Legal Analysis of Forest Fires

The climate zone and forest vegetation structure of Turkey, especially the Mediterranean and Aegean regions, are very sensitive to forest fires. In Turkey, an average of 2000 forest fires occur each year. When the causes of fire in the last 10 years in Turkey are examined, it is seen that 48% of them are human caused. When the rate of fires with unknown offenders is equally distributed, it is seen that this rate reaches 71%. However, the number of fires with unknown offenders of forest fires is 39.1% when the data of the last 5 years are examined. For this reason, it is possible to state that human caused forest fire causes are above 71%. When the legislation on forest fires is examined, it can be stated that the sanctions are deterrent. However, it should be emphasized that the main problem is the lack of public awareness and the lack of development activities of the administration. Forest legislation and administrative measures in Turkey are post-fire focused. All planning is done in this direction and resources are spent for these purposes. In the study, the legislation on forest fires in Turkey was examined. In addition, forest fires crime has been analyzed according to the principles of criminal law. Finally, legal determinations were made regarding the burned forest areas after forest fires and suggestions were made.