Forest fire

INTRODUCTION
 The most common hazard in forests is forests fire. They pose a
threat not only to the forest wealth but also to the entire regime to
fauna and flora seriously disturbing the bio-diversity and the
ecology and environment of a region.
 During summer, when there is no rain for months, the forests
become littered with dry senescent leaves and twinges, which
could burst into flames ignited by the slightest spark.
 Forest fire causes imbalances in nature and endangers biodiversity
by reducing faunal and floral wealth. Traditional methods of fire
prevention are not proving effective and it is now essential to raise
public awareness on the matter, particularly among those people
who live close to or in forested areas.

CAUSES OF FOREST FIRE
 Causes of forest fires can be divided into two
broad categories: environmental (which are
beyond control) and human related (which
are controllable).

ENVIRONMENTAL CAUSES
 Many forest fires start from natural causes
such as lightning which set trees on fire.
However, rain extinguishes such fires without
causing much damage.
 High atmospheric temperatures and dryness
(low humidity) offer favorable circumstance
for a fire to start.

 Environmental causes are largely related to
climatic conditions such as temperature,
wind speed and direction, level of moisture in
soil and atmosphere and duration of dry
spells.
 Other natural causes are the friction of
bamboos swaying due to high wind velocity
and rolling stones that result in sparks setting
off fires in highly inflammable leaf litter on the
forest floor.

HUMAN RELATED CAUSES
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.
Human related causes result from human activity as well as
methods of forest management. These can be intentional or
unintentional, for example:
 Grazers and gatherers of various forest products starting small
fires to obtain good grazing grass as well as to facilitate gathering
of minor forest produce.
 The centuries old practice of shifting cultivation (especially in the
North-Eastern region of India and inparts of the States of Orissa
and Andhra Pradesh).
 The use of fires by villagers to ward off wild animals
 Fires lit intentionally by people living around forests for recreation

 The causes of forest fire have been increasing
rapidly. The problem has been accentuated by the
growing human and cattle population. People enter
forests ever more frequently
to graze cattle, collect wood, timber and other minor
forest produce. It has been estimated that 90% of
forest fires in India are man-made

TYPES OF FOREST FIRE
 There are two types of forest fire i) Surface Fire and ii)
Crown Fire .
SURFACE FIRE
o A forest fire may burn primarily as a surface fire,
spreading along the ground as the surface litter
(senescent leaves and twigs and dry grasses etc)
on the forest floor and is engulfed by the
spreading flames.

CROWN FIRE
 The other type of forest fire is a crown
fire in which the crown of trees and
shrubs burn, often sustained by a
surface fire. A crown fire is particularly
very dangerous in a coniferous forest
because resinous material given off
burning logs burn furiously. On hill
slopes, if the fire starts downhill, it
spreads up fast as heated air adjacent
to a slope tends to flow up the slope
spreading flames along with it. If the
fire starts uphill, there is less likelihood
of it spreading downwards.

EFFECT OF FOREST FIRE
 Loss of valuable timber resources
 Degradation of catchment areas
 Loss of biodiversity and extinction of plants and animals
 Loss of wildlife habitat and depletion of wildlife
 Loss of natural regeneration and reduction in forest cover
 Global warming
 Loss of carbon sink resource and increase in percentage of
CO2 in atmosphere
 Change in the microclimate of the area with unhealthy living
conditions

 Soil erosion affecting productivity of soils and
production
 Ozone layer depletion
 Health problems leading to diseases
 Loss of livelihood for tribal people and the rural
poor, as approximately 300 million people are
directly dependent upon collection of non-timber
forest products from forest areas for their livelihood.

THE NEEDS OF THE FIRE MANAGEMENT
 The incidence of forest fires in the country is on the increase
and more area is burned each year. The major cause of this
failure is the piecemeal approach to the problem.
 Both the national focus and the technical resources required
for sustaining a systematic forest fire management
programme are lacking in the country. Important forest fire
management elements like strategic fire centres,
coordination among Ministries, funding, human resource
development, fire research, fire management, and extension
programmes 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 and Forests, Government of India,
has prepared a National Master Plan for Forest Fire Control. This
plan proposes to introduce a well-coordinated and integrated fire-
management programme that includes the following components:
 Prevention of human-caused fires through education and
environmental modification. It will include silvicultural activities,
engineering works, people participation, and education and
enforcement. It is proposed that more emphasis be given to
people participation through Joint Forest Fire Management for fire
prevention.

 Prompt detection of fires through a well coordinated
network of observation points, efficient ground
patrolling, and communication networks. Remote
sensing technology is to be given due importance in
fire detection. For successful fire management and
administration, a National Fire Danger Rating
System (NFDRS) and Fire Forecasting System are
to be developed in the country.
 Fast initial attack measures.
 Vigorous follow up action.

 Introducing a forest fuel modification system at
strategic points.
 Firefighting resources.
Each of the above components plays an important
role in the success of the entire system of fire
management. Special emphasis is to be given to
research, training, and development

CASE STUDY
THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE & PESHTIGO FIRE
 The Great Chicago Fire
was a conflagration that
burned from October 8, to
October 10, 1871, killing
hundreds and destroying
about 3.3 square miles
(9 km2) in Chicago.
 Though the fire was one of
the largest U.S. disasters of
the 19th century, the
rebuilding that began
helped develop Chicago as
one of the most populous
and economically important
American cities.

 The traditional account of the origin of the fire is that it was
started by a cow kicking over a lantern in the barn , but the
official report could not determine the exact cause.
 The fire's spread was aided by the city's use of wood as the
predominant building material, a drought prior to the fire, and
strong winds from the southwest that carried flying embers
toward the heart of the city. More than ⅔ of the structures in
Chicago at the time of the fire were made entirely of wood.
 After two days of the fire burning out of control, rain helped
douse the remaining fire. City officials estimated that more
than 300 people died in the fire and more than 100,000 were
left homeless.

 The Peshtigo Fire was a forest fire that took place on October 8,
1871 in Peshtigo, Wisconsin, Coordinates 45.05°N 87.75°W. On
the same day as the Peshtigo and Chicago fires the cities of
Holland and Manistee, Michigan, across Lake Michigan, also
burned.
 On the day of the fire, a cold front moved in from the west,
bringing strong winds that fanned smaller fires and escalated them
to massive proportions. A firestorm ensued.
 By the time it was over, 4,860 km² or 1.2 million acres of forest
had been consumed. Twelve communities were destroyed. An
accurate death toll has never been determined because local
records were destroyed in the fire. Between 1,200 and 2,500
people are thought to have lost their lives.

Forest fire

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Forest fire