Stunning GoPro footage from the front lines of a wildfire
Stunning GoPro footage from the front lines of a wildfire
13 November 2014
published by http://digg.com
USA– Link to the video here
Stunning GoPro footage from the front lines of a wildfire
13 November 2014
published by http://digg.com
USA– Link to the video here
Premio de 10.000 euros para el Daviña Rey por su aplicación telefónica
25 November 2014
published by www.lavozdegalicia.es
España– El Ministerio de Educación ha concedido uno de sus premios nacionales de este año al instituto monfortino Daviña Rey. Este centro monfortino compartirá con el colegio público del municipio pontevedrés de O Rosal los 10.000 euros de este premio, que reconoce el trabajo de los estudiantes y profesores que sacaron adelante el curso pasado una aplicación sobre incendios forestales para teléfonos móviles.
Este programa permite, entre otras muchas funcionalidades, calcular el coste económico de cualquier incendio forestal. Está disponible desde mediados del curso pasado para dispositivos móviles con sistema operativo Android. Se trata de uno de los aspectos más vistosos de un programa de investigación, sensibilización y difusión sobre los efectos negativos de los incendios forestales denominado Monte sen Lume, impulsado por la Consellería de Educación dentro del Plan Proxecta y en el que colaboran el instituto monfortino y el colegio de O Rosal. Todas las actividades desarrolladas en ambos centros dentro de este programa desde septiembre del 2013 se pueden consultar en la página web montessenlume.blogspot.com.es.
Un grupo de quince estudiantes
Quince alumnos de cuarto de ESO forman el equipo del Daviña Rey que participó en la puesta en marcha de la aplicación para móviles, que incorpora herramientas que permiten, entre otras cosas, medir mediante gps la superficie afectada por un incendio. Como coordinadores actuaron el profesor de informática Luis Vázquez y su compañera de matemáticas María Jesús Casado.
El Ministerio de Educación ha reconocido su trabajo con uno de los dos premios nacionales de este año en la modalidad de proyectos de colaboración en el ámbito de las tecnologías de la información.
Post hudhud horrors, wildfires creating panic
10 November 2014
published by www.newindianexpress.com
India — Though the fire officials brought the wildfire on Kambalakonda and Gudilova hills under control by Thursday evening, after relentless efforts, fear of a recurrence hangs thick in the hearts of Vizagites what with the greenery on the Eastern Ghats rendered bone dry after the trees got uprooted by Hudhud. It may be noted here that the city witnessed 37 major and minor fire mishaps, between October 12 and 28, at various places where the dried up trees and debris were dumped.
With the northwesterly winds adding fuel to the fire, the residents of Mindivanipalem, Mamidivalasa, Dabbanda, Kommadi, Bakkannapalem, Arilova and Pineapple Colony are apparently gripped in panic. Meanwhile, the recent fire accidents in Kapparada and Gudilova hills have exposed the serious threat looming large over the people in the residential areas near Gudilova and Adavivaram upto Simhachalam, which are located near the Eastern Ghats. As a precautionary measure, the fire department has kept fire tenders stationed in these colonies. M Suri Babu of Pineapple Colony said that the residents are panic-stricken as the area is located near the hills. There is also a chance of wild animals entering the colony due to the wildfire, he says, worried.
The situation is no different for people living within the city as the 83 temporary dumping yards set up by the municipal corporation at various places to pile uprooted/cut trees and garbage, are giving them sleepless nights. It may be mentioned here that a majority of the temporary dumping yards have been set up amidst residential areas, making it a Herculean task for the firemen to keep a vigil simultaneously on these dumping yards and residential colonies.
According to a fire official, 37 emergency fire calls were received by the fire department between October 12 and 28. On Oct 28, the first major fire incident took place at Pedawaltair dumping yard and firemen had to struggle for several hours to put it out. The forest fire at Kapparada started a week later and then the one at Gudilova hills, right after another week.
Even as these fires were brought under control with the help of the Navy officials, fire mishaps were reported at the temporary dumping yards in Allipuram and Arilova.
G Saraswati, a homemaker from Allipuram who witnessed the fire mishap on November 8, said, As the debris was dumped beside electric poles and buildings, people in our area are quite scared. Were constantly worried that another fire may break out. Meanwhile, shortage of equipment and manpower is causing serious concerns for the fire services department. The department immediately needs more than 50 firemen apart from leading fire operators, drivers and other staff. It also lacks major equipment like cutting saws, generators, sky-lifts, ropes, dragon lights, etc.
