Russia:Fire Report (IFFN No 28)
Fire Report
(IFFN No. 28 – April 2001,p. 41-59)
2 Basically, territories of State Land Reserve areas.
[
| IFFNNo. 24 | Specials | Country Notes ]
Fire Report
(IFFN No. 28 – April 2001,p. 41-59)
2 Basically, territories of State Land Reserve areas.
[
| IFFNNo. 24 | Specials | Country Notes ]
Monitoring the Extent of Forest Fires in Siberia
Using NOAA/AVHRR Satellite Imagery
(IFFN No. 6 – January 1992, p. 10)
While most concern about the atmospheric of forest fires and forest conversion is focused on the topics, it is also important to determine the contribution of forest fires in northern hemisphere countries to global atmospheric changes. Forest fires burn over significant areas annually in Canada, the United States, Mediterranean Europe, and the territory of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). While fire statistics are readily available for most northern hemisphere countries very little information has been forthcoming from the USSR, where forest fires are a major force, particularly in the boreal forest region of Siberia. Statistical information produced by the USSR has often been colloquial in nature, rendered suspect by national political concerns, or representive only of those fires on which suppression action was taken. This has resulted in a gross underestimation of the extent of fire in Siberia where many fires burn unimpeded in remote, underpopulated areas.
While using NOAA AVHRR (Advanced Very High-Resolution Radiometer) satellite imagery (4 kilometre resolution) to monitor the Great Fire of 1987, research scientists from Forestry Canada Ontario Region and the NASA Langley Research Center noticed many larger, unreported fires burning in central Siberia. A request was made to NOAA to provide higher resolution satellite coverage (1 kilometre resolution) over Siberia during the summers of 1990 and 1991, resulting in the acquisition of a number of scenes in which both active fires and recently burned areas are visible. This data is currently being analysed and results will be available soon. High-resolution satellite imagery provides an economical and accurate means for estimating the extent of burning in Siberia, and this process will continue in future years.
From: Brian J.Stocks and D.J.Cahoon
Address:
Forestry Canada
1219 Queen Street East
CDN-Sault Ste.Marie,
Ontario P6A 5M7
NASA Langley,
USA-Hampton,
Virginia 23665-5225
International Assistance and MutualAgreements
(IFFN No. 10 – January 1994, p. 18)
In 1993 a contract was signed with Mongolia. According to this contract the Russian Federation will provide fire fighting equipment (parachutes, helicopter rapelling devices, small equipment). A mutual assistance scheme was agreed for large fire situations.
Croatia received the help of two Russian helicopters from Komi Region. The mission included aerial observers, instructors, and fire fighters, and was deployed in late summer of 1993.
Border-crossing rules with the People’s Republic of China will be signed soon. The agreements will provide rules on simple communication, including radio frequencies.
These international agreements are not the first ones: Earlier Soviet activities in forest fire protection were in Cuba (1977-80) and in an FAO project in Mongolia (1989-90).
The information in this country report was jointly compiled and prepared by:
Eduard P. Davidenko
National Aerial Forest Fire Center
Avialesookhrana
Gorkogo St. 20
RU – 141200 Pushkino, Moscow Region
Spaceborne Detection of Forest Fires
(IFFN No. 10 – January 1994, p. 18)
Satellite-based fire detection technologies have been used in Russia for many years. Like in other countries, detection capabilities of conventional satellite sensors are limited, e.g. by cloud cover or by fire size. A contract with the Russian Association for research and Science of Space Saljut was signed to develop a sensor for (1) fire danger assessment, and (2) for detecting fires less than 0.01 ha in size and independent of cloud cover. Aircraft-borne sensors will be tested during the 1994 fire season. The sensors will then be mounted on the Priroda Platform (to be coupled to the Mir space station) and tested after launch in 1995. It is envisaged to carry out ground truth tests jointly with the IGBP/IBFRA activities.
The German Aeronautical and Space Research Institute (DLR), Institute for Space Sensor Technology (Berlin) recently proposed a research programme for the development of a sensor specially designed to detect, classify and follow-up a fire event. If realized, a joint German-Russian development project may develop. First bilateral talks took place in Russia and Germany (January 1994).
