Over 174 Hectares of State Forest Land in Central Java Affected by Wildfires

Central Java has seen more than 174 hectares of state forest land succumb to fires in the last 1.5 months, according to the provincial Environmental and Forestry Service (DLHK). Officials predict this figure will climb as the dry season continues.

Over 154 separate fire incidents have been recorded, impacting state forest areas managed by Perhutani. The DLHK attributes the increase in fires to the ongoing El Nino phenomenon. "The increase has been quite significant indeed," stated Soegiharto, head of Environmental and Forest Protection at DLHK.

While preventative measures were taken before the dry season, including public warnings against land burning, many fires originate from clearing sugarcane fields, some of which are within forest boundaries. "Most of the forest and land fires are in sugarcane fields, production forests with teak trees, the lower parts, which are burned. That's quite a lot," Soegiharto explained.

Fires have been reported across Central Java, including in Blora, Klaten, Grobogan, Sragen, and Wonogiri. Although community land has also been affected, state forest areas have suffered the most. The DLHK is still assessing the material losses incurred. Soegiharto believes most fires are not intentional, with some possibly starting from unattended small fires that spread rapidly, especially in dry conditions. However, he noted that fires in sugarcane fields are often deliberately set after the crop is harvested, a practice detectable by satellite.

Separately, the Central Java Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) reported 232 forest and land fire incidents statewide from January to August 23, 2026.