires a nuanced interpretation, as not every fire in open land causes ecological damage, and not every area recorded in the forest fire datasets is actually forest. In some cases, the datasets also include non-forest areas where fire can even play an important role in preserving biodiversity. For example, species-rich heathlands are protected from reforestation through controlled burning”, said Goldammer.
Position paper takes into account the economic damage caused by wildfires
The position paper also points to economic damage that is not fully captured in wildfire statistics. For example, the statistics do not record the costs of firefighting or the reimbursement of lost wages of volunteer firefighters. In this context, the paper refers to the Global Landscape Fire Fatalities and Damages Report 2025, published in June 2026, in which the GFMC documents the worldwide impact of wildfires. As in previous years, the report also lists fatalities, injuries, evacuations, and the destruction of buildings and infrastructure caused by wildfires worldwide. Furthermore, the report refers to studies that examine the impact of wildfires on public health and security.
Focus on necessary preventive measures
“The political debate in Germany must move away from focusing solely on forest fires,” states the GFMC’s reassessment of landscape fires from 23 July 2026. Instead, a holistic, interdisciplinary approach is needed that understands the fire vulnerability of Germany’s multifaceted cultural and industrial landscape as a cross-cutting issue that must be addressed cooperatively between the various administrative levels, sectoral institutions, and civil society.
A key instrument for this is the application of the principles of Integrated Fire Management, which are increasingly prioritized internationally as strategic guidelines. In Germany, however, these principles have not yet been established due to the highly fragmented responsibilities. The concept aims to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable ecosystems and land-use systems to wildfires – and thus, in the long term, to shift priorities from reactive firefighting to necessary preventive measures.
Risk analysis should take into account the increase in extreme weather events
Due to the increasing frequency of extreme weather events, a comprehensive risk analysis is needed that addresses not only resilience to wildfires but also the full impact of the climate crisis. In addition to drought and heat, increased heavy rainfall and strong winds also play a significant role. These extreme weather events also affect the natural balance and features of our landscapes – especially where soils and plants are already affected by drought.
“The Low Water Conference recently convened by the Federal Ministry of Transport and the call made by 36 associations in Berlin on 6 August 2026, to take far more comprehensive action in response to the climate crisis, are aligned with our findings. The situation is urgent. Global warming is not only increasing the risk of wildfires; heat-related premature deaths are also on the rise, and the future of the drinking water supply is under threat,” said Goldammer.
The Global Fire Monitoring Center recommends a national conference on the climate crisis
In light of developments in recent months, the GFMC recommends the establishment of a national conference on the climate crisis. This conference should serve as a central platform to pragmatically and practically consolidate and further develop the current state of knowledge as well as proven technical and socio-political solutions at the national level. Existing international and national forums – such as the Petersberg Climate Dialogue or the implementation process of the German Strategy for Strengthening Resilience to Disasters – should be continued and strategically integrated into an effective, coordinated national level of action.
It is particularly important that the proposed conference extend beyond established state institutions and includes science and civil society as equal actors. Their expertise and local experience are crucial for developing more resilient, sustainable, and socially acceptable strategies. Only through broad, participatory collaboration can the complex challenges of the climate crisis be effectively addressed.
Background
The Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) is an institution of the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in cooperation with the University of Freiburg. It is serving as an international platform for scientific research, monitoring, and policy advice on fires in natural and cultural landscapes worldwide. The GFMC primarily supports the United Nations' Global Fire Management Hub and multilateral organizations such as the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
The position paper “Landscape Fires in Germany 2026” with further comprehensive source information was published online on 23 July 2026 at the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) and as a website of the German Committee for Disaster Preparedness (DKKV). Furthermore, the GFMC's Global Landscape Fire Fatalities and Damages Report 2025 and a GFMC statement to the Science Media Center (SMC) are available online at the GFMC website.
To the Position Paper:
https://gfmc.online/wp-content/uploads/GFMC-23-Juli-2026-Landschaftsbraende-Deut...
In addition, the GFMC’s Global Landscape Fire Fatalities and Damages Report 2025
(https://gfmc.online/wp-content/uploads/GFMC-Global-Landscape-Fire-Damages-Report...)
and a statement from the GFMC to the Science Media Center (SMC) are available online on the GFMC website (https://gfmc.online/wp-content/uploads/SMC-GFMC-Stellungnahme-Waldbrandgefahr-Mi...).
Prof. Johann Georg Goldammer
johann.goldammer@fire.uni-freiburg.de
https://www.mpic.de/6071312/landschaftsbraende1?c=3538502
Fire near Zell am Harmersbach and Biberach (Baden) on August 11, 2026 – In southwestern Germany, the ...
Quelle: Lena Himmelsbach, GFMC
Copyright: Lena Himmelsbach, GFMC
Prof. Johann Georg Goldammer, Director of the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC)
Quelle: Philipp von Ditfurth
Copyright: Philipp von Ditfurth
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Fire near Zell am Harmersbach and Biberach (Baden) on August 11, 2026 – In southwestern Germany, the ...
Quelle: Lena Himmelsbach, GFMC
Copyright: Lena Himmelsbach, GFMC
Prof. Johann Georg Goldammer, Director of the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC)
Quelle: Philipp von Ditfurth
Copyright: Philipp von Ditfurth
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