A total of 66,482 hectares of forests were affected by the drought in Catalonia during 2023. This is a record figure that doubles that registered in 2022 and greatly exceeds the 40,000 hectares of 2012, the year with the highest record so far. according to the monitoring carried out by Deboscat, a tool promoted by the Acció Climàtica department and coordinated by the Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF) with the support of the Rural Agents.
“What we analyze is to what extent the forest is stressed, which causes the leaves to dry out, fall, and the death of the trees,” details Mireia Banqué, CREAF researcher. These 66,482 hectares are the sum of the new areas impacted by the lack of water and high temperatures, about 30,000, and those of the previous year. Other factors that alter these ecosystems are the appearance of pests, poor forest management and high tree densities. Catalan forests are in a critical situation.
According to the managers of Acció Climàtica, who this morning presented the data in Sant Martí Sapresa (La Selva), one of the regions most affected by the impact of the drought, “it is the worst campaign of the whole series”, which began in in 2012.
The more than 66,000 hectares of surface area affected by the 2023 drought are approximately equivalent to the area of ??the island of Menorca. They also represent triple the hectares burned in the last ten years in Catalonia.
One of the differences of the latest analysis in relation to other years is the impact of the drought on coniferous specimens, such as pines or firs that have not been able to withstand the three accumulated years of water stress and have ended up dying, according to Mireia Banqué, who explains coordinates the Deboscat project.
The high mortality of red pine stands out, characteristic of higher latitudes, in regions such as Osona or Moianès. The white pine, however, more adapted to Mediterranean climates, has held up better.
The lack of accumulated water has also impacted oak forests, cork oak forests, holm oak forests and beech forests. Banqué explains that these species “are adapted to the Mediterranean climate and to suffering episodes of drought” and have a greater “capacity for regrowth.” However, the episode of three consecutive years without rain has also taken its toll.
The drought has also weakened them and they have become more vulnerable to pests and fungi. The area affected in 2023 was more than 40,000 hectares, with holm oak and cork oak as the most damaged species. “Most are recoverable; If the rainfall situation improves in the coming years, we will see what happens with these species,” Banqué explained.
The poor health of forests, whether due to the presence of dead or diseased trees, increases the risk of forest fires. The general director of Boscos i Gesció del Medi, Anna Sanitjas, explained today that despite the greening of some forests due to the rainfall in recent weeks, “the danger of fire is still latent.”
To reduce the mass of forest fuel and the risk of large fires, the Generalitat has opened an aid line worth 5.2 million euros, aimed at private owners affected by the drought. 75% of Catalonia’s forest area is in private hands.
“The rains in May help, and this month has not been so hot, but we are not even close to turning the page,” concludes Banqué.
