GFMC: Forest Fires in the Russian Federation
Forest Fires in the Russian Federation
08 June 2011
Fire danger map for June for Eastern Siberia:
Source: Sukachev Institute for Forest, Krasnoyarsk
Eurasian Experimental Fire Weather Information System
The system has been developed by forest fire researchers from Canada, Russia and Germany has been displayed on this website starting 18 July 2001. Complete information and a set of daily fire weather and fire behaviour potential maps covering Eurasia (the Baltic Region, Eastern Europe, countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States, Mongolia) can be accessed at:
https://gfmc.online/fwf/eurasia1.htm
Latest Experimental Fire Weather Index (FWI) map for Eurasia (today)
Note: The components of the Fire Weather Index and the meteorological data below are updated daily at ca. 15:00 GMT/UTC by the Northern Forestry Centre, Canada. In the list below the latest maps (including the FWI) can be downloaded. These maps will provide the information at the date of clicking on the link.
Fire Weather Index Components Meteorological Data Fine Fuel Moisture Code (FFMC) Precipitation Duff Moisture Code (DMC) Relative humidity Drought Code (DC) Temperature Initial Spread Index (ISI) Wind direction Buildup Index (BUI) Wind speed Fire Weather Index (FWI)
Latest Situation Updates of the Aerial Forest Fire Centre of Russia
Wildfire situation report of the Aerial Forest Fire Centre of Russia Avialesookhrana on 31 May 2011
According to the wildfire situation report of 31 May 2011 a total of
165 fires affected 3735 ha forested and 1046 ha non-forested lands.
82 fires of them were reported as new fires.
An except 24 fires were put out the same day they have been discovered.
Through all of Russia 4207 people, 79 aircraft, 625 bulldozers, tractors and engines have
been involved in fire fighting.
Since the beginning of the 2011 fire season a total of 10119 fires
affected 304301 ha forested and 158797 ha non-forested lands of the Forest Fund of Russia.
Most fires have been reported in the following regions:
Irkutsk region – 58
Krasnoyarsk region – 33
Zabaikalsk region – 11
Source: Aerial Forest Fire Center of Russia (Avialesookhrana), prepared for GFMC by Andrey Usachev.
Satellite-derived fire information
Avialesookhrana provides also up-to-date satellite images for the Russian Federation and neighboring territories.
Latest (08 June 2011 15:00 GMT) NOAA 12&14 AVHRR composite.
The red squares indicate regions of active fires (MODIS Detection).
For details the GFMC readers are encouraged to use the hyperlinks provided by Avialesookhrana.
(Source: Avialesookhrana cloudiness maps)
The Space Monitoring Information Support Laboratory provides extensive links to sites with satellite imagery for the Russian Federation, meteorological information as well as fire related images are accessible.
Daily Fire Occurrence and Fire Danger Maps of the Fire Laboratory of the Sukachev Institute of Forest, Krasnoyarsk
Selected fire occurrence maps, satellite images and a forest fire danger map are prepared daily by the Russian GFMC correspondent Dr. Anatoly Sukhinin, Fire Laboratory of the Sukachev Institute of Forest, Krasnoyarsk, in collaboration with the Emergency Situation Monitoring and Forecasting Agency, Krasnoyarsk branch. The maps are produced on the base of satellite data (classification by the NOAA AVHRR). They show the fire locations (by latitude and longitude) and the area affected by fire (red signature, size in ha). The red arrow at each fire location points to the nearest populated place. The terms Oblast or Kray used in the maps are designations of administrative regions. A map showing the boundaries of administrative regions and a legend is included below.
Map legend
Administrative boundaries
Overview map showing large fire locations detected over the last 10 days:
Overview
Latest maps maps showing fire activities of 08 June 2011 (selection):
Irkutsk Region Krasnoyarsk Kray Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area/Okrug
More maps of other regions are available on request: info@gfmc.org
From the Media
Fire situation on the territory of the Russian Federation
239 hotbeds of wildfires with the total area 17 801.54 hectares have been registered in the Russian Federation within twenty four hours. 196 hotbeds with th area 9 554.57 ha have been extinguished. 225 hotbeds, including those emerged earlier and 12 large ones continue burning, the area of active burning is 334.75 ha, 44 943.32 ha have been contained.
Within the past twenty four hours 196 hotbeds of wildfires with the total area of 9 554.57 hectares were extinguished.
Within twenty four hours wildfires have gone 17 801.54 hectares, including 15 283.25 hectares forest land, 2 515.6 hectares steppe land and 2.69 ha – peat land.