Jokowi urged to see forest fires for himself
17 November 2014
published by www.thejakartapost.com
Indonesia — The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) is optimistic that Indonesia can be haze-free in 2015 if the government strengthens law-enforcement measures against the perpetrators of illegal forest and plantation fires.
Our country can be free from haze in 2015 if the government is serious about enforcing laws and dealing with forest fires, Walhis forest and plantation campaign manager, Zensi Suhadi, said on Sunday as quoted by Antara news agency.
The government should concentrate on preventive measures rather than the reactive ones, like providing face-masks and water hoses, he said.
Zensi urged President Joko Jokowi Widodo to visit forest-fire sites to better understand the problem.
A call for Jokowi to visit the locations of peatland and forest fires has also been voiced by other civil-society organizations.
Indonesia has been troubled by forest fires, which have also triggered haze problems in neighboring countries, Singapore and Malaysia.
U.S. Forest Service exceeds yearly forest restoration goals
29 November 2014
published by www.grandrapidsmn.com
USA — The U.S. Forest Service has exceeded its forest restoration goals for Fiscal Year 2014, highlighting the agencys continued commitment to improving the health of the Americas National Forests, reducing the threat of catastrophic wildfire, and protecting watersheds.
The Forest Service has made strategic investments across all agency programs to advance our efforts to create resilient forests and sustainable communities. This work reduces the wildland fire threat to communities and firefighters and minimizes the risk of forest pests and climate change, while supporting American jobs and rural economies.
In Fiscal Year 2014, the Forest Service met or exceeded its restoration goals. Projects lessened the threat to communities by reducing hazardous fuels on 1.7 million acres in the wildland urban interface, sustained or restored watershed conditions on 2.9 million acres and resulted in 2.8 billion board feet of timber volume sold. The agency met its goals in a year where it lost staff time due to the government shutdown and when it continued to confront rising costs of fire-fighting that drain resources from forest restoration and management activities.
The Forest Service was also successful in leveraging partnerships to help meet its ecological restoration goals. Partners, including conservation groups, forest industry, local communities, sportsmen, and others assisted with monitoring of resource conditions and project implementation as a component of adaptive management. The diverse programs, tools and activities used include: the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLR), Stewardship Contracting Authority , Good Neighbor Authority and other 2014 Farm Bill provisions. The agency will continue to expand use of these authorities in the coming year.
For Fiscal Year 2015 the Forest Service is positioned to accelerate efforts to restore forest health and reduce wildland fire threats to communities. Current bipartisan legislation supports the Obama Administrations call for a change in how wildfire suppression is funded and that would free up more funding to implement projects to improve the resiliency of forests and rangelands. The agencys 2015 budget request to Congress included more funding for key programs to allow the Forest Service to increase acres treated and timber harvests to 3.1 billion board feet. This adjustment will allow the Forest Service to continue to reduce wildland fire threats to communities while shrinking the agencys total budget request for 2015.
The 2014 Farm Bill also included a provision that allowed governors to recommend, with secretarial approval, the designation of 44 million acres where the Forest Service can use insect and disease authority to more quickly address forest health issues.
Nationwide, 23 CFLR projects provide economic support to local communities. In FY 2013, those projects helped create or maintain over 5,300 part and full-time jobs, bringing total labor income for that year to over $195 million. Collectively, between FY 2010-2013, the projects generated 838 million board feet of timber sold and nearly 2 million green tons of woody biomass, available for bio-energy production. The FY 2014 statistics will be available in early December and are expected to be higher than FY 2013 contributions. The Agency will continue to implement these projects in FY 2015 as a pathway to achieve the 3.1 billion board feet of timber harvest target. USDA and the Forest Service are also working to support expanding markets for biomass for energy and building materials.
Americas natural resources are integral to the social, ecological, and economic well-being of the nation, and the Forest Service plays a vital role in their care for current and future generations. The Forest Services restorative actions draw on multiple programs and are implemented by prioritizing investments and managing performance to best meet the goals for resilient landscapes. They improve ecosystems ability to absorb, or recover from, the effects of disturbances through preservation, restoration, or improvement of its essential structures and functions and redundancy of ecological patterns across the landscape.
The mission of the Forest Service, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nations forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, and maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world. Public lands the Forest Service manages contribute more than $13 billion to the economy each year through visitor spending alone. Those same lands provide 20 percent of the Nations clean water supply, a value estimated at $7.2 billion per year. The agency has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 80 percent of the 850 million forested acres within the U.S., of which 100 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.
