Fires in Summer 2000
(IFFN No. 23 - December 2000, p. 84-87)
According to the Statistic Bureau of Corpo Forestale dello Stato, over 10 000 wildland fires have burned more than 95 000 hectares across Italy (45 000 of which forested) as of 3 September 2000. Officials are calling it the worst wildfire season in recent history, probably much worse than 1993.
A long, severe drought, with below normal rainfall and air temperature increased in the upper 40’s °C in many parts of Southern Italy for days in July and August, with records of 48°C in July, together with winds that made fighting very difficult, have been the biggest influencing factor of this disastrous phenomenon, whose increasing trend is evidenced by Tables 1 and 3. In many days, fire departments were called on more than 170 fires a day.
The problem as been common for other people living in South Europe, suffering under an extreme heat wave. The southernmost Regions (Puglia, Calabria, Campania) together with the islands of Sardinia and Sicily keep the negative record of fires also this year, confirming that fires are usually more numerous in Regions with low forestry ratio, such as Puglia (7.7) and Sicily (10.1) (Tab.2). Most of the fires are believed to be intentionally caused.
In many cases, heavy fires have threatened houses, residential areas and small towns, where residents have been cautioned to leave their homes or evacuated. In addition, wildfires have severely swept many protected areas (namely nature reserves and national parks such as Pollino, Gargano, Abruzzi) and areas of celebrated beauty, such as island of Capri, the pine stand of Ostia, near Rome, the coast near Amalfi.
Tab.1. Number of fires, surfaces (total and decade averages) in Italy, 1970-2000.
Source: Corpo Forestale dello Stato.
Year
Number of
fires
Surfaces affected
Forested
Non-forested
Total
ha ha ha Total 1970-1979 64 259
503 409
366 681
870 090
Average 1970-1979 6 426
50 341
36 668
87 009
Total 1980-1989 115 752
534 397
937 101
1 471 498
Average 1980-1989 11 575
53 440
93 710
147 150
Total 1990-1999 111 638
553 059
632 667
1 185 726
Average 1990-1999 11 163
55 305
63 266
118 576
1999 6 932
39 362
31 755
71 117
2000 10 038
44 808
50 768
95 576
Tab.2. Forest fires in Italy in 2000 (1 January – 3 September 2000).
Source: Corpo Forestale dello Stato.
Region
Number of fires
Surfaces affected by fire
Forested
Non-forested
Total
Forestry
Ratioha
ha ha VALLE D'AOSTA 92
9
16
25
29.3
PIEMONTE 366
1 442
3 098
4 540
25.9
LOMBARDIA 317
1 237
1 623
2 860
25.1
TRENTINO A.A. 74
63
46
109
49.6
VENETO 72
125
63
188
19.1
FRIULI V.G. 27
28
19
47
36.9
LIGURIA 363
1 850
888
2 738
69.1
EMILIA. ROMAGNA 138
120
152
272
20.5
TOSCANA 427
1 375
467
1 842
42.7
UMBRIA 117
354
134
488
39.8
MARCHE 61
465
117
582
23.1
LAZIO 615
5 043
2 391
7 434
27.1
ABRUZZO 125
1 599
3 018
4 617
29.8
MOLISE 263
193
1 354
1 547
29.2
CAMPANIA 1 590
5 145
5 195
10 340
27.9
PUGLIA 639
4 615
10 880
15 495
7.7
BASILICATA 342
2 528
2 969
5 517
29.5
CALABRIA 2 091
11 716
5 963
17 679
38.3
SICILIA 844
2 284
3 592
5 876
10.4
SARDEGNA 1 475
4 617
8 763
13 380
40.5
Total 10 038
44 808
50 768
95 576
9.5
Tab.3. Forest fires in Italy from 1970 to 1999: Number, surfaces per year and decades.
Source: Corpo Forestale dello Stato.
Year
Number of
firesSurfaces affected Forested
(ha)Non forested
(ha)Total
(ha)1970
6 579
68 170
23 006
91 176
1971
5 617
82 339
18 463
100 802
1972
2 358
19 314
7 989
27 303
1973
5 681
84 438
24 400
108 838
1974
5 055
66 035
36 909
102 944
1975
4 257
31 551
23 135
54 686
1976
4 457
30 735
20 056
50 791
1977
8 878
37 708
55 031
92 739
1978
11 052
43 331
84 246
127 577
1979
10 325
39 788
73 446
113 234
Total
64 259
503 409
366 681
870 090
Average 1970-1979
6 426
50 341
36 668
87 009
1980
11 963
45 838
98 081
143 919
1981
14 503
74 287
155 563
229 850
1982
9 557
48 832
81 624
130 456
1983
7 956
78 938
133 740
212 678
1984
8 482
31 077
44 195
75 272
1985
18 664
76 548
114 092
190 640
1986
9 398
26 795
59 625
86 420
1987
11 972
46 040
74 657
120 697
1988
13 588
60 109
126 296
186 405
1989
9 669
45 933
49 228
95 161
Total
115 752
534 397
937 101
1 471 498
Average 1980-1989
11 575
53 440
93 710
147 150
1990
14 477
98 410
96 909
195 319
1991
11 965
30 172
69 688
99 860
1992
14 641
44 522
61 170
105 692
1993
14 412
116 378
87 371
203 749
1994
11 588
47 099
89 235
136 334
1995
7 378
20 995
27 889
48 884
1996
9 093
20 329
37 659
57 988
1997
11 612
62 775
48 455
111 230
1998
9 540
73 017
82 536
155 553
1999
6 932
39 362
31 755
71 117
Total
111 638
553 059
632 667
1 185 726
Average 1990-1999
1 1163
55 305
63 266
118 576
Contact address:
Vittorio Leone
Faculty of Agriculture
Department of Vegetal Crops
Section Sylviculture
University of Basilicate
85100 Potenza
ITALYE-mail: leone@unibas.it
| Top | IFFN No. 23 | Specials | Country Notes |