The information in this country report was jointly compiled and prepared by:
Eduard P. Davidenko
National Aerial Forest Fire Center
Avialesookhrana
Gorkogo St. 20
RU – 141200 Pushkino, Moscow Region and Johann Georg Goldammer
(Editor of IFFN)
News from the Forest Fire Situation
in the Radioactively Contaminated Regions
(IFFN No. 10 – January 1994, p. 18-19)
Following the disastrous effects of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident in 1986 on forests, a meeting on “Forest Fires and the Areas Contaminated by Radionuclids” was held in Klintsi, Briansk Region, 18-19 May 1993. Scientists and administrators from the Russian Federation, Belarus and Ukraine reported about latest research in the contaminated areas and on technologies to detect and suppress fires in the contaminated regions. Among other, Sergeij Dusha-Gudym gave a report on the state of contamination (see first report published in IFFN No.7, August 1993). An updated map of the extent of contaminated lands in Russia, together with the information on forest fires occurring in 1992, was presented by S.Dusha-Gudym (Fig.1); the full investigation on fire in contaminated forests will be published in the volume “Fire in Ecosystems of Boreal Eurasia” [see FIRESCAN report]). The representatives of the Klintsi meeting concluded:
“In the forests polluted with a high concentration of radionuclides all forestry operations have been abandoned. As a consequence forest stands are in a critical condition, especially with an increased danger of fire. Uncontrolled wildfires may lead to a second contamination of nearby territories through radionuclides lifted with the smoke and ash. Therefore the Forest Service of Russia and the Ministries of Forestry of Belarus and Ukraine consider fire prevention and control as essential. For this purposed the technical base of the fire services must be strengthened and needs more inputs from relevant fire research. Preliminary results of the research conducted by the Research Institute for Forest Chemistry (Ivanteevka/Pushkino, Moscow Region) and the Forest Research Institute of Belarus reveal the difficulties to conduct research in such areas.
The participants of the conference recommend the development and strengthening of the fire protection service in the boundary region of the three countries, to be conducted as a cooperative effort. The following research priorities were defined: (1) modelling transmission of radionuclides during fire activity; (2) fuel inventory methodologies; (3) methods of protecting humans against the effects of radionuclid contamination. The creation of an International Centre for Forest Fire Prevention and Control in Territories Contaminated by Radionuclids is being considered, on the base of the All-Russian Research Institute of Forest Chemistry (VNIIKhleskhoz).”
Contact addresses for parties interested in cooperative in fire research on contaminated forest lands in Russia and Belarus are:
Sergei I. Dusha-Gudym
Head, Forest Fire Laboratory
All-Russian Research Institute
of Forest Chemistry
(VNIIKhleskhoz)
Zavodskaya Str.10
RU-141250 Ivanteevka (Moscow Region) Leonid P.Orlov
Main Expert
Government of Belarus
Science and New Technology Department
Government House
Minsk, 220010
Belarus
Fig.1. Land area in the Russian Federation contaminated by Caesium-137 (the main map shows the territory East of Chernobyl nuclear power plant). The numbers within the districts (Oblasts) give the number of forest fires and the total area affected by fire in 1992. (Dusha-Gudym 1994).
The information in this country report was jointly compiled and prepared by:
Eduard P. Davidenko
National Aerial Forest Fire Center
Avialesookhrana
Gorkogo St. 20
RU – 141200 Pushkino, Moscow Region and Johann Georg Goldammer
(Editor of IFFN)
Forest Fires on the Areas Contaminatedby Radionuclides
from the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Accident
(IFFN No. 7 – August 1992, p. 4-6)
After the Accident of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, which occurred on 26 April 1986, large areas of the Ukraine, Belorussia and the Russian Federation were exposed to radioactive contamination. Currently the main contaminants of these areas are the long-living radionuclides caesium (137Cs), strontium (90Sr) and plutonium (239Pu). Radionuclides of plutonium are found mainly within the 30-km zone around the Chernobyl Power Plant. Radionuclides of strontium have contaminated a number of districts in the Kiev Region (Belorussia) and in the Bryansk Region (Russian Federation). Radionuclides of caesium account for the largest contaminated areas in these states.
