Forest fires in 2026 and the hunting season opening

Forest fires and hunting are now a central concern for anyone who manages a hunting ground in France. The summer of 2026 is shaping up as a record season, with burnt areas far exceeding those of 2025 and a fire season that started early. A hunting ground manager can no longer ignore the impact of forest fires on wildlife, safety and the public perception of hunting.

More than 42,000 hectares have already burnt in France between January and mid-July 2026, nearly five times the average for the same period over 2006-2025. The authorities remind us that 9 out of 10 fires are caused by humans, which means every action in the field can prevent or trigger a fire. Forest fires also fuel debate: some organisations are calling for the hunting season to be suspended or delayed in affected areas, in the name of protecting animals already weakened.

You get up at 5 one Saturday morning in August. The sky is red, the thermometer already reads 28 degrees and the Mistral is blowing hard. You have planned a wild boar driven hunt in a wooded area behind the village. Everything is ready: the beaters are called, the stands allocated, the packed lunch stored. Yet uncertainty hangs over you. Is the forest area open? A prefectoral order (arrete prefectoral) published last night at 11 pm could cancel everything. This situation is no longer exceptional. Every summer, many departments temporarily close their forest areas. For a hunting society chairman or a driven hunt leader, ignoring these regulations exposes you to an immediate fine, serious legal liability and, at worst, a fire. Here is what you need to check, decide and apply in 2026.

Understanding the link between forest fires and hunting

An unprecedented 2026 context

2026 is shaping up as one of the most destructive years ever recorded in France for forest fires. Between 1 and 8 July, nearly 7,800 hectares were burnt, far more than for the whole of July 2025. By 13 July, more than 32,000 hectares had already burnt since the start of the year, exceeding the whole of the 2025 season.

European EFFIS data shows more than 42,000 hectares burnt between January and mid-July, five times the average for the same period in previous years. Repeated heatwaves, with temperatures above 40 degrees in some regions, are drying out soils and making forests far more flammable. In this context, the issue of forest fires and hunting becomes central for all rural stakeholders.

Growing regulatory pressure

Faced with this risk, the state has stepped up prevention and response, with national campaigns urging “the right habits to prevent and protect against fires” and land and air resources mobilised specifically for the 2026 season. In several regions, framework orders define risk levels (low, moderate, high, very high) and associated activity restrictions.

These measures cover woods and forests plus a 200-metre band around them, which directly affects hunting grounds that extend over or border forest areas. When the level rises to “high risk” or “very high”, temporary orders can prohibit certain activities or limit access to forest areas, including hunting. Forest fires and hunting therefore require constant attention to prefectoral announcements.

To check whether your territory is affected, see the 2026 hunting season dates.

A public debate that concerns you

Forest fires and hunting fuel a lively debate between animal protection organisations and hunting representatives. Some NGOs are calling for the hunting season to be postponed by several months, arguing that fires and heatwaves have severely weakened wildlife. They present forest fires and hunting as a double pressure on animals: habitat destruction followed by the resumption of hunting on exhausted or injured animals.

For their part, hunting representatives point out that hunting does not cause fires and remind us that 9 out of 10 outbreaks are linked to various human behaviours, often unconnected to hunting. They also highlight the role of hunting in regulating game populations, particularly wild boar, which can concentrate in certain areas after forest fires.

Impacts of forest fires on wildlife and hunting grounds

Wildlife severely affected

Large-scale fires destroy thousands of hectares of habitat, killing many species outright: small game, ground-nesting birds, reptiles and mammals. In areas such as Fontainebleau or certain southern forests, thousands of hectares have burnt, leaving charred landscapes where wildlife must find its feet again.

Beyond animals killed in the fire, many are injured, disoriented or exhausted. Cases of roe deer or hinds wandering into gardens or along roadsides have been reported after forest fires. This heightens public sensitivity and requires hunters to take a responsible approach on affected grounds.