225 hotbeds of wildfires (the area of active burning is 334.75 hectares, 44 943.32 ha have been contained)continue burning, including 221 hotbeds with the area 44 641.07 ha – on the forest lands (FFA), 3 hotbeds with the area 627.0 ha – on the specially protected lands and 1 hotbed with the area 10.0 ha – on the lands of the Defense Ministry. Including 12 large fires in Sakha Republic (Yakutia) (1 hotbed with the area 5 000.0 ha), Khabarovsk Territory (1 hotbed with the area 600.0 ha), Krasnoyarsk Region (7 hotbed with the area 9 990.0 ha), Irkutsk Region (2 hotbeds with the area 8 800.0 ha) and Tuva Republic (1 hotbed with the area 280.0 ha).
There are 19 uncontrolled and 28 hotbeds of waste burning on the territory of the Russian Federation.
11 300 hotbeds of wildfires (compared to the same period last year – 11 151 hotbeds, an increase by 1,01 time) on the total area of 635 567.55 hectares (compared to the same period last year – 216 373.56 ha, an increase by 2.93 times) have emerged in the Russian Federation since the beginning of the fire-dangerous period of 2011.
5 491 people and 892 pieces of equipment were involved to extinguish wildfires. Of those involved:
2 147 people and 534 pieces of equipment were involved by FFA;
269 people and 63 pieces of equipment – by the Russian Emergency Ministry;
636 people and 98 pieces of equipment – by the Ministry of Environment;
2 439 people and 197 pieces of equipment – by other federal and territorial subsystems of the System of Emergency Prevention and Relief.
Compared to the previous twenty four hours there is a rise of areas in fire (by 8 246.97 ha) and a fall in the number of active hotbeds (by 43 hotbed).
The most difficult situation with fires is developing on the territory of Sakha (Yakutia) Republic, Krasnoyarsk, Khabarovsk and Zabaikalsky Territories, Irkutsk Region and Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District (the reasons are very warm weather, territories difficult to access).
Given the forecast, the most difficult situation may develop in the Far Eastern, Siberian, Volga, Southern and Central Federal Districts: in the Republics of Sakha (Yakutia), Altai, Buryatia, Tuva, Bashkortostan and Kalmykia; Khabarovsk, Zabaikalsky and Krasnoyarsk Territories; Irkutsk, Orenburg, Saratov, Astrakhan, Rostov, Volgograd and Voronezh Regions.
Change in area and number of active fire hotbeds
Federal Districts
(Subjects with the most difficult situation)
Burning hotbeds
number /total area, (active burning), ha/ including (area, ha)
Change in the number of hotbeds and area of fires
07.06.2011
08.06.2011
Khabarovsk Territory
4/0,0
711,0
1/600,0
2/0,0
700,0
1/600,0
Decrease by 2 hotbeds
Decrease by 11,0 ha
Sakha (Yakutia) Republic
2/0,25
5001,0
1/5000,0
5/2,48
5077,0
1/5000,0
Increase by 3 hotbeds
Increase by 76,0 ha
Primorsky Territory
1/0,0
50,0
0/0,0
0/0,0
0
0/0,0
Decrease by 1 hotbed
Decrease by 50,0 ha
Far Eastern FD
7/0,25
5762,0
2/5600,0
7/2,48
5777,0
2/5600,0
No changes
Increase by 15,0 ha
Tomsk Region
5/4,85
83,2
0/0
3/3,0
52,9
0/0
Decrease by 2 hotbeds
Decrease by 30,3 ha
Krasnoyarsk Territory
64/151,94
26460,7
7/9990,0
56/162,03
27049,0
7/9990,0
Decrease by 8 hotbeds
Increase by 588,3 ha
Tuva Republic
1/0,79
10,0
0/0
2/4,26
280,1
1/280,0
Increase by 1 hotbed
Increase by 270,1 ha
Irkutsk Region
56/61,06
2486,7
2/1600,0
73/88,44
9865,5
2/8800,0
Increase by 17 hotbeds
Increase by 7378,8 ha
Zabaikalsy Territory
8/16,65
769,0
0/0
18/23,81
948,1
0/0
Increase by 10 hotbeds
Increase by 179,1 ha
Buryat Republic
9/14,17
506,0
0/0
11/11,67
468,7
0/0
Increase by 2 hotbeds
Decrease by 37,3 ha
Siberian FD
143/249,45
30315,6
9/11590,0
163/293,21
38664,3
10/19070,0
Increase by 20 hotbeds
Increase by 8348,7 ha
Khany-Mansi Autonomous District
21/2,28
866,9
0/0
20/1,84
560,4
0/0
Decrease by 1 hotbed
Decrease by 306,5 ha
Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District
6/13,1
43,5
0/0
15/28,1
93,5
0/0
Increase by 9 hotbeds
