The year 2021 has been marked by an alarming series of forest fires across multiple states in India, affecting both forests and wildlife sanctuaries.
Understanding Forest Fires
Forest fires, alternatively known as bush or vegetation fire, or wildfire, are uncontrolled and non-prescribed combustion that consumes the natural fuels in a given setting, such as a forest, grassland, brush land or tundra. These fires spread based on environmental conditions like wind and topography. Human actions such as land clearing, extreme drought or in rare cases, lightning, can instigate these fires. For a wildfire to burn, three conditions must be present: fuel, oxygen, and a heat source.
India’s 2021 Forest Fire Instances
In January, prolonged fires were reported in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh (Kullu Valley) and the Nagaland-Manipur border (Dzukou Valley). There was also a significant fire that erupted between February-end and early March in the Simlipal National Park, Odisha. Recent fires include those in Bandhavgarh Forest Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, and in sanctuaries for the Asiatic lion and the great Indian bustard in Gujarat.
India’s Forest Vulnerability to Fires
According to the India State of Forest Report 2019 released by the Forest Survey of India, about 21.67% (7,12,249 sq km) of the country’s geographical area is identified as forest. Additional tree cover accounts for another 2.89% (95, 027 sq km). Records indicate that the forests of the Northeast and central India regions are the most vulnerable areas to forest fires. Forests in Assam, Mizoram and Tripura have been deemed ‘extremely prone’ to forest fires while states with substantial forest areas categorized as ‘very highly prone’ include Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Maharashtra, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
Causes of Forest Fires
Although forest fires can be attributed to a number of natural causes, many major fires in India are largely triggered by human activities. Emerging research suggests a link between climate change and the increased instances of fires globally, citing examples like the immense fires in the Amazon forests, Brazil, and Australia in recent years. In India, most reported forest fires occur during March and April, this is when dry wood, logs, dead leaves, stumps, dry grass and weeds are abundant on the ground and can ignite easily with a trigger. Lack of soil moisture is also considered a key factor.
Impacts of Forest Fire
Forest fires pose several adverse effects on the forest cover, soil, tree growth, vegetation, and overall flora and fauna. Fires can render large areas of forest useless and leave behind ash, making it unfit for any vegetation growth. The heat generated can destroy animal habitats and cause a decrease in soil quality due to alteration in their compositions. Soil moisture and fertility can also be affected, leading to potential shrinkage in forest size and severely stunted tree growth.
Importance of Forests
Forests play a crucial role in mitigation and adaptation towards climate change by acting as carbon sinks, reservoirs and sources. Healthy forests can store and sequester more carbon than any other terrestrial ecosystem. In India, the livelihood of several crores of people living in proximity to forests is dependent on fuelwood, bamboo, fodder, and small timber.
Efforts to Mitigate Forest Fires
In efforts to monitor and manage these devastating fires, the Forest Survey of India developed the Forest Fire Alert System in 2004. This system, in its advanced version launched in 2019, uses satellite information gathered from NASA and ISRO. The National Action Plan on Forest Fires (NAPFF) 2018 and the Forest Fire Prevention and Management Scheme are also instrumental strategies employed to mitigate forest fires.