More than half of the forest fires recorded across Türkiye last year were caused by negligence, with over 40,000 hectares of land damaged, according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
The ministry's latest figures show that Türkiye battled 3,224 forest fires in 2025. Of these, 1,753 fires were linked to negligence, making it the leading cause of forest fires nationwide.
Despite the rise in fire risks associated with climate change, Türkiye's forest resources continued to expand.
Forest inventory studies show the country's forest area increased from 20.2 million hectares in 1973 to 23.36 million hectares in 2023. The figure reached 23,363,084 hectares in 2024 before climbing further to 23,375,331 hectares last year.
Today, forests cover around 30% of Türkiye's total land area, according to the ministry, open-canopy forests account for 9.48 million hectares, representing 41% of the country's forests, while closed-canopy forests make up the remaining 59%, covering 13.89 million hectares.
The country's high forests totaled 22.13 million hectares last year, while coppice forests covered 1.24 million hectares.
Türkiye's growing stock, measured according to the volume and distribution of trees with trunk diameters exceeding 8 centimeters (3.1 inches), reached 1.81 billion cubic meters during the 1973-2025 period. Annual tree growth also increased to approximately 51 million cubic meters in 2025.
The number of forest fires has increased in recent years, with experts pointing to climate change, prolonged periods of high temperatures and low humidity as factors increasing wildfire risks.
Türkiye recorded 3,399 forest fires in 2020, followed by 2,793 in 2021 and 2,160 in 2022. The number rose to 2,579 in 2023 before reaching a record 3,797 in 2024. Last year's total declined to 3,224, although it remained among the highest annual figures in recent decades.
The 2024 total of 3,797 fires remains the highest recorded since nationwide statistics began 37 years ago.
The area burned by forest fires reached 20,971 hectares in 2020 and surged to 139,503 hectares during the severe wildfire season of 2021 before falling to 12,799 hectares in 2022.
The damaged area measured 15,520 hectares in 2023, increased to 27,485 hectares in 2024 and climbed sharply to 81,473 hectares last year.
Forest fire causes are categorized as intentional, negligence or accidents, natural causes, and unknown.
Negligence continued to account for the largest share of incidents in 2025, with 1,753 fires destroying 40,032 hectares.
Authorities also recorded 160 intentionally set fires, which damaged 3,546 hectares, while 279 fires caused by natural factors, including lightning, affected 269 hectares.
Another 1,032 fires of unknown origin burned 37,626 hectares, according to the ministry.
Türkiye also expanded internationally recognized forest certification as part of efforts to strengthen sustainable forest management.
Independent certification bodies inspect forests to ensure management practices comply with international environmental standards.
Certified forests represented 42.3% of the country's total forest area in 2024. That share increased to 48.7% in 2025 after an additional 1,491,221 hectares received certification.
The ministry also expanded ecotourism initiatives, with the number of designated forest routes for ecotourism and recreation rising 12.9% over the year to 140.
Meanwhile, government support programs aimed at reducing pressure on forests and improving livelihoods in forest villages benefited 10,830 families in 2025.
Under economic assistance programs, the number of families receiving support for traditional handicrafts and home-based crafts increased from 142 in 2024 to 773 last year.
