German Environment Minister Pushes for More Mixed Forests to Prevent Wildfires

Rhineland-Palatinate's Environment Minister Christine Schneider is pushing to increase the proportion of mixed forests in the state, viewing it as a crucial strategy to combat wildfires. Schneider, a member of the CDU party, stated that coniferous trees are inherently fire accelerators, making the presence of deciduous trees extremely important for forest resilience.

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Conifers are fire accelerators per se. The proportion of deciduous forest is extremely important.

"We have stipulated in the coalition agreement that mixed forests are important to us," Schneider said in an interview with the German Press Agency in Mainz. She highlighted that Rhineland-Palatinate is already the most forested state in Germany, with approximately 85 percent of its forests being mixed. Despite this, the minister believes further expansion is necessary.

The strategy for expanding mixed forests involves natural regeneration and, where needed, manual planting. Schneider stressed that forest development must be climate-stable and incorporate a greater variety of tree species, with specific concepts tailored to different locations. For instance, northern areas may require different approaches than others, focusing on introducing suitable tree species.

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We have stipulated in the coalition agreement that mixed forests are important to us.

Beyond forest management, Schneider appealed to the public for extreme caution to prevent fires. She cited examples like carelessly discarded cigarettes and parking hot vehicles on dry fields as potential ignition sources. The minister also expressed dismay at individuals entering restricted areas for photos, endangering themselves and hindering the work of firefighters and disaster relief.

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We want to continue to expand the mixed forests, through nature-based regeneration, but here and there also manually, i.e. with plantings.

"I was speechless in three respects that there are people who go into sealed-off, closed-off areas, probably to take the fastest video or a mobile phone photo and thus also hinder the work of our fire brigades, our disaster control, and put themselves in danger," Schneider said.

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I was speechless in three respects that there are people who go into sealed-off, closed-off areas, probably to take the fastest video or a mobile phone photo and thus also hinder the work of our fire brigades, our disaster control, and put themselves in danger.