Descrizione 1
Stefania Ercole
The phenomenon of forest fires analyzed based on data collected from 1970 to 2023 by the State Forestry Corps, now CUFA (Carabinieri Forestry, Environmental and Agri-food Unit Command), shows a fluctuating trend, with peak years (1993, 2007, 2017, 2021) alternating with years of decline (2013, 2014, 2018). The presence of fires within Protected Areas is high, with exceptionally large burned areas recorded in certain years, such as 2021 and 2022, when 26,507 hectares and 11,101 hectares were affected by fire, respectively.
The incidence of intentional fires is very high, accounting for approximately half of all recorded events and exceeding 60% in some years (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2020).
This is an impact indicator that illustrates the annual trend, since 1970 of:
- Number of fires
- Burned area (forested, non-forested, total, and average area)
Additionally, it presents:
- Percentage distribution of fires by cause (available from 1998)
- Burned areas within Protected Areas of regions with ordinary statute (available from 2003)
To represent the complex phenomenon of forest fires, highlighting their impact, trends over time, and main causes. This indicator can serve as a tool, alongside others, for assessing the effectiveness of prevention and suppression measures and evaluating the impacts of climate change on wildfire dynamics.
Legge 21 novembre 2000, n. 353 (Legge-quadro in materia di incendi boschivi).
Descrizione 2
RaF Italia, 2017-2018. Rapporto sullo stato delle Foreste e del settore forestale in Italia. Prodotto dalla Rete Rurale Nazionale (RRN 2014-2020); Compagnia delle Foreste (AR).
SNPA, 2021. Rapporto sugli indicatori di impatto dei cambiamenti climatici – Edizione 2021. Report SNPA n. 21/2021. ISBN: 978-88-448-1058-0
Data on burned areas and number of fire events alone are not sufficient to fully assess the extent of damage to different forest formations, which exhibit highly variable resistance and resilience.
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Qualificazione dati
Data accessible upon formal request to CUFA dell'Arma dei Carabinieri - Comando Carabinieri Tutela Forestale, Nucleo Informativo Antincendio Boschivo.
National
1970-2023
Qualificazione indicatore
The indicator is based on forest fire data, as defined by Article 2 of Law No. 353/2000, collected by CUFA Station Commands through the compilation of Fire Event Records (FEI) and further cross-referenced with the administrations responsible for Forest Fire Prevention (AIB) in the Administrative Regions.
For regions and provinces with special statutes, data are extracted from statistics provided by the relevant Regional and Provincial Forestry Corps.
The status is classified as moderate since wildfires continue to affect large areas. While 2022 showed a decline in the number and extent of burned areas compared to 2021, 2023 saw another increase (Figure 1) with 88,806 hectares affected. However, considering the last three years, there has been a positive trend in protected areas, where the burned area decreased from 26,507 hectares in 2021 to 11,101 hectares in 2022, and further to 10,372 hectares in 2023 (Table 2). Nonetheless, the high percentage of intentionally set fires, at 49.9% in 2023, remains concerning.
The trend is not definable, as the overall analysis of data reveals a fluctuating pattern in the occurrence of wildfires, with peak years followed by periods of decline (Table 1, Figures 1 and 2). A particularly critical period occurred in the mid-1980s, followed by years where wildfire levels remained consistently high. From 2001 onwards, there was a progressive reduction, except for three major impact years: 2007, 2012, and 2017. After a decline in 2018, wildfire activity started increasing again from 2019 to 2021 (Figure 1), reaching a peak in 2021 when 151,964 hectares burned across the country.
In the last two years, there has been another increase (Figure 1), with burned areas rising from 71,694 hectares in 2022 to 88,806 hectares in 2023 (Table 1). Intentionally set fires account for more than half of recorded incidents (Figures 3a and 3b), exceeding 60% in some years (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2020).
Dati
Figure 1: Wooded and unwooded area traversed by fire
CFS - State Forestry Corps; CUFA - Carabinieri Corps Environmental and Agri-food Forestry Unit Command
Figure 2: Average area and number of forest fires
CFS - State Forestry Corps; CUFA - Carabinieri Corps Environmental and Agri-food Forestry Unit Command
Figure 1: Wooded and unwooded area traversed by fire
CFS - State Forestry Corps; CUFA - Carabinieri Corps Environmental and Agri-food Forestry Unit Command
Figure 2: Average area and number of forest fires
CFS - Corpo Forestale dello Stato; CUFA - Comando Unità Forestali Ambientali e Agroalimentari dell'Arma dei Carabinieri
Figure 3a: Percentage distribution of the number of fires by cause.
CFS - State Forestry Corps; CUFA - Carabinieri Corps Environmental and Agri-food Forestry Unit Command
Figures refer only to regions with ordinary statutes. As of 2012, a new harmonized European classification for causes was adopted, and for this there are two figures (3a and 3b)
Figure 3b: Percentage distribution of the number of fires by cause.
CFS - State Forestry Corps; CUFA - Carabinieri Corps Environmental and Agri-food Forestry Unit Command.
Figures refer only to regions with ordinary statutes. As of 2012, a new harmonized European classification for causes was adopted, and for this there are two figures (3a and 3b)
The 1970–2023 historical dataset provides a comprehensive overview of wildfire trends in relation to burned areas, distinguishing between forested and non-forested surfaces (Table 1, Figure 1). Annual wildfire numbers show significant fluctuations, with notable peaks in certain years (Figure 2).
Some improvements in wildfire reduction could be attributed to better prevention measures, increased land monitoring, and more effective emergency response strategies.
Comparing to 2017, a critical year in the last decade in terms of burned area (one of the worst years since 1980, as reported in the 2017–2018 Italian State of Forests Report – RaF), the following year (2018) saw a significant reduction in wildfires. The number of incidents dropped from 7,855 in 2017 to 3,220 in 2018. The burned area decreased from 161,987 hectares in 2017 to 19,481 hectares in 2018 (Table 1, Figures 1 and 2).
However, from 2019 to 2021, wildfires increased again, peaking at 5,989 incidents in 2021, affecting 151,964 hectares, 18% of which were in Protected Areas (equivalent to 26,507 hectares – Table 2).
While 2022 saw a temporary decline, 2023 registered another increase (Figure 1). The high proportion of intentionally set fires, which reached 49.9% in 2023 (Figure 3b), remains a major concern.
Wildfire incidence in Protected Areas (data available only for regions with ordinary statute) was exceptionally high in 2007 (60,594 hectares) and 2017 (31,899 hectares), before declining significantly in 2018 (1,440 hectares). It then rose again in 2021 (26,507 hectares), followed by a decrease in 2022 (11,101 hectares) and 2023 (10,372 hectares) (Table 2).