Forest Fire/bush fire  vegetation fire or wildfire  is defined as any unregulated and non-prescribed combustion or burning of plants in a natural context such as a forest, grassland, brush land, or tundra, which utilises natural fuels and spreads according on environmental circumstances (e.g., wind, topography). Human-caused forest fires can be sparked by land removal, acute drought,  naked flame, cigarette or bidi, electric spark or any source of ignition comes into contact with inflammable material.

Causes

• Forest fires can be caused by a variety of natural factors, but officials believe that many significant fires in India are sparked mostly by human activity.
• Emerging research connects climate change to an increase in the number of fires throughout the world, particularly the catastrophic flames that ravaged the Amazon forests in Brazil and Australia in the previous two years. Climate change is being blamed for longer-lasting fires, greater severity, increased frequency, and extremely flammable conditions.
• In India, forest fires are most regularly recorded in March and April, when the ground has huge amounts of dried wood, logs, dead leaves, stumps, dry grass, and weeds that may quickly ignite forests if a trigger is present.

Impact

• Soil quality deteriorates when their composition changes.
• Fires destroy many hectares of woodland and leave behind ash, rendering it unsuited for vegetative development.
• Forest fires may have a wide range of negative consequences on forest cover, soil, tree development, vegetation, and general flora and fauna.
• Soil moisture and fertility are also impacted.
• Trees that survive fire are frequently stunted, and their development is severely hampered.
• Forests can decrease in size.
• The heat produced by the fire kills animal habitats.

Recent events

• Long-term fires raged in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh (Kullu Valley), and along the Nagaland-Manipur border in January (Dzukou Valley).
• A big fire broke out in Odisha’s Simlipal National Park between the end of February and the beginning of March.
• Recent fires have also occurred in Madhya Pradesh’s Bandhavgarh Forest Reserve, as well as in Gujarat’s Asiatic lion and great Indian bustard sanctuaries.

Efforts

• Forest Fire Prevention and Management Scheme and National Action Plan on Forest Fires (NAPFF) 2018.
• The FSI (Forest Survey of India) has been developing the Forest Fire Alert System since 2004 to monitor forest fires in real time.
• The system currently incorporates NASA and ISRO satellite data in its advanced version, which was released in January 2019.

As a result of global warming, the number of forest fires has grown. Forest destruction is a disaster that requires quick solution. Rapid first attack tactics are necessary, followed by a strong follow-up response. Research, training, and development should be prioritised.

How to structure

1. Give an intro about what forest fires are. Use a map to show the most recent forest fires in India and the world
2. Explain about its impact on humans, animals, plant life, nature etc.
3. Mention the major reasons for these forest fires
4. Suggest measures and mention initiatives
5. Conclude

Reference:

1. https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/natural-disasters/wildfires-will-be-more-frequent-larger-and-intense-due-to-climate-change-unep-81615