Rising mercury fuelling forest fires in Kangra

Ravinder Sood

Palampur, May 2

The summer is at its peak and forests on fire. In Kangra district, pine forests have been devastated. As the locals are not ready to cooperate, officials of the Forest Department are helpless.

The officials said only early monsoon could bring the situation under control. “But this year, rains may hit the region after June 25,” said an official.

Between April and June, forests in the middle and lower hills of the state catch fires, keeping the officials on their toes. Apart from disturbing the fragile flora and fauna, the fires cause a huge damage to trees and wildlife. The Himalayan pine variety of the state is highly valued for its superior timber.

The pine forests are considered to be biotic climax forests and controlled fires are beneficial for their growth, even though uncontrolled blazes damage soil, water, wildlife and the environment. Controlled burning destroys the inflammable material which gets accumulated on the forest floor. An estimated 2 tonnes of pine needles are shed over one hectare of forest annually. As the mercury rises, the highly inflammable needles virtually transform the pine forests into tinder boxes. A senior official of the department admitted that this year, they could not take preventive measures like controlled burning of forests and maintenance of fire lines in the absence of adequate funds. He said the department carried out the controlled burning over a limited forest area in the state.

As per norms, the controlled burning has to be carried out at least over one-third of the total forest area.