Tenerife Forest Fire 2023 — Burn Severity Map & Satellite Analysis

About this fire

The Tenerife forest fire of August 2023 was the worst wildfire in the Canary Islands in 40 years. Ignited on 15 August in the Corona Forestal natural park — the pine-clad slopes around Mount Teide — it burned for over two weeks across rugged, inaccessible terrain that made ground firefighting nearly impossible. Aerial units dropped water continuously but the fire was ultimately contained by favourable weather and firebreaks.

The fire consumed approximately 15,000 hectares of Canary Island pine forest (Pinus canariensis) and high-altitude scrub. Over 12,000 people were evacuated from towns across the island. The timing — mid-August, peak tourist season — amplified the economic disruption to the Canary Islands’ vital tourism economy. Ecologically, the fire tested a species that has evolved with fire: Pinus canariensis is one of the few pines that can resprout after fire, with thick bark protecting the cambium and epicormic buds allowing regrowth from the trunk.

Timeline & severity

Date	Event
15 Aug 2023	Fire ignites in Corona Forestal natural park on the slopes of Mount Teide
15–31 Aug 2023	Fire spreads through rugged, inaccessible terrain; 12,000+ evacuated; aerial firefighting continuous
1 Sep 2023	Fire contained by favourable weather and firebreaks
Post-fire	15,000 ha of Canary Island pine forest burned

The fire’s severity varied across the terrain — steep inaccessible slopes burned more intensely than areas where firebreaks and aerial drops were effective. The recovery will be closely watched by ecologists studying climate-fire-vegetation feedback in Mediterranean island ecosystems.

Satellite analysis

This page presents a dNBR burn severity analysis computed from Sentinel-2 satellite imagery. The map shows the severity gradient across the 15,000-hectare burn scar, and the table quantifies how many hectares fell into each USGS severity class — from unburned through to high-severity stand-replacing fire. This breakdown is critical for prioritising restoration and erosion-control work across the fire’s perimeter.

Read our full guide: What is NBR? →

Recovery outlook

The recovery outlook for Tenerife’s pine forest is cautiously optimistic because Pinus canariensis is fire-adapted: its thick bark and epicormic resprouting ability allow many trees to survive and regenerate after fire. However, recovery speed depends on post-fire rainfall and the absence of repeat fires before the forest re-establishes. Satellite monitoring of NDVI and NBR over the coming years will track resprouting success, identify areas where regeneration is failing, and guide replanting in high-severity zones. The steep volcanic slopes also create significant erosion risk before the canopy regrows.

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