In 2023, Palermo was the Italian province most affected by forest fires, with 43.5 square kilometers of forest territory devastated by flames, representing 43% of the regional total and 28% of the national total. This data emerges from the analyses of the Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA), which uses the European Forest Fires Information System of the Copernicus Emergency program and artificial intelligence to identify the ecosystems involved.
The phenomenon of forest fires affected a total of 1,073 square kilometers in Italy, an area less than only 2021 in the last six years, marking an increase of 36% compared to 2022 for the total burned surfaces and 6% for the forest ones. In terms of geographical distribution, Sicily and Calabria contributed to 83% of the Italian forest area affected by large fires, with Sicily alone seeing 101 square kilometers of compromised forest.
The detail of the ecosystems involved shows that 63% of the burned areas were composed of evergreen broad-leaved trees such as holm oaks and Mediterranean scrub, while 17% were occupied by coniferous forests and 15% by deciduous broad-leaved forests, mainly mixed forests with oaks. The data relating to protected areas is also significant, with 43% of the fires affecting sites in the Natura 2000 network.
The peak of the fires occurred between 24 and 28 July 2023, with around 80 square kilometers of forest area lost, almost half of the entire year. Other peaks occurred at the end of September, with a further 20 square kilometers of forest destroyed.
This year, from January 1st to May 31st, the total area affected by forest fires was 39 square kilometers, of which 12 were attributed to forests, with 80% of the fires occurring in Sicily and Calabria.
Authorities continue to monitor the situation and promote prevention and response strategies, to mitigate the devastating impact of the fires on the country’s natural and forest heritage.
