Expert: Grow mixed trees to prevent forest fires

Tribune News Service

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Uttarkashi, July 7

Rammaiya Baudai, an eminent environmentalist from Chamoli, who is in Uttarkashi to promote environment conservation and plantation, says the only answer to check forest fires is to grow mixed forests instead of mono-specific species.

Baudai, speaking to mediapersons in Uttarkashi today, said the presence of chir pine (pinus roxburghii sarg) was the main reason for forest fire as they were fire friendly and damage the region.

Purporting end of such mono-specific chir pine forests, he said in order to mitigate the incidents of forest fire, it was important to grow mixed forests with the presence of varied species. He further said if the chir pine forests were not stopped from growing it would lead to water scarcity and end of the forests in the region.

Baudai said forests in the state were burning for the past two decades and the area of mixed forest was reducing rapidly which needed to be stopped.

He further said the main cause of forest fire was lightning and human carelessness in summer season.

Although, some ecosystems rely on naturally occurring fires to regulate growth, many ecosystems suffer from too much fire and the chir pine forests fall in the latter category, said Baudai.

He also said the tendency of burning forest to make way for fresh grass for fodder should also be avoided especially in chir pine forest regions.

Baudai said the mix of inflammable trees with the ones that were fire resistant would help in mitigating forest fires, therefore, we should promote mixed forest in the larger interest of the ecology of the state.

Baudai informed media that he was running a campaign “Remove chir pine and grow oak trees” in the state and sought the support of the people to join in his movement during monsoons.

He also demanded from the state government to give bonus of Rs 100 per annum to such individuals who work towards growing mixed forest.