In the Russian Federation, the soil surface, in which caesium radionuclide contamination exceeds 37 GBq/km2 (37 Gigabequerel = 3.7×1010 Bq), totals 4.9 million hectares within 15 Regions. The areas in which the radiocaesium contamination density is 555 GBq(= 0.555 TBq)-1,5 TBq/km2 and higher, are mainly in the Bryansk Region (ca.250,000 ha). This Region was the most affected of the Russian Federation. Its forest cover is 1.2 million ha equalling more than 30% of its total land area.
In the most contaminated Regions of the Ukraine, Belarus and the Russian Federation (the Kiev, Zhitomir, Rovmo, Gomel, Mogilev and Bryansk Regions), the prevailing forests are young and middle-aged pine and pine-hardwood stands with high fire danger classes; there are also large areas of drained peatlands covered by forests. In future the degree of forest fire danger is expected to grow due to the accumulating debris, litter and standing dead trees because these forests are not going to be thinned.
During the pre-disaster years 1981-85 the annual number of forest fires in the Regions of these Republics varied from 809 to 3442, covering an area from 165 to 4456 ha. In the year of the disaster a total of 1775 fires burned 2336 ha of forests. In 1987, 803 fires burned on an area of 614 ha. In 1992 the first severe wildfires burned in May. On 1 to 4 May 1992, in the Gomel Region of Belarus, a fire destroyed several dozen hectares of forests and two evacuated villages. On 3 May 1992 the fire spread over to the territory of the Ukraine and penetrated into the 30-km zone of the Chernobyl Power Plant. According to the reports of 9 May 1992, the fire had affected 500 ha, thereof 270 ha of forests. Within the 30-km zone the level of radioactive caesium in aerosols increased 10 times. In the Bryansk Region, 135 forest fires on 93 ha of forest land was recorded by 12 May 1992.
Fires in radioactively contaminated forests turn into a very grave problem. The research required for forest fire prevention and control on areas contaminated by radionuclides, as well as the development of systems to monitor forest fires in these areas, are the responsibility of the All-Russian Research Institute of Chemistry in Forestry.
Fig.1. Contamination of the land area in the vicinity of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant by caesium and strontium radionuclides in 1990
(1 Curie = Bequerel).
This institute is subordinate to the Forest Committee of the R.F. Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources. The institute studies the nature of forest fires and their consequences under radioactive contamination, focusing on the following factors:
The institute also works on models of heat and mass transfer of radioactive particles during forest fires and defines characteristics of working conditions of fire fighters.
The research results show that in 1990 the bulk of 137Cs radionuclides was concentrated in the forest litter and upper mineral layer of the soil. In the Bryansk Region, the litter of coniferous forests, that of mixed forests, tree cover and bush-grass cover accounted for 72, 43, 8 and 14 per cent of the radionuclides respectively. By the year 1992, vertical migration of radionuclides caused an increasing contamination of the upper soil layer. Therefore at present a serious danger is posed by surface fires (fires in contaminated litter and humus) and ground fires in contaminated peat.
Incomplete combustion causes additional open sources of ionizing radiation: in the zones where the density of radiocaesium contamination of the soil is 0.6-1.5 TBq/km2 and higher, the specific radioactivity of ash and partly burned litter is 180-1086 kBk/kg).
Another great danger is posed by high-intensity (crowning) fires which develop convective activity and lifting of radionuclides into the atmosphere. To obtain correct quantitative characteristics of the redistribution of radionuclides during forest fires, it is necessary to conduct laboratory and field experiments. These experiments are needed to develop fire behaviour models, especially for heat and mass transfer in the near-ground layer.
The contaminated forest environment has not only affected the working conditions of forest fire fighters and the heavy contamination of fire fighting equipment. The studies of forest fires in radioactively contaminated lands are facing significant technical and financial difficulties, affecting both schedules and scales of research.
