Swiss Wildfire Risk Remains Despite Rain As Bans Stay

Swiss forest fire risk remains a concern despite recent widespread rainfall, with absolute fire bans still active in parts of the country as authorities rely on on-site inspections rather than weather forecasts alone.

Recent days brought rain to large parts of Switzerland, prompting many cantons to lower their forest fire danger levels. Stefan Beyeler of the Federal Office for Environment (BAFU) noted that the danger map had remained unusually red throughout the autumn, after wildfire risks began climbing as early as May.

Cantonal Reactions to Autumn Rain

Because forest fire danger levels are nationally coordinated while cantons decide their own protective measures, reactions to the recent moisture varied across regions. While Glarus lifted its fire ban near forests, parts of the Canton of Graubünden maintained an absolute fire ban.

Lukas Schuster, who coordinates wildfire measures in Graubünden, emphasized that local conditions dictate safety rules rather than general weather predictions. Wir beurteilen immer die Ist-Situation, nicht die Prognose, Schuster said, pointing out that low precipitation struggles to penetrate tree crowns to reach the forest floor, leaving autumn foliage dry.

New Automated Risk Models

Authorities have utilized a new computer program to evaluate wildfire hazards since 2023.

The developers benefited from the hot summer. Dank dem heissen Sommer wurde unser Modell von den Kantons oft eingesetzt. Wir haben viel Feedback erhalten, Pezzatti said regarding discrepancies between model calculations and on-the-ground observations that now feed into ongoing software updates.

Ongoing National Coordination and Future Prevention

The Federal Office for Environment updates danger levels online while stressing that public information campaigns remain vital. Beyeler noted that the summer’s dry conditions underscored the importance of preventive measures, which helped limit incidents to smaller fires across Switzerland.

Individual cantons continue to monitor critical zones independently as autumn progresses, maintaining local fire restrictions.