Agriculture
Of Alessandro Fragalà – 01 Lug 2024
In 2023, Sicily and Calabria contributed over 83% of the total Italian forest areas affected by large forest fires.
Sicily alone, with 101 km² of burned forest area, accounted for 64% of the national total burned in 2023.
These data emerge from the activities of the Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), which processes the data on fires provided by the European Forest Fires Information System of the European Copernicus Emergency program, using artificial intelligence applications for the recognition of ecosystems involved. More generally, in 2023, Italy was hit by forest fires which affected a total area of 1,073 km², a figure only lower than that of 2021 in the last six years. Compared to 2022, the numbers have increased, with a 36% increase in total burned areas and a 6% increase in forest areas alone.
The Sicilian province most affected by the fires was Palermo with 43.5 km² burned, representing 43% of the regional forest total and 28% of the national forest total burned in 2023. The provinces of Messina and Syracuse also suffered serious damage, with 23 and 10 km² of burned forest area respectively.
Between 24 and 28 July 2023, approximately 80 km² of forest area was burned (about 20 km² per day), almost half of the annual total. In August and September, the daily average of burned forest was 0.3 km². Another significant event occurred between 17 and 23 September, when another 20 km² of forest were burned (about 2.8 km² per day). As for 2024, from 1 January to 31 May, the total area affected by forest fires was 39 km², of which almost 12 km² of forests and woods. Again, 80% of the areas affected by fires, both total and forest, are located in the regions of Sicily and Calabria.
