Forest fire: National Platform for Natural Hazards

Forest fires occur mainly in very dry conditions

Forest fires occur mainly in very dry conditions. In the southern mountain cantons of Valais, southern Grisons and Ticino, uncontrolled fires are among the most significant natural hazards. However, with increasing and prolonged drought due to climate change, the risk is increasing throughout Switzerland. Most forest fires in this country are caused by humans.

Forest fires can endanger people and animals and destroy buildings, infrastructure and cultural assets. In Switzerland, however, they are more often a threat to the protective function of the forest. When forest fires destroy protective forests, entire villages or roads are sometimes no longer safe. Large fires can lead to further natural hazards, impair the utilisation and services of the forest and change the landscape.

BAFU Fact sheet “forest fire”

Most forest fires in this country are caused by humans

Systematic recording

In cooperation with the cantons, the federal government warns the authorities and the population about forest fires.

Warnings and systematic recording

In cooperation with the cantons, the federal government warns the authorities and the population of forest fires. All forest fires in Switzerland have been systematically recorded since 2008. On behalf of the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) maintains a forest fire database with over 10,000 incidents to date.

Effective measures

The federal government makes personal recommendations on how individuals should behave before, during and after a forest fire. The cantons on the northern side of the Alps benefit from the experience of the southern cantons and are preparing for an increasing risk of forest fires. In particular, good co-operation between the forestry services and the fire brigades is important. Examples of measures include

Spatial planning measures

Construct buildings and facilities at a sufficient distance from the forest (in accordance with spatial planning legislation)

Technical measures

Optimise the water supply in endangered areas with extinguishing water basins, hydrant networks and barriers for the damming of water bodies
Improve weather, humidity and wind forecasts

Organisational measures

Creating alarm dispositions
Raise awareness to prevent forest fires
Specialise forestry and fire brigade personnel with training and further education on forest fires
Provide prevention measures such as fire brigade patrols or information boards in case of high fire risk

Ticino and Valais lead the way

On the southern side of the Alps, forest fire management has been in place for many years and is being continuously expanded. The cantons of Valais and Ticino are leading the way. In Ticino, in addition to a mountain fire brigade specialising in forest fires, there is also a Forest Fire 2020 concept, which was developed in collaboration with the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), among others. In addition to prevention, technical and organisational measures and extinguishing, this also includes post-fire management.

Forest knowledge, forest fire concept Ticino

Chronicle

Devastating forest fires in Switzerland

1943

One of the largest forest fires in Switzerland destroyed around 550 hectares of forest on the Calanda near Chur (GR) on 20 August. The fire raged for three days and nights and over 3600 firefighters were deployed.

Aletschreservation, Waldbrand am Nordhang des Riederhornes, vom Gipfel gesehn

1973

There were 180 forest fires in southern Switzerland - a record for the century. The flames destroyed around 1600 hectares of forest.

1997

An impressive example of the consequences a forest fire can have was seen in Ronco sopra Ascona (TI) in spring. In addition to 100 hectares of forest, at least 200 hectares of protective forest were damaged. When thunderstorms with heavy rain hit a few weeks later, the protective function failed. A mudslide broke loose and caused extensive damage.

2003

One of the largest forest fires in Switzerland broke out on 13/14 August in the protection forest above Leuk (VS). Rising mountain winds caused the fire to spread right up to the tree line. The fire destroyed 300-400 hectares of forest and 260 people were evacuated. The property damage caused by the fire totalled around CHF 7.6 million.

ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Bildarchiv / Fotograf: Schneider, Reto / Com_LC1609-001-002 / CC BY-SA 4.0

Waldbrand im Wallis auf dem Gebiet von Erschmatt und Leuk

2011

On 26 April, a fire broke out above Visp (VS). Exceptionally dry conditions and strong winds favoured the spread of the fire. The forest fire was quickly brought under control thanks to a large-scale operation by the fire brigade. More than 100 hectares of protective forest were destroyed.

Forest fire management in the canton of Valais and lessons learnt from the Visp fire in 2011 (wsl.ch)

ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Bildarchiv / Fotograf: Photoramacolor AG / AIC_02-0I-741020-004 / CC BY-SA 4.0

2023

The forest fire above the municipality of Bitsch (VS) destroyed an area of over 100 hectares. The fire meant that the protective function of the forest was partially lost, which is why rockfall can occur more frequently.

Cascade of natural hazards

Natural hazards can sometimes lead to a chain of events. Forest fires primarily destroy protective forests and can play a role in other natural hazards: