Fire in forestry

"The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit." ~ Nelson Hen

          Forest fires occur annually throughout Nepal and are a major cause of an estimated 1.7% deforestation annually.

These fires cause economic losses and environmental degradation throwing delicate ecosystems out of balance

and threatening valuable and endangered flora and fauna degrading the soil and inducing flood and landslides.

Nepal does not have accurate data about its forest fires, including the severity of their environmental impact or annual economic losses. Community forest organizations do not have systematic plans to reduce risk of fire hazards and prevent the spread of fires.

         Our objectives were to document existing forest fire risk reduction practices; to find out the causes and effects of

forest fires; to outline the role of stakeholders to reduce the risk of forest fires; and to inform the policies and

appropriate mechanisms on forest fire risk reduction in community forests. Data on causes, effects, types, and

frequency of fires was collected from a survey of selected Forest User's Groups and members’ household

surveys. Round table discussions drew upon knowledge and experience of forestry professionals and community

representatives. Six focus group discussions (three each in buffer zone and non-buffer zone) were held to find

the indigenous techniques that community forest organizations were effectively using.

         Top-down approaches have proven inadequate while local populations are the most informative source to gauge

causes and impact of forest fires. Preventive measures that encourage the involvement of community-based

organizations offer the most promising solutions. Re-designing fire forecasting systems will help stakeholders to

manage and conserve fire prone areas more effectively and efficiently.

             The forest fires that flared unusually viciously in many of Nepal's national parks and conserved areas dry season have left conservationists worrying if climate change played a role.

             At least four protected areas were recently on fire for an unusually long time,most of the big fires were in and around the national parks along the country's northern areas bordering Tibet. Active fires were recorded in renowned conservation success stories like the Annapurna, Kanchanjunga, Langtang and Makalu Barun national parks. The extent of the loss of flora and fauna is not yet known.

   More than the loss of plants and animals, the carbon dioxide emitted by the fires was a matter of concern. . Some of the national parks in the plains bordering India were also on fire, but those caused less concern among conservationists and forest officials. "Fires in the protected areas in the plain lands can be controlled easily because we have logistics and manpower ready for that - and that is what we did this time," said Laxmi Manandhar, spokesman for Nepal's department of National parks and wildlife consservation.  . "But in the national parks in the Himalayan region, we could hardly do anything because of the difficult geography. Nor do we have facilities of pouring water using planes and helicopters."

             Forest fires in Nepal's jungles and protected areas are not uncommon during the dry season between October and January. Most of the fires come about as a consequence of the "slash and burn" practice that farmers employ for better vegetation and agricultural yields. But this time the fires remained out of control even in the national parks in the Himalayan region where the slash and burn practice is uncommon. In some of the protected areas, the fires flared up even after locals and officials tried to put them out for several days.

Key Findings

􀂃 Most fire incidences are caused by people. The interface between agriculture and forestry requires policies

and approaches that transcend each economic sector. Hunting practices are responsible for 23% of forest

fires in community forests, cigarettes 19%, intentional fires to accelerate growth of grasses to feed livestock

18%, intentional fire setting by herb and charcoal collectors 8% and 5%, children playing with fire 8%,

deliberately set for prevention 6%, and unknown 4%. Certain types of trees, especially Sal (Shorea robusta),

are particularly susceptible to fire.

􀂃 Local populations have developed their own methods and traditional ways of forest fire management: planting

evergreen trees along the trails; collection of forest litter for animal bedding and for making compost; patrolling

within their community forests; penalty and reward systems for the villages; construction of small ponds, and

fire lines inside the forest in fire prone areas. People also believe that worshiping the forest goddess is of

critical importance in control of fires.

􀂃 Community forests face insufficient human and financial resources, lack of training programs for cattle

herders, school children and non-timber forest products collectors; and lack of strong policy on fire prevention.

􀂃 No organization focuses specifically on fire control. The various district forest offices and the National Trust for

Nature Conservation have not made forest fires risk reduction a strong priority.

􀂃 Fire management includes monitoring, early warning, prevention, preparation, suppression, and restoration.

Local communities can play a part in all those areas in which holistic approaches are necessary. Both

community-based practices and scientific knowledge and technology should be embraced and applied.

a series describing short-term research and implementation projects funded through the Applied Research

Grants for Disaster Reduction Programme, an initiative managed by the ProVention Consortium as a collaborative initiative with the

University of Wisconsin Disaster Management Center, the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center in Bangkok, and the Disaster Mitigation

for Sust Recommendations for National Stakeholders

􀂃 Include forest fire education materials in the school level curriculum.

􀂃 Use GIS satellite imagery to monitor forest cover change and fire extent throughout the country.

􀂃 Develop training curriculum for community-based forest fire risk reduction programs.

􀂃 Form institutions to address fire prevention extension activities, human resources development, law enforcement,

fire suppression and conduct research on fires and effectiveness of prevention.

􀂃 Prepare and distribute illustrated booklets, leaflets and other materials in local language.

􀂃 Make policies based on current forest fire research and work closely with Department of Agriculture.

Recommendations for District Government and NGOs

􀂃 Provide fire prevention educational materials and training programs to Forest Users Groups (FUG) members,

teachers, community leaders, children, and cow herders.

􀂃 Enforce laws, regulations and restrictions on the use of fires in community forests.

􀂃 Involve community FUG's in conducting research and formulating effective community-based disaster plans

including early warning and communications systems to for response capacity.

Recommendations for Community Level Stakeholders

􀂃 Develop and implement plans for fire lines, forest tracks, ponds and canals and controlled burning.

􀂃 Ensure prompt detection of fires through observation points, patrols and communication networks.

􀂃 Organize fire prevention and suppression campaigns during forest fire prone season.

􀂃 Provide training to FUG and community members and children, regularly.

􀂃 Clearly mark forest areas to deter unsupervised children and strangers.

􀂃 Form cooperative volunteer and professional fire fighting teams and coordinate response.

􀂃 Research causes of fires in order to correct safety lapses and improve prevention.ainable Livelihoods Programme at the University of Cape Town. See www.proventionconsortium.org/grant_projects for a list of