Forest fire detrimental to ecosystem, warns KFRI

E M Manoj, Kalpetta

The Hindu, March 21, 2019  

 

Scientists at the Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI), Peechi, have warned that recurring forest fire will lead to degradation of the ecosystem in forest areas, especially grasslands, of the State.
According to the data with the Forest and Wildlife Department, 1,056.72 ha of forestland had been devastated in 381 incidents of forest fire in the past four months.
“Since dried materials are needed as fuel, grasslands, scrub jungle, dry deciduous and moist deciduous forests are more susceptible to fire,” says K.A. Sreejith, scientist, Forest Ecology, KFRI, told The Hindu.
He says evergreen and shola forests generally escape the fire due to high moisture content in soil and absence of fuel load. But in the grasslands, the impact will be mainly on soil which gets degraded and mineralogical transformation may occur, which is irreversible. It decreases soil moisture and water holding capacity, that will have a negative impact on hydrology, Dr. Sreejith, who led a study, says.
He says fire creates open spaces in the grasslands and there will be an increase in soil nutrient content immediately, which will favour the growth of invasive species that will further degrades the system. The study indicates that the faunal diversity and density could not reach its original state even after a couple of years of a forest fire.
In natural conditions, when the fuel load is less, the fire will restrict as ground fire but additional fuel material, such as dry leaves, branches and fallen trees, may lead to surface fire.

Crown fire

In case of crown fire, the extreme stage of a disaster, fire extends to the crown of trees where complete loss of vegetation may happen. Crown fire generally happens when there is fuel load which can act as ladder up to tree canopy.
Forest fire will also make the system susceptible to exotic species, which is detrimental to the existing natural vegetation, T.K. Hrideek, scientist, KFRI, said.
When the diversity and density of vegetation go down, it will have a negative impact on all ecosystems services. This will lead to increased soil erosion, soil degradation, decreased water holding capacity, and ground water recharge, Dr. Hrideek added.

 

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Authorities step up vigil against forest fires in Bandipur reserve

R. Krishna Kumar
MYSORE,  
The Hindu, March 1, 2014 

The threat of forest fires looms large in the Bandipur Tiger Reserve, which is mainly composed of deciduous trees and bone-dry thanks to the scorching heat.

Although there was scattered rain in parts of Maddur, Kundagere and Bandipur range last week, it was localised; the bulk of the forest remains vulnerable.

H.C. Kantharaj, Director, Bandipur Tiger Reserve, told The Hindu that the forest was dry and the next 15 to 20 days would be critical. There have been no major fires in the national park so far, but the guards have stepped up vigil.

“We have also recruited 350 forest watchers on a temporary basis in addition to our regular staff. Their job is to keep an eye out for fires and alert the staff. They have been hired till April 15, after which the threat of forest fire will dissipate owing to the pre-monsoon showers that tend to lash the region,” said Mr. Kantharaj.

There are nearly 286 water bodies in the forests, and adequate storage in most of them, although some may go dry in the next couple of weeks. There are no plans at present to artificially replenish these watering-holes (a measure that has been flayed by wildlife NGOs, as it amounts to “intervention in nature’s way of weeding out the weak and dying animals”) in view of the availability of water for another fortnight.

The Forest Department’s efforts to avert forest fires have been supplemented by the Wildlife Conservation Foundation. D. Rajkumar, foundation director, said pamphlets highlighting the negative impacts of forest fires were distributed to villages in close proximity to forest boundaries. “A majority of the people cannot read, and hence street plays were conducted in villages. They helped in communicating the message to the local community,” he added.

“Street plays were conducted at Alathhur, Garbi, Mangala and Goplapura, near Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta, and Berambadi, which is close to it: all areas that are highly fire-prone. Bandipur has 13 forest ranges of which 50 per cent are prone to forest fires,” said Mr. Rajkumar.

Most animals are migrating towards moist forests near Wayanad, he added. Forest fires are an annual phenomenon at Bandipur, but are man-made and result in the destruction of biomass and ground vegetation, thus inhibiting the amount of food available to herbivores. If unchecked, forest fires could alter prey density and directly affect Bandipur’s carnivorous population.

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