EUROPE: A BETTER MANAGEMENT
OF FORESTS TO PREVENT FOREST FIRES
NORTH AMERICA: THE TIME BOMB
OF SMOKEY BEAR
30 July 1998
"In Europe, forest fires are tightly linked to the low
profitability of forest management and the lack of outlets for
forest products. These fires do not only break out by chance or
due to ill will. It is, above all, a social phenomenon closely
related to land use issues," stresses Jorge Najera, forest
fire expert in the Timber Section of the United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe (UN/ECE).
It is, however, interesting to note that thanks to the
development of new techniques and equipment for fire fighting,
the average surface of forest fires is diminishing. In France for example, fires used to destroy an average
of 8.5 hectares of forest during the period 1979-1983, but this
average has decreased to 3.1 hectares for the years 1993-1997. In
Spain, for these same periods the figures are 30.2 hectares and
8.3 hectares. Another phenomenon worth noting is that 3 to 5% of
all fires are responsible for 70 to 90% of the burned areas.
Fires due to natural causes, such as those caused by
lightning, only represent 2.1% of all fires in France and 4.3% in
Spain. Most of the fires are still man made, due to negligence or
ill will. There is therefore an urgent need to intensify the
education campaigns and to sensitize the public, especially
children so that they learn to respect and protect their
inheritance.
"Society should be aware of its role as guarantor for
future generations of the benefits that are offered by forests,
for the protection of the environment, of biodiversity,
protection of water resources, protection of soils, but also as
recreation areas for the public at large," says Mr. Najera.
"For this reason it is of vital importance to be able to
better manage forest fires, which every year provoke damage to
this unique natural resource and cause human losses, especially
among those fighting fires."
Lack of maintenance of forests is a determinant factor for a
number of fires to which should be added unfavourable climatic
conditions which can be found in the Mediterranean region -- high
temperatures, drought and strong winds. "We are dealing with
a natural ecosystem which has been modified by man over
centuries, even millennia, but man has almost abandoned it
because it is no longer economically viable. Rural migration
which leaves vast areas abandoned or badly maintained is one of
the causes of the frequent fires. It is urgent to reverse this
trend by generating jobs in forests and by reviewing land use
policies," stresses Mr. Najera. "To remedy this, forest
owners should be encouraged to maintain their forests and the use
of wood products should be promoted, especially by developing
markets for small wood and the use of certain less well known or
less exploited species. This would favour a better management of
this asset."
Overprotection against forest fires is also not a solution. In
the United States, for example, where a campaign against forest
fires started half a century ago and is symbolized by the little
bear with a ranger hat called "Smokey Bear", the
prevention and suppression of forest fires have been so effective
that these fires are less numerous and much more quickly
extinguished. This has led to the accumulation of organic wastes,
such as branches and dead leaves. These wastes, but also the
overdevelopment of the understory has built up a reservoir of
easily flammable fuel.
In the past these fuels were burned by episodic surface fires.
These rapid fires burned not only waste but also smaller trees,
clearing up the coppice without endangering big trees. They also
protected biodiversity while preserving animal species living in
the forests. If big fires were to burst out today, there is very
little chance that the fire brigades, even though they are very
effective in the United States, would be able to stop them.
"It is, stresses Mr. Najera, a time bomb of particular
importance."
Fires have always been part of forest ecosystems. In remote
forests of Siberia or in the far north of America, with small
human populations, fires do help the sustainability of the forest
ecosystem by helping their regeneration.
Forest administrations as well as institutions responsible for
fighting against forest fires, use more and more often fires as a
working method for forestry, a method which must be well managed
and well controlled.
References:
- Timber Bulletin, Forest Fire Statistics, United
Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE). Results
of the annual enquiry in cooperation with DGVI of the
European Commission.
- International Forest Fire News, bi-annual
publication of the Joint FAO/ECE/ILO Committee on Forest
Technology, Management and Training.
For any further information please contact:
Mr. Jorge Najera
Timber Section
Trade Division
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
Palais des Nations, Room 392
CH - 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Telephone: + 41 22 917 3240
Fax: + 41 22 917 0041
E-Mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.unece.org/trade/timber/