FOREST FIRE

            The  word “fire”  evolved from the  Greek word “pyra” meaning growing  embers. Fire is actually the heat  and the light that results when three  elements i.e. fuel, oxygen and the source  are combined. The other elements, which determine  the behavior of the fire, are weather, the landscape  and the presence of the fuel.

            Recent forest fire in Australia has been alarmed the world, this can be understood, need urgent measures in combating forest fire  which highly impacted the ecosystem. Let us see how India prepared forest fire.

 Why forests fire?

            Forest  fire may  be defined  as an unclosed  and freely spreading combustion  that consumes the natural fuels.  Combustion. More than ninety five percent  forest fires are caused either by negligence or unknowingly by the human being. The rest of the fires are caused by natural reasons i. e. lightning, extreme rise in the temperature etc., which are very rare. In general all over the world the main causes  of forest fires are anthropogenic. According to FAO report “Fire Management- Global Assessment ”, regional estimates of human induced forest fires as follows:

a. Mediterranean- 95%

b. South Asia 90 %

c. South America 85

d. North America 80 %

e. Balkan countries 59 %

The natural causes of forest fires are common in remote areas only.

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Causes of forest Fire :

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Adverse impacts of forest fire:

·       Forest fires are a major cause of degradation of forests/environment.

·       Loss of valuable timber resourcesForest fires cause indispensable loss to timber and deteriorate its quality. Valuable timber species like teak, sal, chir, deodar, sheesam , rosewood etc. are adversely affected by fire.

·       Impact of forest fire on eco- system:The uncontrolled fires in such areas help in spreading pine forest at the cost of indigenous oak forest, which is very serious threat to the ecological balance.

·       Degradationofwatercatchmentsareasresultingintolossofwater-After forest fire, soil moisture is decreased and litter decomposition becomes almost negligible, which creates a possibility of forest fire in future.

·       Loss of wildlife habitat and depletion of wildlife- Forests are the habitat of many wild animals.Forest fire dramatically impacts the animal.

·       Loss of natural vegetation and reduction of forest cover- As a result of fires, millions of hectares of the forest area turn to ashes and remains of no use.

·       Global warming- One of the major culprits of climate change is forest fire. The immediate effect of vegetation burning is the production and release of gases including carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, non-methane hydrocarbons, nitric oxide, methyl chloride and various other gases, which are released and returned to the atmosphere in a matter of hours.

·       Socio-economic impact- Fire is a major factor of destruction of human settlement and often causes deterioration of site by subsequent increased erosion.

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            The Government of India took numbers of the progressive steps for protection, preservation and management of forests fires, including:

I. The Indian Forest Service was revived in 1966 to ensure co-ordinated professional management of Forests.

2. government initiated National plan forest fire management. :considers Forest Fire Management as an integral component of forest management planning,

3.Since the year 2005, FSI has been monitoring forest fires across the country using inputs received from MODIS satellite system, a joint collaboration of NASA.

4.Institutional Setup for Forest Fire Management and stakeholders coordination. example :the Forest Protection Division, headed by Inspector General (IG) level officer looks after the forest fire management work at National level with the cooperation of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

5:Policy framework :Develop/ update forest fire manuals for field staff guiding them in simple way to detect/ report about and suppress forest fire.

6. Assess and monitor forest fire risks and enhance sustainable application of warning systems :Increased capacity in generating relevant warning, increased understanding of warning systems by forest management functionaries and sustained support and coordination between the partner organizations

7 Knowledge management, capacity building and awareness generation:Use knowledge and training to build a culture of innovation, safety and resilience, and institutionalize training on FFM for Forest Department, other role players and also at community levels.Example:Central Fire Management Research and Training Institute.

8 Technical options for forest fire management:Increased capacity to manage forest fire, involving community and using a variety of tested technical interventions.

Systematic Strategic planning effective forest management :

·       Publicity and extension- Covering preparation of publication/extension material e.g. pamphlets, handouts, circulars, posters and media programs through TV, radio, video tapes, etc.

·       Training and education- Designing syllabus for planning, management and ground level firefighting courses in Forestry Institutions.

·       Strengthening of organizational framework- Though appropriate modification and alteration in State Forest Departments’ structural framework and providing sufficient human power.

·       Research and development, by strengthening the existing and introducing new R&D institutions dealing with forest fire management.

·       Establishment of National Forest Fire Danger Rating System- Designing uniform.

·       Contious Monitoring,  evaluation and updating  prescription- Designing uniform formats for reporting, monitoring and evaluation.