Kangra: Forest officials intensify fire line work to douse flames

Ravinder Sood

Palampur, May 23

Several forest areas in Kangra district have been grappling with fires and to douse the flames, the state Forest Department has stepped up its work to create fire lines across all forest ranges, including in vulnerable areas.

There are two types of fire lines — Kaccha or covered fire lines and Pucca or open fire lines. In Kaccha fire lines, the undergrowth and shrubs are removed, while trees are retained. The Pucca fire lines are clear felled areas separating a forest/compartment/block from another. The length and breadth of the fire line are varied from 3 metre to several metres.

Talking to mediapersons here on Thursday, Deputy Conservator of Forest Sanjeev Sharma said fresh fire lines are being created. He said apart from keeping a strict vigil on the entry of visitors to forests, pine needles are being removed from vulnerable areas.

He urged the people, particularly the right-holders, to come forward to save the forests from fires. The Deputy Conservator of Forest also urged them to make others aware of preventive measures to avoid forest fires and protect forest areas.

“A nationwide movement needs to be launched against forest fires and forest departments need to be strengthened for firefighting. Without participation and support of villagers, it is very difficult to save the forests from the fires,” Sharma said, adding that most of the forest fires were intentional.

The forest fires not only destroy trees, but also displace and put wildlife in danger. Besides, these alter the water cycle, soil fertility and endanger the livelihood of local communities.

According to information gathered by The Tribune, over 20 per cent of the total forest area of the state is prone to fires. High fire-risk pine forests are considered to be biotic climax forests and controlled fires are beneficial for their growth, even though uncontrolled blazes cause severe damage to soil, water, wildlife and the overall environment.

Controlled burning enables to destroy the inflammable material that gets accumulated on the forest floor. Two tonnes of pine needle are shed over one hectare of pine forest annually.

As the mercury rises in the summer, the highly inflammable needles virtually transform the pine forests into tinder boxes. The forests in the middle and lower hills of the state comprising Kangra, Mandi, Hamirpur, Una and Bilaspur districts are vulnerable to fires between April and June, keeping Forest Department officials on their toes.

Himachal Pradesh has one of the richest and the most varied forests in northern India, particularly the Himalayan pine variety that is highly valued for its superior timber.

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