From: Sergei I. Dusha-Gudym
Head, Forest Fire Laboratory
Address:
All-Russian Research Institute
of Forest Chemistry (VNIIKhleskhoz)
VNIIKhleskhoz
Zavodskaya Str.10
141250 Ivanteevka,
Moscow Region
RUSSIAN FEDERATION
International Boreal Forest ResearchAssociation,
Stand Replacement Fire Working Group
(IFFN No. 7 – August 1992, p. 6-8)
The International Boreal Forest Research Association established a new working group on stand replacement ecology with an emphasis on fire in ecosystems at an Association meeting in Krasnoyarsk Russia on 18-22 May 1992. The working group will foster cooperative research on stand replacement ecology with the goal of better understanding boreal ecosystems and assuring sustainable development and exploitation of resources in the taiga. The International Boreal Forest Research Association is composed of forestry research organizations in the United States, Canada, Russian Federation, Norway, Sweden and Finland.
Two documents were developed and signed at this meeting. The first, known as the Protocol, establishes the long term frame of reference for the working group and details eight hypotheses that will guide cooperative research among the participants. The eight hypotheses are related to quantitatively understanding boreal ecosystems, the role of fire in boreal ecosystems, and modelling and predicting boreal forest dynamics. The Protocol will be implemented through mutually agreed annual work plans. A work plan for 1992-1993 was developed and signed in Krasnoyarsk.
Two additional items were agreed upon outside the scope of the Protocol. A fire study tour of the United States and Canada for a small group of Russian scientists will be held during the period. The Stand Replacement Fire Working Group will also co-sponsor a conference entitled “Fire in Ecosystems of Northern Eurasia” to be held in Krasnoyarsk in the summer of 1993.
The Protocol was signed by Dr. Brian Stocks for Canada, Dr. Eric Valendik for Russia, and Dr. Michael Fosberg for the United States. The annual workplan was signed by Stocks for Canada, Valendik for Russia, and Dr. Lewis Ohmann for the United States.
The eight hypotheses specified in the Protocol are:
The annual work plan for 1992-1993 contains 7 tasks. Five tasks were agreed upon for hypothesis 1. These include an exchange of data to evaluate seasonal patterns of fire danger and the behavior of large fires, an intercomparison of fire danger rating systems, and an experimental program of fire behavior.
Under hypothesis 3, it was agreed to conduct a field study of post fire recovery in the United States with both Russian and American scientists. Also, the United States and Canada will pursue obtaining a satellite downlink (NOAA AVHRR) image analysis system in Krasnoyarsk for monitoring and understanding forest fires from a global perspective. Resulting data will be shared and available to the scientific community.
The International Boreal Forest Research Association was first proposed at a meeting of the International Panalon Boreal Forests in Arkhangelsk, Russia. In June 1991, an organizational meeting was held in the Ukraine between the United States, Canada, and Russia. Member countries are represented by coordinators for priority research areas. Two priority areas were identified at this organizational meeting: Inventory and Monitoring, including classification; and Global Climate Change and Ecosystem Function. Dr. Eldon Ross of the U.S. Forest Service was named Association Coordinator, Dr. Anatoly Shvidenko of Russia was named Coordinator for inventory, monitoring and classification, and Dr. Glen MacDonald of McMaster University, Canada was named Coordinator for global change and ecosystem function. Each member country provides Deputy Country Coordinators to the 2 priority research areas. Recently, Norway, Sweden and Finland have joined the Association. A working party on forest inventory was established at the June 1991 meeting. The Stand Replacement Fire Working Group is the first Working Group established by the Association.
From: Michael Fosberg
Address:
USDA Forest Service
Forest Fire and Atmospheric Sciences Research
P.O.Box 96090
USA-Washington, D.C. 20250
(IFFN No. 14 – January 1996, p. 3-9)
Considering the influence on the structure and dynamics of the Russian forest fund, forest fires have a dominating role among all the natural and anthropogenic disturbances. According to the forest inventory data of the Russian Forest Fund (state: 1 January 1993) the area of totally fire-damaged (non-regenerated) forest comprised 28.4 million ha. This area of severely burned forests (dead stands) was 3.3 times higher than the area of non-regenerated cuttings.
