Wallonia permanently bans traffic in the burned areas of the High Fens

The Walloon Minister of Agriculture and Rurality, in charge of Forests, Nature, Hunting and Fishing, prohibits public access for an indefinite period to the forests and nature reserves of the High Fens, across part of the territory of the Verviers, Malmedy, and Elsenborn forest districts. The decision, signed in Namur on August 31, 2026, was published in the Belgian Official Gazette on October 8, 2026, under reference C − 2026/007284 (p. 53494). It repeals the ministerial decree of August 17, 2026, which limited the prohibition to August 31 inclusive.

The decree is based on the decree of July 15, 2008, relating to the Forestry Code (Article 14) and the nature conservation law of July 12, 1973. The targeted perimeter is that represented on the map annexed to the decree, which covers part of the three concerned forest districts. The text bears the signature of A.-C. Dalcq.

The quantified reasons put forward by the Minister are as follows:

• a fire declared in the High Fens on August 14, 2026, which ravaged more than 3,300 hectares before being contained on August 19, 2026;
• a flare-up observed within the burned perimeter on August 27, 2026, which required additional support;
• exceptional drought in August 2026 noted by CELEX on August 10, 2026, based on the SPI-3 index provided by the Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium;
• the use of reinforcements from various Belgian rescue zones, responders from other Member States, and the European assistance system.

A risk of reignition linked to peat

The Minister justifies the indefinite duration by the very nature of the environment: peat continues to smolder underground, and the risk of reignition remains real despite recent rainfall. This risk is expected to remain active for several weeks, or even several months, as demonstrated by peatland fires in Canada or France.

The danger is not limited to fire. Trees whose roots have been affected may fall without warning, and many paths, boardwalks, and signage or orientation panels have been destroyed or damaged, increasing the risk that walkers may get lost in an environment that has become difficult to navigate.

What the measure changes in practice

Article 1 prohibits public access within the perimeter until further notice. The provided exceptions are limited:

• activities specifically authorized by the head of the forest district, by way of derogation from the decree;
• activities related to firefighting and the securing of the burned perimeter;
• restoration operations, if some can already take place.

The prohibition is announced either by the sign whose model appears in Annex 3 of the Walloon Government decree of May 27, 2009, or by the posting agreed upon within the provincial crisis committee. The decree of August 17, 2026, is repealed and the new text takes effect on the day of its signature.

Urgency and procedure

The Minister dismissed the request for an opinion from the Nature Reserve Management Commission, citing the urgency related to the crisis situation. The urgency is specifically justified by the fact that the situation evolves day by day, depending on the weather and potential fire flare-ups, and that immediate decisions may prove necessary. The text refers to Article 3, § 1, of the laws on the Council of State coordinated on January 12, 1973.

The Minister emphasizes that no direct economic interest likely to be harmed by the prohibition has been identified in the perimeter to date, which, in her view, makes the measure proportionate. Crisis management continued through the end of August, with daily provincial crisis committees, and the presence of onlookers was deemed likely to hinder operations.

Scope for walkers and residents

For the inhabitants of Verviers, Malmedy, Elsenborn and the surrounding areas, access to the forests and reserves within the perimeter remains closed with no announced deadline: the measure will only be terminated by a new ministerial decision of repeal or modification. Walkers, cyclists, and other users must therefore consider these zones as prohibited for a duration measured in weeks, or even months, and not in days.

Source: Belgian Official Gazette of October 8, 2026, ministerial decree of August 31, 2026, temporarily prohibiting public traffic in the forests and nature reserves of the High Fens, over a part of the territory of the Verviers, Malmedy, and Elsenborn forest districts, reference C − 2026/007284, p. 53494.