Wildfires have always been part of many forest ecosystems. But the latest global data shows something increasingly difficult to ignore: forest fires are becoming larger, more frequent and a bigger driver of global tree cover loss.
Research from the University of Maryland, analysed by the World Resources Institute (WRI), shows that between 2001 and 2025, forest fires burned more than twice as much tree cover each year as they did two decades ago.
In tropical regions, the increase is even more significant, with fire-related tree cover loss rising to more than three times its earlier level.
And this isn't just a story about forests.
As fires become more severe, they release more carbon, damage ecosystems, threaten communities and make it harder for forests to continue playing one of their most important roles: removing carbon from the atmosphere.
So what's driving the increase, and what can we actually do about it?
Climate change is helping fuel bigger fires
There isn't one single reason why wildfires are getting worse.
But climate change is an important part of the picture.
As global temperatures rise, heatwaves are becoming more frequent and intense. Higher temperatures dry out vegetation and soils, while drought can leave forests much more vulnerable to ignition and rapid fire spread.
That creates a dangerous cycle.
Hotter and drier conditions → more severe fires → more carbon released → more warming.
When forests burn, the carbon stored in trees, vegetation and soils is released into the atmosphere. In some ecosystems, severe fires can also damage the forest's ability to recover and store carbon in the future.
That means forests aren't simply victims of climate change. Increasingly, they're becoming part of a feedback loop that can make the problem worse.
Forest fires are becoming a bigger cause of forest loss
The scale of the change is particularly striking.
According to WRI's latest analysis, fires were responsible for around 43% of global tree cover loss each year between 2023 and 2025.
That's a significant increase from the period between 2001 and 2022, when fires accounted for around 27% of annual tree cover loss on average.
And 2024 was the most extreme year for forest fires since the dataset began in 2001.
The impacts continued into 2025, which remained one of the worst years on record.
This matters because forests do far more than provide somewhere for trees to grow.
They support biodiversity, protect soil and water, provide livelihoods and communities with resources, and store enormous amounts of carbon.
When large areas of forest are lost or degraded, those benefits are put at risk.
It's not just a problem in remote forests
It's easy to think of forest fires as something that happens in distant parts of the world, vast forests in Canada, the Amazon or Russia.
But increasingly, wildfires are affecting places much closer to home.
France is a good example.
As we write this, parts of France are experiencing severe wildfires during another hot and dry summer, with thousands of people having to evacuate as fires spread through parts of the country.
And France isn't an isolated case.
Across Europe, hotter temperatures, prolonged periods of dry weather and increasingly extreme heat are creating conditions in which wildfires can spread more quickly and become harder to control.
Spain, Portugal and Greece have all experienced major wildfire seasons in recent years, while countries across the Mediterranean are facing increasing fire risk as the climate changes.
The consequences extend well beyond the forests themselves.
Wildfires can destroy homes and infrastructure, disrupt businesses and tourism, damage ecosystems and create dangerous air pollution. They can also release large amounts of carbon that had been stored in trees and soils.
And as more people live, work and build infrastructure close to areas at risk of fire, the potential impact becomes even greater.
Wildfires aren't simply a problem for forests. They're increasingly a problem for communities, businesses and the wider economy too.
Which makes protecting and restoring healthy, resilient forests more important than ever.
So, what can we do?
There isn't one solution to the growing risk of wildfires.
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is essential. So is protecting the forests we already have, restoring degraded landscapes and making forests more resilient to drought, heat and fire.
And that means looking beyond simply planting more trees.
Good forest management, protecting existing ecosystems, reducing deforestation and supporting local communities all have an important role to play.
But restoration matters too.
Where forests have been lost or degraded, well-designed restoration projects can help rebuild ecosystems, support biodiversity and create landscapes that are better able to withstand future pressures.
The answer isn't one action. It's a combination of actions that work together.
What does this mean for businesses?
For businesses, climate change can sometimes feel like a problem that's happening somewhere else.
But extreme weather, changing temperatures and environmental degradation can affect supply chains, operating costs, infrastructure and the communities businesses depend on.
And businesses don't need to solve all of this on their own.
They can start by understanding their environmental impact, reducing emissions where they can and supporting credible projects that protect and restore the natural world.
Not everything has to happen at once. But it does need to start somewhere.
For some businesses, that might mean measuring their carbon footprint.
For others, it might mean changing how they use energy, travel, source materials or manage waste.
And it could also mean supporting projects that restore forests, plant trees or remove plastic from the environment.
These actions don't replace one another.
They add up.
Want to start taking environmental action?
At Switch2Zero, we help businesses take practical steps towards a more sustainable future, from understanding and reducing their carbon footprint to supporting environmental projects such as tree planting.