Regular forest fire observation is carried out only in the zone of active forest protection, corresponding to 2/3rds of the Forest Fund area. This zone includes almost all the European part of Russia, the southern and central regions of Siberia and the Far East. In the northern regions of the Asian part of Russia, covering 1/3rd of the Forest Fund territory, forest fire fighting is not carried out or is carried out only episodically. Thus, regular acquisition of fire data in this zone is almost lacking.
The number of forest fires registered annually in the protected forest zone ranges between 10,000 to 30,000, affecting between 0.5 to 2.1 million ha. Taking into account the correlation between the area of burned out forests and dead stands in actively protected, non-protected and episodically protected territory, the area of the Russian Forest Fund annually affected by fire is estimated to range between 0.9 and 3.7 million ha. Taking into account the lack of instrumental methods to sufficiently monitor burned areas and the earlier practice to reduce the number of reported damages, we must consider these estimations as being at the lower limits of its possible ranges.
About 20,287 forest fires affecting a total area of 723,100 ha were registered in 1994 on actively protected forest lands. The number of fires in the 1994 season was near its average annual value for the previous five-year period (20,355), and the area burned was only a half of the average area burned annually (1,437,200 ha). A peculiarity of this forest fire season is that almost a half of all forest fires (9,875) arose on the territory of the European part of Russia with well developed infrastructure and relatively high levels of forest protection. These forest fires were promptly controlled, and the area burned was only 26,700 hectares, corresponding to less than 5.0% of the whole burned area of the Forest Fund. The other 1,412 fires occurred in the regions of Siberia and the Far East, covering 510,100 ha of forests. The average area of a single fire in these regions was 18 times higher than that in the European part of Russia.
Detailed information about forest fires is available for the Forest Fund area that is under aerial protection and is included in a Geographic Information System. Aerial forest fire protection is carried out on an area of 731.3 million ha and includes almost the whole protected territory of the Forest Fund of Siberia and the Far East and also the relatively forest-rich regions of the European part of Russia (Fig.1). In 1994 active aerial fire fighting was carried out on an area of 551 million ha; this area includes 122.5 million ha of deer pasture lands. A total of 14,796 forest fires burned 644,700 ha of the protected Forest Fund territory. About 147 fires burned a total area of 172,600 ha of deer pastures.
Fig.1. Map of Russia showing boundaries of Avialesookhrana divisions. The unprotected zone is in the northern regions of the Asian part of Russia, covering 1/3rd of the Forest Fund territory.
More than 75.5% of the number of fires, and 90% of the area burned in the lands protected by aerial means were in taiga forest (Fig.2). In the zone of mixed and deciduous forests and in the forest steppe 20% of the number of fires burned 6% of the area. The low number of fires reported in the tundra and tundra-taiga transition zone can be explained by the fact that there is no or only episodic systematic fire observation and control. Only 5.0% of the area of deer pastures affected by fire was in the category of forest lands.
Fig.2. Fire distribution in Russia (1994) by forest vegetation zones
1 – Tundra 4 – Taiga 6 – Deciduous forests 2 – Forest tundra 5 – Mixed forests 7 – Forest steppe 3 – Grasslands and open woodlands
The majority of forest fires arose in light coniferous species (pine, larch) and softwood forests (birch, aspen) in which surface fuels consist of highly inflammable materials (grass, shrubs, lichen, green moss [Fig.3]).
Fig.3. Fire distribution in Russia (1994) by forest-forming species and types of ground cover.
Fig.4. Causes of Forest Fires in Russia (1994)
Fig.5. Means of detection of forest fires in Russia (1994)
Fig.6. Duration of forest fires in Russia (1994)
Fig.7. Size distribution of forest fires in Russia (1994)
The distribution of forest fire causes show the dominating role of anthropogenic sources (ca. 90% of all forest fires registered in Russia). On the Forest Fund territory covered by aerial forest fire protection the share of anthropogenic sources of fire was 70.0%, natural factors (lightning) 12.7%, and unknown causes 12.3% (Fig.4). Although the number of lightning-caused fires was relatively small, these fires burned 37% of the total area burned. This can be explained by the group character of these fires and the long distance from transport roads and populated points.
