As Albania recovers from a summer of devastating wildfires, locals and experts are eyeing a long road back to save its shrinking forests from intensifying disasters.
As Albania recovers from a summer of devastating wildfires, locals and experts are eyeing a long road back to save its shrinking forests from intensifying disasters.
In some of the worst blazes to ever hit Albania, nearly 60,000 hectares (nearly 150,000 acres)—or around 2% of Albania’s landmass—burned when blazes swept across parts of southern Europe earlier this year, according to data from the European Forest Fire Information System.
For the small, developing nation, the toll was hefty—killing one person, destroying dozens of homes, and reducing vital forests to ash.
«Forests are very important, and they need time to regenerate», Armand Kisha told AFP, standing in the ruins of his carpentry workshop which was destroyed when fires ripped through the central Gramsh region in August.
As he tries to rebuild after also losing his home and livestock, Kisha mourns the pine forest that had surrounded him since his childhood.
«We won’t see green pines here like before. It’s a catastrophe», he said.
Even as the smell of charcoal lingers, the local fire department is warning of the need to rapidly restore the forest, ahead of the wet winter months.
«This natural disaster could lead to deadly floods», Ilir Llapushi, head of the Gramsh firefighting unit, said.
