Burned forest area decreased by 68% this year

November 6, 2026 · Bloomberg HT

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry announced that devastation has declined to record levels thanks to early intervention and fleet investments carried out during the 2026 fire season.

Fire Balance Sheet and Losses

Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı shared the 2026 fire data with the public at a comprehensive evaluation meeting he organized. According to ministry data, a total of 6,219 fires were intervened, with 2,111 in forest areas and 4,108 in rural areas. Stating that 75% of the flames started in non-forest lands, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı announced the balance sheet on the matter with the following statements:

'24,527 hectares of forest area were affected by fires. The number of forest fires, which was 3,224 last year, decreased by 35% this year. The decrease in burned forest area was approximately 68%. There was a 21% decrease in the total number of fires.'

Human Factor and Meteorological Risks

Ministry records clearly show that 86% of forest fires are caused by human factors, and 67% of these incidents stem from negligence. Providing information about the causes of ignition and control success in the field, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı said:

'16% of forest fires were caused by accidents, and 3% were due to intentional acts. The share of lightning-induced fires was 14%. Of the 2,111 forest fires this year, 1,766 were brought under control in areas smaller than one hectare. 96% of the fires were extinguished in areas smaller than 10 hectares.'

According to meteorological data, strong winds between July 29-31 and September 7-8 caused 80% of the total damage. During this critical period, wind speeds reached 63 kilometers per hour in Gömeç, while relative humidity dropped to 12% in Çine.

Developing Air and Ground Fleet

Stating that 64% of Turkey's forests are located in sensitive areas, the Ministry reported that teams were directed early against fire risk with a risk map prepared with 40 parameters. Expressing that the number of personnel in the field reached 28,065, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı detailed the existing fleet capacity with the following words:

'The number of aircraft in the air fleet reached 28, and the number of helicopters reached 119. The instant water-dropping capacity was increased to 462 tons. Fourteen Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicles were used for monitoring forests and early detection of fires. We increased our aircraft deployment locations to 69 in 2026 with the addition of 11 new points. We increased our number of fire trucks to 1,953, our first response vehicles to 2,766, and our construction machinery to 878. These teams were deployed at 1,600 different points.'

Comparison of Turkey with International Data

Within the scope of infrastructure investments, 56 new ponds were built, increasing the total number of water supply points to 4,852. Evaluating the fire observation systems established in the field, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı noted:

'These pools play a critical role in our aircraft's access to water in challenging geographies. Today, we have 776 fire observation towers nationwide. 194 of these serve as smart observation towers.'

The Ministry also touched upon global forest loss rates, reporting that total losses were 1.24% in Canada, 1.23% in the US, 1.09% in Spain, and 0.54% in Greece. Pointing to Turkey's position compared to global losses, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı summarized the situation as follows:

'Our country is at a level of 0.1%, much lower than all these countries.'

Food Security and Future Goals

Ministry officials will participate in the COP31 summit to be organized in Antalya with the Turquoise Connectivity Initiative, which addresses the water, energy, and food nexus. A report on rural supply chains and food security resilience, prepared in cooperation with IFAD, was announced to the public, and a Regional Center of Excellence will be operationalized to monitor food waste. Additionally, on November 11, National Afforestation Day, tree planting events will be held simultaneously in all 81 provinces under the motto 'Breath for the Future, Peace for the World'.

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