Wildfires that could impact human communities in eastern Colorado Rockies most likely to start on private lands, experts say
10 November 2014
published by www.prnewswire.com
USA — Fires ignited on private lands pose the most significant wildfire threats to populated areas on the eastern-facing range of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, according to risk analysts who used extensive evidence regarding a combination of forest and vegetation types, wind and climate conditions to reach their conclusions. The risk assessment findings–based on an examination of ignition locations on landscapes, the underlying potential for fire to spread, and human population density–could help prevent and manage future wildfire risks.
In their new paper, “Wildfire Risk Transmission in the Colorado Front Range, USA,” Jessica Haas, David Calkin and Matthew Thompson of the Department of Agriculture’s U. S. Forest Service comprehensively analyze major contributors of risk to human and economic development associated with wildfires in eastern Colorado counties. The authors combine new risk tools–such as fire spread and burn probability modeling and maps of human development–in concluding that ignitions on privately held lands on the Eastern Rocky Mountains pose elevated wildfire risks. The paper recently appeared in the online version of Risk Analysis, published by the Society for Risk Analysis.
Wildfires continue to damage property, communities and human life the world over, and some experts predict more extreme weather events, such as drought, will increase the number and severity of wildfires. The 2007 forest fires in Greece resulted in 84 fatalities; in 2009, bushfires in Victoria, Australia, resulted in 173 fatalities and millions in property damage; and the Fourmile Canyon Fire in 2010 outside Boulder, Colorado, led to the loss of 168 homes and damages totaling $220 million. Approximately 3.65 million people reside in the Colorado Front Range area.
As expected, dry and windy conditions increase the severity of fire spread and damage. The areas with extensive grass and shrub coverage on private lands tend to have higher burn probabilities, although populated Department of Defense lands near Colorado Springs have combinations of forest and vegetation types that increase transmission probabilities, the authors say. “Air Force Academy lands affect the largest amount of people, with an average of 10,122 people affected per fire, which is 10 times higher than” other neighboring areas in Colorado. These results cement the importance of the spatial juxtaposition of fire potential and human communities in contributing to elevated levels of risk.
More broadly, the researchers note that identifying fire transmission pathways near populated areas is the key to cost-effective prevention investments on both public and private land. Toward this end, they say that identifying “the areas of highest exposure of human populations to wildland fires under extreme, but not uncommon, weather events” is the optimal way to assess, prevent and fight fires. They test the notion that fires ignited on private land result in greater human exposures to wildfires than federal ignitions and that risk transmission levels will be greatest from private to other private landowners. “By quantitatively producing maps which identify the areas of highest risk transmission, landowners may be more motivated to mitigate the risk from their property if they can visually recognize their lands as a source of wildfire risk,” according to the authors.
“Our results highlight areas on the Colorado Front Range, where if an ignition were to occur under severe fire weather, expedited measures should be taken to extinguish the fire before spread occurs, or, if failing that, emergency evacuation and response may be warranted,” the researchers conclude.
Risk Analysis: An International Journal is published by the nonprofit Society for Risk Analysis (SRA). SRA is a multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, scholarly, international society that provides an open forum for all those who are interested in risk analysis. Risk analysis is broadly defined to include risk assessment, risk characterization, risk communication, risk management, and policy relating to risk, in the context of risks of concern to individuals, to public and private sector organizations, and to society at a local, regional, national, or global level. www.sra.org
Bushfires: The nightmare of rice farmers in Northern Ghana
30 November 2014
published by www.ghanaweb.com
Ghana — As Tani washed the dishes after lunch, she prayed silently that the task of rice harvesting which was begun the previous week, would be completed successfully before the bushfires set in. For the past 20 years she and her husband had cultivated rice at Gbiligu, near Nasia in the Northern Region.
The crop is usually harvested between November and December but could go on to January if the work went on slow or the fields under cultivation were too large. In these parts, harvesting is often done manually mainly with the use of sickles or sharp knives, because in addition to scarcity the services of combined harvester machines are much too expensive for the average farmer.
Tani recalled her first experience with bush fire. It was in the late 1990s, on a Sunday afternoon when she suddenly noticed that the bright afternoon sun had darkened. She was wondering whether the clouds were darkening to bring rain in the dry harmattan month of November, only to look out of the window and notice dark whorls of smoke rising into the sky to mingle with the clouds.
