Heat scorched a forested area in Mallorca equivalent to 560 football pitches

Balearics facing increasingly challenging and extreme weather conditions. | Photo: Majorca Daily Bulletin reporter

Humphrey CarterKike OñatePalma12/10/2026 09:46

‘We are facing increasingly challenging and extreme weather conditions. The impact of this drought on our forests shows that forest management is not an option, but an urgent necessity. Only through rigorous planning and ongoing action can we guarantee the survival and health of our natural areas’, explains Anna Torres, Director-General of the Department of the Natural Environment and Forest Management.

This summer has been characterised by extremely high temperatures and a persistent lack of rainfall across the entire Mediterranean coastline. In the Balearics, the situation has been particularly critical in Mallorca and Menorca, where the standardised index of rainfall and water loss from the soil and plants has reached ‘unprecedented’ levels, according to the Regional Ministry of the Natural Environment. In the case of Menorca, in fact, the lowest value in the entire historical drought record has been recorded.

Analysis carried out in September shows that white pine (Pinus halepensis) forests have suffered the most from this year’s drought. Pine mortality totals between 5 and 10 hectares, according to estimates by staff at the Government’s Forest Management Service. In Mallorca, the areas with the most visible damage are located in the interior region, particularly in Inca, Sant Joan and on the sun-facing slope of Puig de Santa Magdalena, as well as at various points in the Migjorn region. In Menorca, the damage is mainly concentrated in the southern half of the island, with particularly affected areas such as Cala Galdana.

Among the holm oak (Quercus ilex) stands, the impact has been particularly concentrated in south-facing areas and on land with very rocky soil in the Serra de Tramuntana, especially between Pollensa and Campanet, as well as in iconic holm oak stands such as that on the Menut public estate in Escorca. Experts from Medi Natural, however, point out that the holm oak is a species capable of regrowth and, therefore, it is expected that a significant proportion of the affected vegetation – which currently appears reddish – will be able to recover with the autumn rains.

Ullastres (Olea europaea var. sylvestris) have shown high resistance to drought conditions, with damage significantly less severe than that recorded during the 2024 episode. In contrast, other scrub species, such as the aladierna or the mata, have suffered more severe water stress, particularly in the areas of the Serra most exposed to the sun.

Jaume Flexas, Professor of Plant Physiology at the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), explains that, whilst definitive data for this year is not yet available, the heat has been particularly intense at midday. “It rained in January and February, but then there was too little rain and the plants have had no water available in the soil. This causes them to suffer an embolism, just as it does in humans, and results in plants that die either completely or partially,” he concludes.