Why forest fires are common in Himachal Pradesh?

Topics Covered: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

Why forest fires are common in Himachal Pradesh?

Context:

Himachal Pradesh frequently witnesses forest fires during dry weather conditions.

Recently, a forest fire which started near Kullu raged for several days before being brought under control. Forest fires were also reported in Shimla and other parts of the state.

What is the forest cover of Himachal Pradesh?

Although two-thirds of the total geographical area of Himachal Pradesh is legally classified as forest area, much of this area is permanently under snow, glaciers, cold desert or alpine meadows and is above the tree line.

As per the Forest Survey of India, the effective forest cover is around 28 percent of the total area which amounts to 15,434 square kilometres.
Chir Pine, Deodar, Oak, Kail, Fir and Spruce are some of the common trees found here.

How fire prone are these forests?

Except for periods of precipitation in monsoon and winter, the forests remain vulnerable to wildfires.

In the summer season, forest fires occur frequently in the low and middle hills of the state, where forests of Chir Pine are common.
During the post-monsoon season and in winters, forest fires are also reported in higher areas, including parts of Shimla, Kullu, Chamba, Kangra and Mandi districts, where they usually occur in grasslands.

Causes of the fire

Natural causes such as lightning or rubbing of dry bamboos with each other can sometimes result in fires, but forest officials maintain that almost all forest fires can be attributed to human factors.

Setting up of temporary hearth to cook food by the herdsman and minor forest produce gatherer may leave behind a smouldering fire, it can develop into a forest fire.
Also, when people burn their fields to clear them of stubble, dry grass or undergrowth, the fire sometimes spreads to the adjoining forest.
A spark can also be produced when dry pine needles or leaves fall on an electric pole.

What is done to prevent and control forest fires?

To prevent and control forest fires the following can be done:

Forecasting fire-prone days using meteorological data,
Clearing camping sites of dried biomass,
Early burning of dry litter on the forest floor,
Growing strips of fire-hardy plant species within the forest, and
Creating fire lines in the forests are some of the methods to prevent fires (fire lines are strips in the forest kept clear of vegetation to prevent the fire from spreading).

Way forward:

In 1999, the state government notified forest fire rules which restrict or regulate certain activities in and around forest areas such as lighting a fire, burning agricultural stubble or undergrowth (ghasnis) and stacking inflammable forest produce such as dried leaves and firewood.

For such activities, the state forest department has a fire protection and fire control unit.

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