At the same time, as a gust of wind rushed by she heard the thunderous roar of what seemed like a convoy of articulator trucks, which would not have been a surprise as her house was only one kilometre away from the Tamale-Bolgatanga trunk road. With her heart in her mouth, she ran out and looked to the east, towards the direction of the roaring noise. It took a split of a second for her to realise that the noise was that of a raging fire and not big trucks in motion. It was a sound and sight she will never forget.
The fire blazed on, consuming all in its path, birds of prey hovering above with the hope of getting some fleeing insects and rodents to pounce on. She did not know whether to kneel down in prayer or cry, for the entire farm area was engulfed in flames in all directions west, south and north with her house in the middle. It was with that experience at hindsight that she begged God to prevent any similar calamity, for bush fires have always been an annual occurrence in that part of the country.
Bush fires have always been the biggest enemy of rice farmers in the north; many farmers have lost their produce to fires on a yearly basis. One wonders whether the fires are started deliberately or that they are accidental. The blame has often been put on hunters who, oblivious of the consequences involved, use fire to smoke out edible rodents and a squirrel thereby causing farmers to several tonnes of rice.
Others attribute bushfire to the old traditional practise which stems from the peoples belief that old grass must be burnt to give way for new ones to sprout. Some also blame Fulani herdsmen who are said to burn the grass with the hope that occasional rains during the dry season or atmospheric moisture would encourage new growth for their animals to feed on. One other dimension to the bushfire phenomenon which is terrible to contemplate, but nonetheless true, is that some wicked individuals deliberately burn the farms of those they do not like.
It is said that in order to burn large hectares of rice belonging to an enemy, these people get hold of a lizard or mouse, moisten a rag with petrol or kerosene which is tied to the tail of the mouse/lizard. They then light up the rag with matches and release the rodent into the rice field. On a dry, windy harmattan day, the ripe and dry golden rice field will explode and go up in flames so furious that any attempt to even go near is tantamount to a suicide wish. When that happens, no trained firefighter or fire tender can arrest the damage.
Nyaba Akurgu, Tanis husband says he learnt over the years to create fire belts around his farm before the bushfire season starts. I clear the grass around the farm; sometimes I burn it so that when there is a fire from somewhere else it does not get to my rice because that fire stops at where I cleared the bushes. He, however, complains that even when the rice is protected and safely harvested, the residue which is needed for animals and manure gets burnt. I think some people do not feel free until the whole place is burnt so we the organic farmers find it difficult to preserve our farm residue, he added.
Alidu Yakubu who is a part-time drummer and cultivates rice says, When my rice is ready for harvesting I leave everything and gather my family to do the harvesting because we the small farmers cannot afford combine harvesters. We use our hands and we need many of that. Once the grass around the farm is dry, we have to look over our shoulders while we work, any sign of smoke can be a serious threat because the wind carries the fire far.
Rice farmers in the Overseas part of the Northern Region, also suffer the agony of bush fires every year. Madish Abubakar, an organic rice farmer at Kubore and Manager of Gundoo Organic Farms last year lost about seven hectares of rice that was ready for harvesting, while five other farmers also lost all their produce. Explaining how it happened on his farm, Madish said he had gone to a neighbouring community that day and by the time he returned to his farm house in the afternoon, his field was on fire and could not be salvaged. I have been in this business for long and I usually clear a fire belt around my fields to protect my rice, even before the grass dries but what happened last year, Im sure, was a deliberate act to destroy my farm. In 2011, I also lost three hectares so I can say that it is a struggle you beat the fire or it beats you, he said.
Only last week, while some farmers were still harvesting at Kubore, five of them lost all they had on their fields both the harvested rice and those that were yet to be harvested.
The Upper East Regional Director of Agriculture, Alhaji Ahmed Misbahu, is hoping that there would be no bushfires this year to marr the rice harvest in the Region. Harvesting started in November and so far it is going on well; there is a combine harvester at the Fumbisi Valley and the work is going on well so we might be able to finish harvesting by the middle of December before the fires, he added.
The Fumbisi valley in the Builsa District is a rice farming area in the Upper East Region. A greater percentage of rice in the Region comes from that area and it is welcome news that the farmers have a machine to do the work, unlike previous years when fire used to destroy a lot of the harvest as manual labour was not fast enough to beat the annual fire.
