Why forest fires are ravaging Uttarakhand

28 June 2022

INDIA – Uttarakhand needs policies based on proper understanding of science

PERSISTENT AND PERSISTENTLY misunderstood. That, in a nutshell, is the story of forest fires in Uttarakhand.

Fires break out each year between March and mid-June, before the onset of the monsoon. They spawn headlines like ‘Forest fires rage across Uttarakhand’ and ‘State loses hundreds of hectares of green cover in 24 hours’. Hyperbole, misinformation and poorly explained science paint a picture of roaring fires devouring trees and animals, and destroying property and livelihoods.

The forest fires of Uttarakhand are nothing of the kind, though. For starters, they are not ‘crown fires’, which spread to the top of the trees. They are, in fact, ground fires that feed on fallen pine needles. Mostly man-made, the fires are aided by high temperatures and winds.

The number of forest fires varies every year. In 2002, there were 1,401 such incidents. In 2016, the figure went up to 12,958, and then fell to 2,158 in 2019. As of June 2022, there have been 2,131 forest fires, affecting more than 3,348 hectares and causing a loss of Rs87.31 lakh. Uttarakhand has a forest cover of 53.48 lakh hectares.

Periodic fires are needed to maintain ecological balance and lower the possibility of larger, uncontrolled fires. But what makes recurring fires a matter of concern is that it produces black carbon—sooty material that not just pollutes the atmosphere, but warms it as well, leading to the melting of Himalayan glaciers.

A major factor behind forest fires in Uttarakhand is the chir pine, a conifer with slender leaves that grows in abundance on lower altitudes (500m to 2,000m) of the Himalayas. Some people call the chir pine a “dangerous beauty”, as the needles shed by the tree can catch fire easily. The tree itself is a hardy one, impervious to fire because of its thick bark. That is the reason fires do not burn trees up their entire length to the crown, unless the trunk has been weakened by resin tapping.

Resin from the pine is used for making adhesives, turpentine oil and binders. Pines have other uses, too. Its needles serve as bedding for livestock while timber is used for flooring, roofing and making furniture. Its green branches also have cultural significance—they are used in religious ceremonies.

Pines grow fast, absorbing atmospheric carbon much faster than other species. They also have great adaptability. They require little moisture and grow abundantly under a fierce sun, denying the space for other species to grow. Pines were planted on a large scale by the British to make sleeping berths in railway coaches. Over time, this led to the shrinking of areas covered by oaks and others trees native to the Himalayas.

Ecologist Rajeev L. Semwal, who was part of a task force under the National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem, said one tree species cannot be allowed to substitute another indiscriminately. Also, scientists believe that oak has better water retention capabilities than the chir pine.

“Chir pine creates conditions suitable for fires, which help expand its territory by replacing less fire-resistant species such as oaks,” said Semwal. “Therefore, there must be scientific studies on what should be the ideal spatial proportion of pines in Uttarakhand’s total forest cover.”

The gap between science and policymaking also needs to be addressed. Policymakers often do not have an adequate grasp of science, which hampers optimal decision-making. For instance, even if pines are invading oaks, a ban on felling of trees above 1,000 metres in the Himalayas precludes the possibility of chopping off pine trees.

Elimination of pine trees from higher altitudes is also not a solution, as the floor fires that pine needles facilitate could be replaced by large-scale fires (because of sustained accumulation of fuel in the form of dried leaves and twigs on the forest floor) that cause greater damage. Surendra Pratap Singh, former vice chancellor of Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University and council member of the NGO Central Himalayan Environment Association, said forest fires were misunderstood as a “seasonal activity” and, hence, there was no longterm policy to tackle them.

“Whenever fires occur, the only measure is the loss they create. No one asks questions about what happens after the fires—like how species respond and how their composition changes,” said Singh.

Singh also pointed out that farmers no longer used forest litter as fertiliser. Agriculture in the hills and livestock population have been declining, and its effect on forest fires needed to be studied.

There is also the growing rift between people and forests. From a state that once had people hugging trees to prevent them from being chopped, Uttarakhand has become a land of strict conservation laws that have created great distance between humans and the wild. Forests are now considered dreaded patches of green, setting foot on which could invite fines and punishment.

“There are far too many provisions that keep people away from forests,” said Vishal Singh, research director at the Centre for Ecology Development and Research, a nonprofit in Dehradun. “Wildlife protectors, biodiversity conservationists and pseudo-stewards of forest back these policies without understanding the ground realities. The solution lies in collaboration between communities and the forest department, incentive mechanisms, protection for communities against draconian policies, and shared ownership.”

The discovery of fire was a turning point in mankind’s evolution. Perhaps, the next landmark is gaining a proper understanding of forest fires.

28. June 2022/by GFMCadmin