Smoke from Canada's forest fires covers southern Germany in a haze

Smoke from Canada's forest fires covers southern Germany in a haze

The days in southern Germany are currently presented in a milky guise, and that has its origins far away - in Canada. The reason for the thick “veil” over German lands is the devastating forest fires that are currently raging in the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. As the South German newspaper reports, the German Weather Service (DWD) has determined that the smoke reached Europe along westerly winds across the Atlantic.

Such a cloud of smoke has been hovering over Germany since Monday, while neighboring countries such as France, Switzerland, Austria and Italy are also affected. Satellite images show that the smoke has settled over large parts of the Alpine region. The EU Earth observation program Copernicus had already confirmed the previous week that the smoke arrived from Canada on its way to Europe. This leads to cloudy days and spectacular red-orange sunsets, but are not expected to have a significant impact on air quality at ground level.

Forest fires and their spread

The causes of the massive fires in Canada include exceptional drought and strong winds. According to the national wildfire report, there were at times over 100 fires in different regions. A further look across the globe shows that large forest fires have also been raging in southeastern Russia - particularly in the Republic of Buryatia and the Transbaikalia region - since April. There, too, when materials are burned, so-called pyrocumulonimbus clouds are created, which drive the smoke high into the atmosphere, while the smoke moves towards China and northern Japan. Cloud formations like this were once again expected to reach European airspace Weather.com analyzed.

But what happens next? Forecasts suggest more plumes of smoke could reach Europe in the coming days. But don't worry: the air quality near the ground is expected to remain stable as the smoke mainly lingers in higher air layers.

Forest fire prevention in focus

In view of this almost dramatic situation, it is important to know that everyone can contribute to forest fire prevention. Experts, such as environmentalist Johann Goldammer, point out that promoting biodiversity and carbon sequestration is also linked to less management of our forests. The handling of dead wood in particular is at the center of a comprehensive discussion: it may be considered fuel, but it also stores water and carbon.

The Federal Environment Agency recommends converting conifer monocultures into more diverse mixed forests. In order to take action beyond this, we can adhere to the four rules of the “Brennpunkt Wald” awareness campaign:

• Kein offenes Feuer im Wald oder in Waldnähe entzünden.
• Grillen nur auf speziellen Grillplätzen erlaubt.
• Rauchen im Wald von Anfang März bis Ende Oktober verboten.
• Keine glimmenden Zigaretten aus dem Auto werfen und Autos nicht im Wald oder auf trockenem Gras abstellen.

It is important to develop a good knack for how we treat our forests in order to prevent future fires while at the same time enjoying the natural wonders that the coming days offer us.