Changed game behaviour

After a fire, some species, particularly wild boar and roe deer, move to less affected areas or quickly recolonise forest areas as soon as vegetation regrows. In the Aude, the Corbieres mega-fire created refuge zones where wild boar concentrated, taking advantage of temporarily little-frequented spaces.

These behaviour changes directly influence crop damage, collision risks and pressure on neighbouring grounds. Forest fires and hunting therefore call for a fresh reading of your maps, with game movements to follow closely so you can adjust harvest plans and regulation actions.

Hunting grounds weakened but not condemned

A hunting ground hit by forest fires may temporarily lose some of its appeal, especially if buildings, high seats or reception facilities have been destroyed. However, the Corbieres example shows that a resilient restoration strategy is possible, through targeted improvements (tracks, water points, brush clearing, monitoring).

For a hunting ground manager, forest fires can also become an opportunity to rethink management: creating quiet zones, showing environmental commitment, communicating openly about restoration efforts.

Adapting hunting on a ground affected by forest fires

Check the rules before taking any action

Before scheduling a hunt on a ground affected by forest fires, check the current prefectoral orders first. Prefets specify the risk level, permitted or prohibited activities, and the periods during which these restrictions apply.

Systematically check:

• the website of the departmental prefecture;
• communications from your departmental hunting federation (FDC);
• updates to framework orders on fire risk.

Adjust harvests and hunting zones

On a ground scarred by forest fires, the harvest plan should not stay fixed. It makes sense to:

• reduce harvests in the most weakened zones;
• favour unburnt or peripheral sectors, where wildlife is less stressed;
• adapt hunting methods to limit excessive disturbance (fewer heavy driven hunts, more targeted stalking).

In the Aude, the resumption of wild boar hunting in the burnt forest areas was organised in stages, taking into account animal presence but also safety and territory reconstruction. This example illustrates how forest fires and hunting can be reconciled, if decisions remain finely adapted to the terrain.

Communicate clearly with your hunters and guests

Forest fires and hunting are sensitive subjects. A hunting ground manager should therefore:

• explain the rules as soon as the invitation goes out;
• remind everyone of the instructions before departure (no fire, no cigarette butts, caution with vehicles);
• be clear about prohibited or restricted zones.

Practical examples of best practice

In some departments, orange or red alerts have led to bans on several forest activities, including motorised circulation and some leisure activities. Some hunting grounds have voluntarily suspended outings on the most critical days, showing their seriousness about forest fires and hunting.

Some managers have also organised post-fire visits with hunters to observe the state of the ground, explain management choices and strengthen commitment to a responsible approach. These examples show that how you handle forest fires and hunting directly affects your image and relations with your neighbours.

What regulatory texts apply in 2026?

Fire prevention rests on three legal pillars every organiser should know. The Code forestier (Forestry Code, articles L. 134-1 to L. 134-6)2 governs access and behaviour in forest areas. Decree no. 2019-715 of 5 July 20191 specifies prevention measures and access restriction conditions. Finally, each prefect issues prefectoral orders depending on the DFCI (Forest Fire Defence) risk level.

These texts create three distinct restriction levels. Most hunters mix them up, yet they do not have the same scope or the same penalties.

The closure of the forest area prohibits access. You therefore cannot physically hunt there. The hunting ban targets the act of hunting even if the path remains open to the public. Finally, the fire-carrying ban often applies over a wider area than the closed forest area alone. A hunter who respects the forest closure but lights a cigarette nearby commits a separate offence.

How do you prevent fire risk on the day of the driven hunt?

A morning checklist lets the driven hunt leader settle any doubt in under two minutes.

1. Check the prefecture website and the local DFCI portal before 6 am. Look for the day’s order.
2. Check the fire risk level: it runs from 1 (low) to 6 (exceptional). Above level 4, closure is almost systematic.
3. Remind everyone at the briefing of the total ban on smoking and lighting fires in the forest area. Insist on compliance without exception.
4. Check the beaters’ vehicles: clean spark arrestors, avoid parking on dry grass, keep a fire extinguisher within reach.
5. Remove stoves and barbecues from the packed lunch. Plan thermos flasks and cold meals. Store food in the shade, away from grass.