However, organic farming practices that have been introduced to some farmers are producing a good response, albeit very slow. The farmers are being educated on the need to avoid burning their farms so that the residue would decompose and add manure to the soil. Gozire in the Upper West Region and its neighbouring communities adopted this practice in the late 1990s and they are enjoying the benefits in the form of fertile soils and good harvests. Other communities in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region stopped burning the bush on their farms a few years ago and no doubt they are seeing the difference. However, farmers in most parts of northern Region are adamant and cannot be convinced to stop burning the bush. They start setting fire as soon as the grass shows signs of drying and so with the harmattan winds the fire is carried onto nearby farms and cause havoc. At the same time, the inhabitants who depend on the thatch to roof their houses lose the grass near their farms and have to go far into the bush in order to get grass.
Recommendations
The Chiefs and elders of every community can play a vital role in stopping bush fires. The Chief of the Bongo Traditional Area, Naba Salifu Alemyarum, together with his elders, have set up bye-laws against burning farms and bushes. Monetary fines and various types of penalties have been prescribed and are being enforced, leading to very good results.
Public address systems and other effective modes of communication such as the FM radio stations could also be used to reach out to the people to educate them on the dangers of bush burning.
Introducing organic farming to the farmers would help them see the need to avoid burning their farms and the grass around. Even though that would be a long term measure, it will no doubt make a lasting impact on the people.
Majority of the people in the three regions of the north are subsistence farmers, and are unable to cultivate only what their families need for the year due to many factors that fall under another topic. Continuous loss of the little they produce will either keep them marking time, or even sliding backwards in these difficult times. Research scientists and all agriculturalists need to pay special attention to these challenges (which are surmountable anyway) so as to help farmers improve their lives.
Ten per cent of land lost to bush fires annually
30 November 2014
published by www.dailynews.co.tz
Tanzania — Forest conservationists in the country are calling for more efficient planning to save 10 per cent of the countrys total land area that is lost to wild fires annually.
Speaking exclusively to the Sunday News, Ministry of Tourism and Natural Resources official, a member of the Integrated Fire Management Technical Committee, Mr Charles Ngatigwa, said an average of 900,000ha succumbs to bush fires annually in the country.
One of the interventions to control and prevent wild fires is early burning of bush land. Most fires take place in mid to late part of the dry season (July onwards), therefore with proper planning, this can be offset early, he said.
Mr Ngatigwa said that the impact of fire damage suppresses regeneration, tree mortality is increased and shrinks coastal forest fragments.
He revealed that the Ministry and other stakeholders have already started the initial steps of formulating a Fire Management policy that will ensure better coordination and from it bring rise to legislation, guidelines and regulations.
In line with this, a NGO, Mpingo Conservation and Development Initiative (MCDI) has introduced an innovative technology in the prevention of uncontrolled fires in the forests of Kilwa, which aims to save 65 per cent of forest that burns annually.
The technology that has been adopted from Australia and modified for Tanzania, the drip torch gives provision for early burning that will reduce both fire intensity and fire frequency in the community forests.
MCDI Social Research Manager, Ms Glory Massao, said that using pre-emptive burning methods reduces grass load as it makes it harder for fires to catch and spread and that any emerging fires will be cooler.
It should be noted that early burning does not entirely prevent late season fires and instead one should expect frequency to drop from 50 per cent to between 10 and 20 per cent of forest burned in late season each year, she said.
Ms Massao explained that a well-planned burn can reduce fire hazard and also improve wildlife habitat and almost any prescribed burn improves access. Prescribed fires are not always beneficial, however.
When conditions go wrong, prescribed fire can severely damage the very resource it was intended to benefit. Prescribed fire is a complex management tool and should be used only with care under controlled conditions.
She cited that traditional fire management in the country used to clear new fields for farming and in projected area management, usually burning less than 1ha at a time, adding that fire management in forests requires the burning of approximately 10,000ha per week.
MCDI Chief Executive Officer, Mr Jasper Makala, said that 2014 is MCDIs fifth year of piloting their reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) project as an additional means for rural Tanzanians to earn money from managing miombo woodlands.
Mr Makala said that although fire abatement through burning the grasses in miombo woodlands early in the dry season reduces deforestation and carbon emissions, it is an expensive and labour intensive task which would not be undertaken on a large scale without communities being adequately rewarded.
He said to maximise the revenue that villages can generate through their REDD project, MCDI measure the resulting carbon stock changes according to the best known and toughest international carbon market requirements, as defined by the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS).
Recent Media Highlights on Fire, Policies, and Politics
November 2014
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