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Photographer: Torbjörn Esping and MSB

When Wildfire Meets War – What Sweden Can Learn from Ukraine

Page reviewed:  29/10/2025

When bombs fall, it’s not only battlefields that burn. Across Ukraine, war has turned entire forests into dangerously flammable landscapes – and researchers are working to understand what this means for tomorrow’s crisis response.

Maksym Matsala, a researcher at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), maps how fires burn landscapes in war-affected areas. Using satellite data, his work reveals how shelling, dead trees, and abandoned farmlands create a new kind of fire risk – one where the flames can no longer be reached or controlled.

At the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB), Jenny Sander, a biologist and fire ecologist, works to strengthen Sweden’s ability to handle forest fires. After two decades of experience with both prescribed burning and strategies to strengthen Sweden’s fire preparedness, she focuses on building bridges between research, government agencies, and landowners.

Together, they offer perspectives from two different realities – one from war-torn Ukraine, the other from Sweden’s forests – but with a shared goal: to strengthen society’s resilience when the fire comes.

Fires You Cannot Extinguish

“Near the front line, nothing that flies can be used. The areas are mined, the resources are tied up in the war – fires are often left to burn until they threaten communities.” — Maksym Matsala

Across large parts of Ukraine, the ground remains littered with unexploded ammunition, making many forested areas impossible to reach. When artillery breaks tree canopies, more light reaches the ground and dense, fast-growing vegetation can take over. The result is deeper fuel beds and fires that spread rapidly – sometimes across roads.

Matsala points out that the problem is not only the war itself, but a long-standing system focused on reaction rather than prevention.

“Forest managers historically relied on suppression response,” he says. “But preparedness is about shaping the landscape before that happens.”

Swedish Preparedness – Strong Response, Weak Prevention

In Sweden, the conditions are entirely different. Forests are accessible which enables rescue services to quickly respond to most fires and aerial resources can assist when conditions are challenging. As a result large wildfires are rare. But even here, says Jenny Sander, there is an imbalance between reactive response and preventive work.

“It’s always easier to fund helicopters and airplanes you can see than preventive work that might never be tested,” she says. “But we need the full toolbox – mapping, measures, and trained people – before the big fire comes.” - Jenny Sander

The wildfires of 2018 exposed how quickly Sweden’s emergency response capacity can be stretched when multiple fires erupt at once. Since then, MSB has strengthened the country’s overall preparedness by improving how rescue services coordinate large-scale incidents through regional command centers. The agency has also expanded national reinforcement resources and enhanced mechanisms for international support, ensuring that assistance can be mobilized and coordinated more efficiently when needed. 

“Where cooperation between rescue services and the forestry sector already existed, fires were contained more efficiently,” says Sander.

 Private Responsibility, Shared Benefit

Matsala believes that Sweden has a crucial advantage: private forest ownership.

“When forests are owned locally, there’s both responsibility and motivation to protect them. In Ukraine, all forests are state-owned – and when something belongs to everyone, it often belongs to no one,” he says.

Sander agrees, but stresses that ownership also brings obligations.

“Forest owners already carry significant responsibility for preventing and monitoring fires on their land. It works well for many, but we need clearer guidelines and more support so that everyone has the tools to take that responsibility,” she says.

MSB is therefore working with the Forestry Research Institute of Sweden to bring together key stakeholders in developing joint recommendations. The aim is to provide forest owners with practical tools and clear guidance to strengthen their preparedness — long before a crisis occurs.

Cooperation Across Borders

Although the war in Ukraine represents an extreme situation, both experts see knowledge exchange as essential. For Sweden, it’s about learning in time.

“The war shows how quickly a landscape can change when resources are stretched thin,” says Matsala. “If we prepare for the worst-case scenario, we’ll be stronger when the smaller ones come.”

For Sander, preparedness extends far beyond wildfires.

“Resilient forests and strong local and international cooperation make society robust – no matter whether the next crisis is fire, flooding, or storm,” she says.

Further Reading

Five Lessons Sweden Can Learn from Ukraine for Future Fire Resilience.

 


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