About half of all forest fires (9,725) were detected by aerial reconnaissance. On the territory covered with aerial forest fire protection the share of fires detected by aerial observation was 70% (Fig.5), 25% of the forest fires were detected by ground services, and 5.0% were detected by the local population, expeditions, loggers, etc.
About 5,034 forest fires (ca. 1/4th of all fires in the Forest Fund) which burned 526,900 ha (3/4 of the total area burned) were controlled by aerial means (including 132 fires which finally affected 163,800 ha of deer pastures). On the total territory covered by aerial protection the share of forest fires put out with aerial means was 34,0%. The role of aviation forest fire protection in forest fire detection and fighting was lower than in the previous fire seasons. This was due to the fact that because of insufficient finances the frequency of aerial forest patrolling and the number of aviation forest protection staff were reduced.
The majority of forest fires were put out in the day following its detection. On the territory covered with aerial fire protection 45.0% of the forest fires were suppressed on the day of detection, and 35.5% forest fires were put out the day after detection (Fig.6). The share of these fires in the total area burned of the Forest Fund did not exceeded 5,0%. At the same time more than a half of this area was burned due to lightning fires, which were put out 10 and more days after starting; the number of these fires did not exceed 2.0% of the total number.
As in previous years, the main part of the Forest Fund area affected by fire is concentrated in several regions of highest wildfire risk within Russia and represent the limited number of large forest fires which went out of control. The hotspots were in Irkutsk region, Krasnoyarsk territory and Republic Sakha (Yakutya). The total area burned in these three regions was 464,700 ha, or 72.1% of the burned surface on the area covered by aerial forest fire protection.
No less than 3/4ths of the all forest fires, that occurred on the Forest Fund territory protected by aerial means, were put out while still small in area, not exceeding 5 ha (Fig.7). The number of large forest fires burning more than 200 ha was only 3.5% of the total.
Because of the high variability of periods of high fire danger and fire occurrence, the analysis of forest fire risk must be based on long-term datasets and specific mathematical processing methods. Sufficiently full understanding of the influence of fire on forest ecosystems can be formulated only when we can organize regular fire monitoring on episodically protected and unprotected Forest Fund territory. Under conditions of inadequate ground-based and aerial infrastructures, fire monitoring in these regions can be provided only by spaceborne remote sensing methods. As a first step in this direction we are considering the installation of the NOAA AVHRR receiving stations in Krasnoyarsk, Yakutsk and Khabarovsk.
From: Georgy N. Korovin and Edgar N. Romanovich
Address:
International Forest Institute
Novocheriomushkinskaya st., 69
RUS – Moscow 117418
Centre of Ecology and
Forest Productivity Problems
Novocheriomushkinskaya st., 69
RUS – Moscow 117418
The 1991 Forest Fire Season in the Russian Federation
(IFFN No. 6 – January 1992, p. 6-9)
The area of the Russian national forest lands is 1.161 million ha, including 730 million ha of lands covered with forests. 76.2 per cent of the forested area are occupied by coniferous species, among which the most important are Siberian larch (40 per cent), pine (16.5 per cent), and spruce and fir (14 per cent). The most important deciduous species are birch, aspen and oak.
The dominance of conifers preconditions high forest fire danger in Russia. Depending on the current weather conditions, there are usually 3 or 4 geographic forest regions per a fire season with areas of persistent droughts and hence, mass forest fire outbreaks.
In Russia, forest fire control is the responsibility of forestry enterprises and other agencies managing the forests. Within the whole system of forest fire control, a special place is occupied by the aerial fire control service, established in 1931. The activities of this specialized service cover 95 per cent of the national forest lands. In the sparsely populated and almost inaccessible regions of the North, Siberia and the Far East, aerial forest fire control is the main means of fire detection and suppression.
To detect and to fight forest fires the service uses from 470 up to 880 aircraft, including 220 to 360 helicopters. Fire fighting operations are performed by more than 7000 smokejumpers and helirappellers who are employed on a permanent (all-year round) basis. The management and the performance of the flights to detect and suppress fires are imposed on the aerial fire observers. They are forestry experts, trained and educated additionally in aviation disciplines; they are required to have forest fire fighting experience.