Increase by 50,0 ha
Urals FD
27/15,38
910,4
0/0
35/29,94
653,9
0/0
Increase by 8 hotbeds
Decrease by 256,5 ha
Republic of Karelia
0/0
0
0/0
13/6,8
27,7
0/0
Increase by 13 hotbeds
Increase by 27,7 ha
Komi Republic
3/0,52
17,1
0/0
3/2,0
19,0
0/0
No changes
Increase by 1,9 ha
Arkhangelsk Region
1/0,3
11,0
0/0
1/0,15
16,0
0/0
No change
Increase by 5,0 ha
Leningrad Region
0/0
0
0/0
2/0,17
0,17
0/0
Increase by 2 hotbeds
Increase by 0,17 ha
Murmansk Region
0/0
0
0/0
1/0,0
120,0
0/0
Increase by 1 hotbed
Increase by 120,0 ha
Northwestern FD
4/0,82
28,1
0/0
20/9,12
182,87
0/0
Increase by 16 hotbeds
Increase by 154,77 ha
Vladimir Region
1/5,0
15,0
0/0
0/0
0
0/0
Decrease by 1 hotbed
Decrease by 15,0 ha
Central FD
1/5,0
15,0
0/0
0/0
0
0/0
Decrease by 1 hotbed
Decrease by 15,0 ha
Overall in the RF
182/270,9
37031,1
11/17190,0
225/334,75
45278,07
12/24670,0
Increase by 43 hotbeds
Increase 8246,97 ha
Source: EMERCOM of Russia
Wildfires situation in Siberia stabilises local administration (24 May 2011)
Wildfires situation in Siberia has stabilised, the local administration said on Tuesday.
Deputy Prime Minister of the Transbaikalia Region Evgeny Vishnyakov thanked paratroopers from Irkutsk, Tomsk and Krasnoyarsk for their assistance in extinguishing the wildfires.
Well organised and timely actions of the groups extinguished the complicated wildfires, which occupied the aviation protected zone of the forests, press service of the local administration said.
There are still three wildfires in the Transbaikalia Region, which occupy slightly over 23 hectares. 105 firefighters, 29 vehicles and one plane continue to extinguish the fires, the local branch of Russias EMERCOM said.
In Buryatia, which neighbours the Transbaikalia Region, the number of wildfires is falling, too, though they still occupy 480 hectares.
The fires at 460 hectares are localised, Buryatias branch of EMERCOM said. Over 80 firefighters, 17 vehicles and three planes continue working there.
Well organised and timely actions of the groups extinguished the complicated wildfires, which occupied the aviation protected zone of the forests, press service of the local administration said.
There are still three wildfires in the Transbaikalia Region, which occupy slightly over 23 hectares. 105 firefighters, 29 vehicles and one plane continue to extinguish the fires, the local branch of Russias EMERCOM said.
In Buryatia, which neighbours the Transbaikalia Region, the number of wildfires is falling, too, though they still occupy 480 hectares.
The fires at 460 hectares are localised, Buryatias branch of EMERCOM said. Over 80 firefighters, 17 vehicles and three planes continue working there.
Source: www.itar-tass.com
Fears of repeat disaster as fires rage in Russian east (24 May 2011)
Russia has reported 421 wildfires burning in forests and peat bogs over the past 24 hours, covering an area of 116,098 hectares (450 sq miles).
The fires were mainly confined to remote parts of Siberia and the Urals, with no blazes reported near Moscow and other central Russian cities.
But the area on fire is twice the size of that for the same period last year.
Drought, fires and smog left dozens dead and ruined crops in 2010, and there are fears of a repeat disaster.
The emergencies ministry said in a report on its website that the biggest fires were in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia), the Amur region and the Krasnoyarsk territory.
More than 6,000 personnel equipped with more than 1,140 units of fire-fighting equipment were deployed against the fires, backed by 42 aircraft.
Of the 421 fires reported on Monday, 241 were extinguished, the ministry said.
Western Russia, the centre of the country’s grain production, remains largely unaffected by fire, but officials say the situation may deteriorate if dry weather persists.
Russia’s official forecast for this year’s wheat crop is 85-90m tonnes compared to some 61m in 2010, 97m in 2009 and 108m in 2008.
