Himachal Pradesh: With the onset of summer, incidents of forest fires are increasing in the lower hilly areas of the state. Pine forests in areas such as Palampur, Dehra Gopipur and Nurpur divisions are particularly vulnerable to fires at this time. The forest department is facing major challenges in controlling these fires due to lack of cooperation from the local people, who have been designated as “bartandars” (forest users) by the state government. However, the situation is under control for the time being, with most of the fires successfully extinguished by forest officials in the last two days.
This year, the forest department has been unable to implement basic preventive measures, such as controlled burning and maintaining fire lines, due to financial constraints, official sources said. The total area of pine forests in the state, which requires controlled burning, is spread over 1.50 lakh hectares, of which at least 50,000 hectares need attention every year. To deal with the increasing fire threat, arrangements have been made in all forest divisions to raise awareness among the public and various stakeholders on how to prevent forest fires and to support the field staff of the department. Control rooms equipped with wireless systems and mobile phones have been set up and firefighting units are now operational in vulnerable areas under the supervision of senior forest officials.
Last year, drought and inadequate rainfall led to forest fires in March, but this year the long winter and continuous rain and snowfall in March have brought some relief. However, forests in the mid and lower hill areas of Kangra, Mandi, Hamirpur, Una and Bilaspur districts remain susceptible to major fires between April and June. The fires harm the delicate flora and fauna of the region, resulting in severe damage to wildlife and standing trees. Himachal Pradesh is home to some of the richest and most diverse forests in northern India, including the valuable Himalayan pine, known for its fine timber. It is estimated that two tonnes of pine needles fall per hectare in the pine forest every year. As temperatures rise in the summer, these highly flammable needles turn forests into fireballs, increasing the risk of devastating fires.
