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BSW Pushes Federal Fund as Saxony Weighs Targeted Clearance of Munitions-Contaminated Forests

Officials favor limited clearance of access routes due to prohibitive costs.

Overview

  • BSW will file a Landtag motion seeking a nationwide special fund and Bundeswehr pioneer support to clear high-risk forest areas, prioritizing the Gohrischheide.
  • Sachsenforst is drafting a plan to clear selected corridors such as the S89 roadside, public visitor paths and new firebreaks to make firefighting safer.
  • Environment Minister Georg-Ludwig von Breitenbuch rejects full-area decontamination at roughly €1 million per hectare and expects no decision on next steps this year.
  • The Dresden prosecutor attributes the July Gohrischheide blaze to old munitions, and exploding ordnance forced crews to fight parts of the fire from a distance.
  • The Greens call for a public inventory and statewide strategy, while authorities report more than 2,100 tonnes of ordnance recovered since 2012 and a response system focused on reported finds and acute dangers.