Brandenburg scientist seeks fire‑resistant forest to curb wildfires

German forest ecologist Professor Jens Schröder is testing tree species that could survive extreme heat and drought, aiming to create a forest that will rarely burn. In a recent ARTE documentary, Schröder highlighted the German oak as “extremely fire‑resistant” and is also evaluating the Australian red oak, Chinese honey locust and Moroccan pistachio for their tolerance to high temperatures.

The work comes as Europe faces a surge in wildfires: in 2025, Germany saw a 30‑fold increase in burned area, while Portugal lost three percent of its land, Spain endured its worst season in three decades, and France’s southwest burned up to 2 000 hectares per hour. Firefighters in Greece’s Attica region remain on constant alert. Schröder’s research aims to combine fire‑resistant species with water‑sparing strategies to mitigate the growing climate‑driven fire risk.

The project is part of broader attempts across the continent to develop resilient forests that can endure the hotter, drier conditions projected for the coming decades.