Forest Fires - Uttarakhand's Mid-Summer Nightmare

solo_trekker · May 7th, 2008, 22:04

Every summer, in the months of May and June, there are countless forest fires that ravage the beautiful landscape of Uttarakhand and consume it's precious forest cover...

These forest fires are uniformly spread out all over the mountains - both the Garhwal as well as the Kumaon side... Sometimes, they are even close to the main national highways - everyone keeps driving along without a bother as these fires are not a threat to human-life; they just finish off the dry grasses and other shrubbery along the mountain slopes... But at what cost...???

To spot a forest fire when on a trek in Uttarakhand in the summer months, reach up to the high point of wherever your base is, and look out on the horizon for tiny orange blips... These are the fires which burn out when they don't have anything left to burn up... Hopefully, in another few years, if things continue the way they have been all along, the forest fires will be gone for good, as there won't be anything left to burn...!

What a pity...!

Atleast, the regular tourists / hikers

should always ensure that they don't chuck a burning cigarette stub or carelessly throw away a not-yet put out match stick wherever they are...

Can something be done to control this annual menace...?

What else can the regular tourist do...?

Comments invited...

Cheers...!

Almoraboy · May 7th, 2008, 22:47

yes, this problem has been t here since a long time ago. i remember it even when i was a small kid. we coudl see the lines of fires around the hills during the night. some say that fires burn the old grass and is good for the new grass which will grow in monsoon. i was reading in today's dainik jagran website, where someone suggested that it can be reduced if the way pine trees are cut for their gum is changed. normally, a cut in the pine trees is made at a lower height to extract the gum (lisa). due to this cut, even the pine trees catch fire from the ground. however, if this cut is made above a certain height, then the pine trees will ntio catch fire and the damage from the fire can be reduced.

Dr.Barai · May 7th, 2008, 23:43

many of the forest fires are initiated by man with vested interest.

solo_trekker · May 8th, 2008, 15:02

we are ourselves responsible for this ecological disaster... the fires sometimes are a result of the farmers burning off the dried hay stacks, but not putting off the fires completely... and very often they are also the reslut of man's carelessness - the tourist throwing a cigarette stub or match stick...

the fires are also a major threat in the tiger reserve at corbett national park...

though it's manily the grass cover that they destroy, the fires engulf a large number of pine, cedar, fir and oak trees too... this time around, many acres of forest land skirting rudraprayag in the garhwal region have been engulfed...

hoping for the best...
cheers...!

May 7th, 2008, 22:04	#1
solo_trekker Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: noida Posts: 418	Forest Fires - Uttarakhand's Mid-Summer Nightmare Every summer, in the months of May and June, there are countless forest fires that ravage the beautiful landscape of Uttarakhand and consume it's precious forest cover... These forest fires are uniformly spread out all over the mountains - both the Garhwal as well as the Kumaon side... Sometimes, they are even close to the main national highways - everyone keeps driving along without a bother as these fires are not a threat to human-life; they just finish off the dry grasses and other shrubbery along the mountain slopes... But at what cost...??? To spot a forest fire when on a trek in Uttarakhand in the summer months, reach up to the high point of wherever your base is, and look out on the horizon for tiny orange blips... These are the fires which burn out when they don't have anything left to burn up... Hopefully, in another few years, if things continue the way they have been all along, the forest fires will be gone for good, as there won't be anything left to burn...! What a pity...! Atleast, the regular tourists / hikers should always ensure that they don't chuck a burning cigarette stub or carelessly throw away a not-yet put out match stick wherever they are... Can something be done to control this annual menace...? What else can the regular tourist do...? Comments invited... Cheers...!

May 7th, 2008, 22:47	#2
Almoraboy Trekker Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: London.....Himalayas in between Posts: 905	yes, this problem has been t here since a long time ago. i remember it even when i was a small kid. we coudl see the lines of fires around the hills during the night. some say that fires burn the old grass and is good for the new grass which will grow in monsoon. i was reading in today's dainik jagran website, where someone suggested that it can be reduced if the way pine trees are cut for their gum is changed. normally, a cut in the pine trees is made at a lower height to extract the gum (lisa). due to this cut, even the pine trees catch fire from the ground. however, if this cut is made above a certain height, then the pine trees will ntio catch fire and the damage from the fire can be reduced. __________________ Trek blog over here

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May 7th, 2008, 23:43	#3
Dr.Barai Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Lucknow Posts: 309	many of the forest fires are initiated by man with vested interest.

May 8th, 2008, 15:02	#4
solo_trekker Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: noida Posts: 418	we are ourselves responsible for this ecological disaster... the fires sometimes are a result of the farmers burning off the dried hay stacks, but not putting off the fires completely... and very often they are also the reslut of man's carelessness - the tourist throwing a cigarette stub or match stick... the fires are also a major threat in the tiger reserve at corbett national park... though it's manily the grass cover that they destroy, the fires engulf a large number of pine, cedar, fir and oak trees too... this time around, many acres of forest land skirting rudraprayag in the garhwal region have been engulfed... hoping for the best... cheers...!

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