During the driven hunt, adapt how you run the drives. Avoid unmaintained tracks where grass touches the exhaust. Do not leave engines idling in a forest car park. If you spot any smoke, even light, immediately raise the alarm on 18 or 112. A fire tackled in the first ten minutes is often a fire brought under control.

We have worked with societies in the south-west during the driest summers. Their recurring problem: checking at dawn whether the forest area is open. A chairman from the Landes told us he had to cancel twelve beaters by text at 6 am after finding the prefectoral order published at midnight. That cancellation avoided a collective fine and, above all, a real risk of fire.

What should you do if a prefectoral order closes the forest area on the day of the driven hunt?

A forest closure on the morning of the hunt means cancelling the driven hunt. The prefectoral order takes precedence over your licence, your harvest plan and your tags. Hunting in a closed forest area is an access violation punishable by law.

The procedure is simple but must be followed without delay. As soon as you read the order, send a message to all participants. A group text is enough. Keep a copy of the message and the read receipt. If you use a management app, mark the outing as cancelled so that nobody turns up by mistake.

Immediately suggest a postponement. If another sector of your territory remains open, consider moving the driven hunt. This assumes you have up-to-date hunting ground mapping and know the exact boundaries of each order. Be aware that the closure applies by forest area, not always by whole department. An accurate map prevents you from cancelling a driven hunt that could take place three kilometres away.

Here is a sample message to adapt:

Driven hunt on [date] cancelled. The [name] forest area is closed to the public by prefectoral order until [date]. Postponement proposed on [new date] in the [name] sector. Please confirm receipt.

Keep a record of the cancellation for the society’s accounts and attendance records. A driven hunt cancelled due to regulatory force majeure does not give rise to compensation, but it must appear in the report to justify non-harvest on the harvest plan and quotas.

How do you manage your ground and game after a fire?

After a fire, the territory often remains inaccessible for several weeks or even months. This closure directly disrupts game distribution and completion of the harvest plan.

The first consequence is geographical. Burnt zones are closed to access until the ONF (Office national des forets, the national forestry office) or the owner has secured the tracks and parcels. You must reallocate stands and concentrate hunting pressure on intact sectors. If the burnt territory represents a large proportion of the area, consider reducing harvests or changing quota allocation to avoid over-hunting the remaining zones.

From a hunting perspective, game behaviour changes quickly. Wild boar returns first to burnt zones, attracted by herbaceous regrowth and roots accessible in warmed soils. Roe deer, more cautious, holds back and falls back to untouched edges. Hare takes advantage of open spaces. This redistribution requires resuming night observations to adjust harvest plans and not shoot on sight at disoriented animals.

Stand safety requires a field inspection before any resumption. Toppled trees, unstable soils and charred branches create real dangers. Do not reinstall a fixed stand without express permission from the forest manager. Restoration work is the responsibility of the owner or the ONF. The hunting society should not take part without prior agreement.

Conclusion

Forest fires and hunting are no longer a distant or one-off subject. In 2026, they are a permanent reality, with burnt areas already exceeding previous years and a fire season starting earlier. For a hunting ground manager, ignoring these changes means putting wildlife, safety and the image of hunting at risk.

By understanding the impact of forest fires on your grounds, following prefectoral rules and adapting your harvests and practices, you can turn a constraint into an opportunity. You show that your ground is managed seriously, that you respect the fragility of the environment and that you play an active part in fire prevention.

Take an hour this week to map your sensitive zones, tracks and water points in Mes Chasses, then draft your “forest fires and hunting” instructions for the season. This simple step can protect your territory, your wildlife and your reputation for years to come.

References