Forest fires

Policies to protect the EU's forests against fire

In March 2026, the Commission launched a new strategy to tackle rising wildfire threat through an integrated approach to risk management. The strategy covers prevention, preparedness, response and recovery. It builds on water resilience and nature restoration, which are key prevention tools.

Preventing wildfires before they start

• The EU Forest Strategy for 2030 supports better fire prevention and stronger, healthier forests. The guidelines on land-based wildfire prevention promote action on the ground such as managing vegetation and reducing the build-up of dry plant material that can help fires spread and make firefighting more difficult.
• The guidelines on closer-to-nature forest management promote selecting and diversifying tree species to make forests less prone to fire, as well as soil protection practices to help forests recover.
• A recent Recommendation from the Council encourages Member States to apply this  approach in ways that reflect their own circumstances, systems and level of risk. It also calls for stronger cooperation between public authorities, land managers, civil society and local communities.
• The European Commission is supporting Member States by helping them build skills and share knowledge on fire prevention, controlled burning, rules, procedures and training.

By the end of 2027, the Commission will present:

• best practices for managing vegetation that can fuel fires, while protecting species, habitats and soils;
• effective approaches to sustainable farming and forest management, based on successful European Union-funded projects.

Strengthening preparedness, response capacity and resilience

The EU is also working to reduce the impact of wildfires that cannot be prevented. Its 2021 Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change calls for faster, smarter and better coordinated action to help people, nature and the economy cope with climate change.

Nature Restoration plays an important role as healthy ecosystems can reduce the impact of floods, droughts and heatwaves. Restored forests are often less vulnerable to fires and drought because a greater variety of tree species can improve resilience. Farming with trees can also help the soil retain moisture and reduce water loss.

The European water resilience strategy supports the creation of landscapes that act as sponges by retaining water, which is crucial for preventing wildfires, as well as better water infrastructure essential for combatting wildfires.