Veliki gozdni požari v Sloveniji

V članku predstavljamo temeljne značilnosti velikih požarov v naravi v Sloveniji. V uvodu obravnavamo njihovo pogostost in geografsko razširjenost na svetovni in evropski ravni, ki je največja na evropskem jugu in prav tako na slovenskem jugu. V nadaljevanju opisujemo značilnosti velikih požarov, imenovanih megapožari. V poglavju o gozdnih požarih v Sloveniji v obdobju 1995–2019 predstavimo njihovo prostorsko, časovno in velikostno razporeditev in pojavljanje, ki ga pojasnimo z lastnim meteorološkim požarnim indeksom. Posebej obravnavamo sto največjih požarov in opisujemo njihove temeljne značilnosti, kot so velikost, vzroki in vremenske razmere. V zadnjem delu podajamo pregled temeljnih izzivov pri upravljanju požarne nevarnosti in ogroženosti ter izpostavljamo področja, na katerih bi bilo smiselno uvesti ali nadaljevati preventivno ukrepanje. // Large forest fires in Slovenia This article presents the basic characteristics of large wildfires, for which the term ‘forest fire’ has become common in Slovenian. The introduction discusses their frequency and geographical distribution, focusing on southern Europe and southern Slovenia, after which the characteristics of large fires, also called ‘megafires’, are explained. The section on forest fires in Slovenia presents their spatial, time and size characteristics for the period from 1995 to 2019 and explains their occurrence with the author’s own meteorological fire index. The hundred largest fires are treated separately, describing the characteristics that distinguish them from smaller fires. The last part provides an overview of the basic challenges in managing fire hazard and risk, highlighting areas where it would be useful to introduce or continue preventive measures.