Forest fires impact biodiversity as heat intensifies in Uttarakhand

Dehradun: The intensity of forest fires has continued to rise across Uttarakhand amid elevated temperatures and prolonged dry weather, adversely affecting biodiversity. The Forest Survey of India issued 251 fire alerts for Uttarakhand on Tuesday.According to the Uttarakhand forest department, since the onset of the forest fire season on Feb 15, as many as 394 fire incidents have affected around 331 hectares of forest area till Tuesday evening. Forest patches continued to smoulder in parts of Almora, Chamoli and Rudraprayag districts.Strong winds have contributed to the rapid spread of flames, with fires in certain locations extending from chir pine-dominated forests into higher-altitude oak forests situated above 1,800 metres. Environmentalists said fires in oak ecosystems tend to spread slowly due to the accumulation of biomass and woody litter on the forest floor, adversely affecting the biodiversity of these ecosystems.Representatives of some van panchayats reported fire incidents in oak forests, while in several areas residual smouldering persisted despite firefighting efforts.“We can see thick plumes of smoke from the past four days. This is a forest dominated by oak trees, so even these trees are getting impacted. They are ecologically very important for retaining soil moisture and water,” said Ratana Devi, a resident of Almora.The highest number of fire incidents was reported from the Garhwal region, where 285 incidents charred around 241 hectares. This was followed by the Kumaon region, where 74 incidents affected nearly 64 hectares. In the wildlife administration areas, 35 incidents damaged around 26 hectares of forest land.During a press briefing on Tuesday, Uttarakhand forest minister Subodh Uniyal said, “The forest department is addressing the fires through coordinated firefighting measures and increased participation of local communities.”Officials added that controlled burning of forest floors has traditionally been practised in parts of Uttarakhand to encourage the growth of fresh grass for livestock fodder. However, they cautioned that increasingly dry climatic conditions may heighten the risk of such fires spreading unintentionally.Forest authorities have also initiated legal action against individuals allegedly involved in deliberately setting forest fires. More than 90 cases have been registered so far, including two recent FIRs in Pauri district.Chief conservator of forests Shushant Patnaik said, “Of the total forest fire incidents, around 1% occurred in oak forest areas. Largely, it is chir pine-dominated forests that are affected. Forest personnel are actively engaged in firefighting operations.”(With inputs from Ashish Mishra in Uttarkashi and Prem Punetha in Pithoragarh)