Denada Jushi
July 16, 2025: As I describe the route to the Albanian Riviera, a puff of gray cloud rises over the beautiful crowns of the Duchy.
The warm wind spreads the scent of burning grass and trees, while smoke covers the sky, dimming the strong July sun.
A common sight. Forest fires are no longer summer news, but a recurring crisis that is becoming a permanent danger. The year we left behind, 2024, also marked the year with the largest fires on record.
But behind the flames lie stories more serious than the appearance itself!
The spaces that remain fallow, less oxygen, huge economic losses, communities that used these areas for pastures, now the land is more impoverished and leaves behind an ecological damage that will be felt for decades. This is the reality of a country that burns every summer, while the public conscience sleeps and the institutions remain silent.
During the first half of 2025, the country has faced hundreds of fires that have engulfed forests and pastures.
In the latest report of the National Civil Protection Agency, the most affected regions are Vlora, Lezha and Shkodra.
In 2024, the fires were mostly in forests, while this year the fires were very close to residential areas.
The Ministry of Defense tells Sinjalizo that 2024 was among the most challenging in the last decade, with a much larger area affected by the flames and a significant number of fires recorded throughout the territory.
Causes: Coincidence, carelessness or intention?
For expert Abdulla Diku, these fires are the result of a combination of environmental and human factors, which often reinforce each other and create favorable conditions for the spread of flames.
In most cases, forest fires are caused by human activity, either through negligence or for ulterior motives such as clearing land for agriculture or pasture. Arson is a scourge, which is accompanied by a lack of punishment and effective control. In some cases, over time, buildings also appear in burned areas.
Dean of the Faculty of Forestry Sciences Prof. Dr. Elvin Toromani said that although the law provides for fines and criminal measures for arson, in practice very few cases are punished.
When we talk about fire damage, we usually talk about the area and the value of the timber. But in reality, with every hectare burned, we lose a whole chain of ecological, economic and social functions.
Forests make up over 36% of the country's territory. They are the "lungs" of the country, a reservoir of oxygen, a protector against erosion, and an important source of biodiversity. But society still seems unaware of the importance of forests.
In many cases, burned areas fail to recover naturally and turn into bare soil, which is then at risk of erosion. This process also degrades water resources, reducing the capacity of forests to filter water and protect the soil from landslides, experts say.
Another damage caused by these fires is the climate damage. According to recent estimates, each hectare of burned forest releases about 200–250 tons of CO₂ into the atmosphere. Albania, although a small country, contributes to the increase in global pollution through these fires.
In economic damage analyses, only the value of the burned wood is often mentioned. But as Prof. Dr. Elvin Toromani explains, the real cost includes much more: Loss of biodiversity: approximately 66% of the total damage, loss of hydrogeological protective function (against erosion and landslides): 18%, loss of other forest products (fruits, mushrooms, honey, resin): 4%, loss of timber: only 12%. One hectare of burned forest in Albania damages the economy by about 9,237 euros. The cost of extinguishing a fire, according to data from concrete interventions, reaches 3,500 euros/ha, not including long-term damages.
Invisible invoice
In rural areas, forests are not just a natural environment but a source of livelihood. Many families still collect firewood, forest fruits, medicinal herbs, mushrooms or honey. For livestock farmers, forest pastures are the basis of summer.
A fire that breaks out after it is extinguished leaves many consequences.
In Albania, the word "reforestation" is often used as a political promise. But on the ground, the situation is different.
In forests, recovery for firewood use takes 15–25 years, while for other forest products it takes 5–15 years. For coniferous forests such as pine and spruce, the recovery time is even longer: 30–60 years for construction wood and 10–20 years for products such as resin or resins.
No reforestation intervention is carried out in the burned areas. In many cases, natural regeneration fails due to erosion or extensive soil damage. In place of the former forest, shrubs or bare areas arise, which remain exposed to the risk of new fires.
Why does Albania burn more?
The statistics are relentless. According to data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), Albania has lost an average of 1.56% of its forest area in the period 2010–2023. In comparison, Greece loses 0.57%, Italy 0.72%, while Portugal, the most affected in Europe, reaches 3.27%.
There are many reasons.
Albanian forests are not regularly cleared of dry branches and debris, which serve as "fuel" for fire. Then there is the lack of preventive plans, there is no national strategy with concrete measures for managing the risk of fires.
Lack of interest from municipalities: Municipalities often do not consider forest protection a priority, not even using the minimum funds provided by law (up to 4% of the budget).
However, the Ministry of Defense says that in accordance with its legal mandate, AKMC exercises coordinating, coordinating, leading, technical, supervisory and controlling authority in the field of disaster risk reduction and civil protection throughout the territory of the Republic of Albania and works for prevention, effective response and recovery, through an integrated and efficient civil protection system. But the question that remains is: is it enough?
Albania does not have a long-term strategy for post-fire rehabilitation. Current interventions are emergency and fragmented, often supported by international donor projects. The forest management plan, even when it exists on paper, is not implemented.
Law No. 45/2019 on civil emergencies obliges municipalities to use up to 4% of their budget for prevention and rehabilitation. But in practice, these funds are unused or go to minimal interventions, such as road cleaning or emergency extinguishing.
What can (and should) we do?
Prof. Dr. Elvin Toromani, raises the concern that if action is not taken now, the loss of forest functions will have long-term consequences not only environmental, but also economic and social for the country. A transformative approach is needed, where forests are treated as critical natural capital, not as a resource to be used only in times of need.
On the other hand, Abdulla Diku says that Albania needs an integrated strategy, which includes:
Prevention (silvicultural treatments, undergrowth cleaning).
Monitoring with advanced technology (drones, satellites).
As well as the implementation of strict punitive measures for arsonists.
But from what we see on the ground and from conversations we have had with residents of Rana e Hedhun, which was involved in massive fires last year, we understand that communities must become guardians of the forests.
Arben says that he is now vigilant every day to see small fires and immediately asks for help. "I don't want to experience the hell of the past," he says.
Residents can play an active role in forest conservation.
A national campaign on the importance of forests and the damage caused by fires should be launched every approaching hot season. Education should start in schools and include all age groups.
Albania has lost thousands of hectares of forests in recent decades, some of which may never be restored. After each fire, not only burned logs remain, but also abandoned villages, a weakened economy, and a nature that turns its back on us.
If we don't act now, we will have no forests to protect, and no communities to protect them. We will have only black mountains and ghost towns, where the smoke will remind us not only of the trees lost, but also of the chances we burned ourselves.
Is Albania ready to understand the importance of this issue?