In 1991 the most complicated fire situation was in the forests of the Urals, Western Siberia (may-June) and especially in Yakutia and the Magadan Region (from July throughout September). According to the fire statistics for the protected lands of Russia, 15,019 forest fires occurred and burned on an area of 573,000 ha (the average annual number of fires over the last 5 years being 15,142 on 939,000 ha). The average area of one fire in 1991 was 38 ha.
To assist fire-fighting operations, interregional movements of means and forces had to be performed. 2600 smokejumpers and heli-rappellers were moved in the regions of the most severe fire situations.
Fig.1. Forest fires burning in the Krasnoyarsk Region near the Yenissei River. Photograph taken by Russian stellites are an important tool in locating fires in assessing the extent of burned areas.
Fig. 3 and 4 Russian smokejumpers (above) and rapelling from a MI-8 helicopter in the Urals (below) in summer 1991.
Fig.5 Map of the territory of the former USSR showing the locations of the aerial fire centres. The headquarters Avialesookhrana is located at Pushkino, Moscow Region.
Tab.1 Number of forest fires and forest area burned on the territory of the Russian Federation in the period 1981-1990
Year |
Number of Fires on the Area Served by the Center |
Aerial Detection |
Number of Fires Extinguished by Aerial Means |
Large Forest Fires |
|||||
Number of Fires |
Burned Area (1000 ha) | (%) | Number | Area (1000 ha) |
(%) | Number | Area (1000 ha) |
||
Forest | Non Forest | ||||||||
1981 | 14,821 | 206.5 | 210.0 | 89.2 | 8,104 | 151.4 | 54.6 | 327 | 140.5 |
1982 | 13,165 | 325.3 | 138.1 | 90.4 | 7,827 | 282.2 | 59.4 | 372 | 229.7 |
1983 | 10,141 | 151.4 | 83.9 | 89.4 | 5,738 | 139.7 | 56.5 | 143 | 111.4 |
1984 | 12,953 | 309.9 | 181.6 | 87.8 | 6,472 | 262.2 | 49.9 | 300 | 258.1 |
1985 | 10,200 | 483.0 | 201.8 | 90.6 | 6,204 | 447.3 | 60.8 | 247 | 426.5 |
1986 | 13,296 | 646.2 | 445.1 | 86.4 | 4,845 | 520.6 | 36.4 | 231 | 615.5 |
1987 | 11,304 | 502.7 | 715.0 | 90.0 | 6,186 | 332.8 | 54.7 | 404 | 434.9 |
1988 | 16,432 | 732.5 | 227.0 | 90.8 | 9,472 | 649.9 | 57.6 | 354 | 655.4 |
1989 | 18,751 | 1425.1 | 405.9 | 91.6 | 9,735 | 1176.0 | 51.9 | 735 | 1341.8 |
1990 | 14,950 | 1339.1 | 302.1 | 91.9 | 7,721 | 868.2 | 51.6 | 732 | 1228.2 |
Anual Average (10 years) |
13,601 | 612.1 | 291.0 | 89.8 | 7,230 | 483.0 | 53.3 | 384 | 544.2 |
From: Edward P. Davidenko
Address:
P.A.Avialesookhrana
Gorki Str. 20
141200 Pushkino, Moscow Region
RUSSIAN FEDERATION
(IFFN No. 14 – January 1996, p. 9-12)
The special service for aerial fire protection of the forest resources against fires headed by the Central Aviation Base for Aerial Forest Fire Protection of Russia (Avialesookhrana) was integrated into the system of the Federal Forestry Service of Russia (Rosleshoz).
Aerial forest fire protection is carried out by 329 sub-divisions incorporated into 23 regional aviation bases. Active forest fire control is conducted on an area over 700 million hectares of forests under the jurisdiction of Rosleshoz and on over 110 million ha of forests under the responsibility and management of other agencies. 26 mechanized crews for combating forest fires are operating in the regional aviation bases. All activities of Avialesookhrana concentrate exclusively on forest fire protection.