Meanwhile, drought conditions have been hitting grain crops in northern Europe, with some forecasters predicting above-average temperatures for the summer months.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Severe forest fires in Russia’s Siberian provinces (20 May 2011)
Severe forest fires were burning in Russia’s Siberian provinces with firefighters battling blazes in isolated mountain or steppe terrain, Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations (RMES) said in a Friday statement. Two regions – the Yakutia province and districts near the Amur River in Russia’s Far East – were the hardest hit, according to RMES satellite imagery. More than 7,000 firefighters had deployed to sometimes extremely remote regions to battle more than 450 blazes currently burning in tundra, forest, and plains terrain. The fires covered an aggregate area of 66,000 square hectares, or 660 square kilometres, the Interfax news agency reported.
Most of the fires been ignited by lightning and at present no areas of human settlement appeared threatened by flames, according to the report. Russia’s massive Siberian region contains one of the world’s largest woodlands. Fires are common during Spring and early summer as drying timber or steppe grass is struck by lightning from thunderstorms. Fires can ignite hundreds of kilometres from the nearest roads or railways, making firefighter response difficult and at times impossible.
Source: Interfax
Russian fire fighters head to Far East (19 May 2011)
Russias Emergencies Minister Sergey Shoygu has sent fire fighting planes, including Il-76 multi-purpose airlifter, to the countrys Far East to combat wild and peat bog fires, the ministrys spokeswoman reports.
Russia is now seeing peat bog fires increasing in number and already spreading over 45,000 ha. The worst situation is in Yakutia, Sverdlovsk, Amur and Khanty-Mansiysk regions.
Source: english.ruvr.ru
Recent Media Reports on Fires in the Russian Federation
- RIA NOVOSTI regular news & updates (2011)
- Emergencies ministry says much of Russia not ready for wildfires (published by en.rian.ru, 01 June 2011)
- Unknown cause for Russian arms depot fire (published by www.euronews.net, 27 May 2011)
- The Ural cluster got into wild fires (published by www.rusbiznews.com, 25 May 2011)
- Wildfires situation in Siberia stabilises local administration (published by www.itar-tass.com, 24 May 2011)
- Fears of repeat disaster as fires rage in Russian east (published by www.bbc.co.uk, 24 May 2011)
- Forest Fires Rage In Russia’s Far East, Siberia (published by planetark.org, 23 May 2011)
- Forest fires spread in Siberia (published by en.rian.ru, 22 May 2011)
- Severe forest fires in Russia’s Siberian provinces (published by Interfax, 20 May 2011)
- Wildfire spreads in Russia’s Siberia (published by world.globaltimes.cn, 15 May 2011)
- Firefighters battle raging wildfires in Siberia (published by en.rian.ru, 08 May 2011)
- Greenpeace accuses authorities of failing to fight wildfires (published by themoscownews.com, 06 May 2011)
- Firefighters battle 10 wildfires in Russian Far East (published by en.rian.ru, 03 May 2011)
- Medvedev smoulders over wild fire threat (published by themoscownews.com, 28 April 2011)
- Peat-bog flooding stepped up in central Russia to prevent wildfires (published by english.ruvr.ru, 28 April 2011)
- Medvedev orders no repeat of 2010 wildfire chaos (Source: Reuters, 27 April 2011)
- Meeting on wildfires prevention (published by eng.kremlin.ru, 27 April 2011)
- Medvedev to send officials to wildfires frontline (published by www.thenewage.co.za, 27 April 2011)
- Siberian forest fires getting closer to homes (published by www.newsbcm.com, 25 April 2011)
- 32 forest fires contained in Siberia by Monday morning (published by www.itar-tass.com, 25 April 2011)
- Number of Forest Fires in Siberia up 50 Percent (published by www.bernama.com, 23 April 2011)
- Vladimir Putin demands all agencies thoroughly prepare for fire season (published by www.newsbcm.com, 21 April 2011)
For more reports see GFMC Media page: https://gfmc.online/media-highlights-on-fire-policies-and-politics.html
Background on Wildland Fires in the Russian Federation
- Forest Fire and Smoke Episode in Western Russia 2010
- IFFN Russian Federation Special Issue (IFFN 32)
- Russia 2002 fire report
- IFFN Russian Federation 2002 Fire Special (IFFN 28)
- IFFN Reports from Russia
- Fire Research Campaign Asia-North (FIRESCAN)
Bibliography on fire in ecosystems of boreal Eurasia
One of the results of the first international fire science conference in the Russian Federation (1993) was the publication of a monograph on fire in boreal Eurasia, including some selected contributions on boreal North America. The literature cited in the monograph contains numerous publications which in many cases are not easily accessible. To facilitate literature search the bibliographical sources are provided by topic (chapter).
Goldammer, J.G. and V.V. Furyaev. 1996. Fire in Ecosystems of Boreal Eurasia. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, 390 p.
