FOREST FIRES

Forest fires continue to rage in Odisha after the state recorded 642 large fire incidents from March 2-9, 2023 the highest in the country during the period, according to the Forest Survey of India (FSI) data. On March 9, the eastern state recorded 96 major fires in different jungles also the highest in the country. From all the other states combined, 189 active fire incidents were reported on the same day, according to FSI.

2. What is a forest fire?

• A forest fire is an uncontrolled fire occurring in vegetation more than 1.8 meters (6 feet) in height. These fires often reach the proportions of a major conflagration and are sometimes begun by combustion and heat from surface and ground fires.
• A big forest fire may crown that is, spread rapidly through the topmost branches of the trees before involving undergrowth or the forest floor.
• As a result, violent blowups are common in forest fires, and they may assume the characteristics of a firestorm.
• Though forest fire is often seen as harmful, several forests are specifically fire-adapted; the species of plants and animals native to those ecosystems are enhanced by or dependent on the occurrence of fire to persist and reproduce.
• Lightning strikes in a dry forest occur naturally, and fire can improve ecosystem health by reducing competition, fertilizing the soil with ash, and decreasing diseases and pests. some plant species even require fire for their seeds to germinate.
• In many regions that have historically experienced forest fires, such as forested areas of the western united states, years of fire exclusion and suppression in the 19th and 20th centuries allowed fuels to accumulate, altering the vegetation communities present and leading to more extreme conflagrations when fires do occur.
• The use of prescribed fire, in which areas are burned intentionally and under controlled conditions, can restore those ecosystems and promote the conditions that were present historically before the removal of wildfire.

3. Causes of Forest Fires

• Natural causes like lightning can set fires on trees which may be spread by wind. Sometimes, High atmospheric temperatures and dryness (low humidity) offer favorable circumstances for a fire to start.
• Man-made causes are usually the ones that become dangerous. Fire is caused when a source of fire like naked flame, cigarette, electric spark, or any source of ignition comes into contact with inflammable material.
• Other human-led causes are land clearing and other agricultural activities, maintenance of grasslands for livestock management, extraction of non-wood forest products, industrial development, settlement, hunting, negligence, and arson.

4. Types of forest fires

• Surface fire: Spread along the surface litter (leaves, twigs, dry grasses) on the forest floor.
• Ground fire: Fires in the subsurface organic fuels, such as duff layers under forest stands, burn underneath and are often ignited by surface fires.
• Crown fire: A Crown fire is one in which the crown of trees and shrubs burn, often sustained by surface fire.

5. Forest fires in Odisha

• A sudden jump in the incidents of fires across Odisha resulted in a massive loss of flora and fauna in the state's forests.
• A prolonged dry spell since October 2022 and the accumulation of inflammable material such as dry leaves are some of the reasons that started these forest fires.
• Some of the fires may have also been caused by human-made reasons. The tribal people set fire to forests for shifting cultivation, and collection of mahua flowers and kendu leaves.
• Forests are set on fire to cultivate turmeric in the Baliguda forest division in the Kandhamal district.
• Regeneration of the forests will be affected due to wildfires. The seeds which are supposed to germinate in the monsoon rain get burnt due to ground fires in the forest areas, affecting the forest growth.
• Forest fires result in the loss of timber, fruit-bearing trees, and medicinal plants. They also pose a threat to wildlife and their habitat areas.
• The forest department did not learn from the 2021 forest fires when a record 51,968 forest fire incidents occurred in the state. Massive fires had broken out in Similipal National Park in the Mayurbhanj district, which is one of the major biospheres of Asia.

6. Mitigation measures by the Government

• The incidence of forest fires in the country is on the increase and more area is razed each year.
• The major cause of this failure is the slow and gradual approach to the problem.
•  Both the national focus and the technical resources required for sustaining a systematic forest fire management program are lacking in the country. 
• Important forest fire management elements like strategic fire centers, coordination among Ministers, funding, human resource development, fire research, fire management, and extension programs are missing.
• Taking into consideration the serious nature of the problem, it is necessary to make some major improvements in the forest fire management strategy for the country.
• The Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change has prepared a National Master plan for Forest Fire Control. The Forest Survey of India (FSI) monitors the incidence of wildfires.

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