Austrian District Now Has Forest Plans for Fire Response

Why this is here: Reinhard Schuller dedicated several hundred hours to developing the forest plans, which map 17,000 hectares of woodland in the Gänserndorf district.

In Gänserndorf district, Austria, officials recently completed forest management plans for all 44 local communities. The plans address lessons learned from a large forest fire in September 2024 that challenged local fire departments. District Governor Claudia Pfeiler-Blach highlighted the completion of the plans, a project that began in July 2025 and finished in April 2026.

These forest plans detail roads, water sources, and the accessibility of forest paths for emergency vehicles. Reinhard Schuller, a retiring fire service veteran, invested hundreds of hours and made numerous phone calls to create the maps. The plans cover 17,000 hectares of forest and also include locations of infrastructure like wind turbines and power stations.

Each community received both paper copies and digital versions on tablets. Schuller hopes the plans will not be needed, but anticipates they will be updated and expanded over time. Further work is needed to maintain current information in the rapidly changing forest landscape.