More than 5,000 smokejumpers and helirappellers are engaged in fighting forest fires (Fig.1). In 1995 more than 22,000 fires were recorded in the forests of Rosleshoz, affecting 321,000 ha (Fig.3). The fire season started 1-2 weeks earlier than in previous years. In April about 3000 forest fires occurred (2.2 times more than in April 1994). Despite the growing number of forest fires, the burned area was reduced by 112,000 ha or 25% in comparison with 1994. The most complicated situation arose in the Khabarovsk and Krasnoyarsk territories, Irkutsk and the Amur regions as well as in the Sakha (Yakut) Republics. 270 large forest fires burned 220,500 ha or 68.8% of all burned wildlands. In the regions with extreme fire danger large numbers of firefighting personnel and equipment were transferred within the regional fire centres and from bases to bases. It should be mentioned that the mobilization of local labour power and necessary equipment is becoming more and more difficult due to the movement of our society to the market economy and the fact that agencies and the local industry have gained independence.
During the 1995 fire season 600 aircraft were rented, including 50% helicopters, flying more than 60,000 hours on fire operations. The smokejumpers performed 34,000 jumps and the rappellers made 50,000 interventions from helicopters.
Fig.1. Smokejumper landing near a fire site in Siberia during the 1995 fire season.
Significant attention has been paid to the use of airtankers in the lake Baikal basin. In 1995 air tankers operated on 19,200 ha in the subdivisions of the Baikal, Irkutsk and Chita aviation bases. According to the records for many years, on average 600 forest fires started annually in the above mentioned territories, burning 25,500 ha. In 1995 a total of 802 fires burned 4328 ha. The individual fire size was reduced from 9.8 ha (in 1994) to 5.4 ha (in 1995). A total of 29 airplanes was involved in forest fire suppression. Additionally three heavy amphibious BE-12P water bombers, each carrying 6000 litres of water, were used since they were under testing in that area.
The three-year experience of testing the BE-12P proved its high efficiency, provided that the distance to reservoirs for scooping water should be located within the operating radius of 70-80 km. These operations completed the initial step for introducing amphibious planes into the general technological scheme carried out by the aviation subdivisions of Irkutsk region.
Fig.2. The use of explosives for fire line construction represents an efficient fire control method applied by Russian smokejumpers and helirappellers.
In the course of the last three years 1161 aerial water drops were performed, delivering 6966 tons of water (1995: 698 drops and 4188 tons of water). A total of 341 hours were flown by the three amphibious planes.
Under the “State Programme for Forest Protection for 1995-1997” the introduction of the AN-2P plane modified for extinguishing forest fires was continued. Five AN-2P were used in Karelia, two in Bashkiria and two in the Briansk Region.
The Central Aviation Base for Aerial Forest Fire Protection Avialesookhrana took the necessary measures for the establishment of its own aviation company. At present one such type aviation subdivision is attached to the Northeast regional base (Magadan). This subdivision has received 12 AN-2P, two AN-26 and six helicopters MI-8. In addition the Vladimir State Aviation Company, which provides 30 AN-2 and two AN-24, has been incorporated into the structure of Avialesookhrana in 1995. Twelve AN-2 are planned to be converted into AN-2P for aerial fire suppression. For more details on aircraft technologies see the International Forest Fire News issues of July 1994 and July 1995.
The causes of fires in 1994 are distributed to as follows:
Human origin 63.0 % Dry lightning 10.9 % Agricultural burning 4.6 % Forest logging operations 1.4 % Unknown causes 20.1 %
Lightning-caused fires burned 49% of the total area affected by fire.
Fig.3. Number of fires and area burned in the USSR/Russia between 1986 and 1995.
In order to implement the “State Programme for Forest Protection” the system of remote sensing for forecasting and detecting fires caused by lightning was established in 1994 in Khabarorsk territory. The results of its use are encouraging. In 1994, 26 forest fire hot spots were detected by that system. The deployment of such systems is foreseen in the Primorsk and Kranoyrsk territories as well as in the Amur, Irkutsk and Tiumen regions.
From: Nikolay Andreev
Chief, Avialesookhrana
Address:
National Aerial Forest Fire Protection Center
Gorkogo St. 20
RUS – 141200 Pushkino,
Moscow Region
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