U’khand to clear 15,000 trees for restoration of forest fire lines

Dehradun: The forest department has launched a major exercise to restore and maintain fire lines -- strips of land cleared of vegetation -- across six forest divisions in Uttarakhand, involving the clearing of nearly 15,000 trees along a cumulative stretch of 1,235km.Officials said the move is aimed at strengthening forest fire prevention measures ahead of the dry season. The restoration work will be carried out in Dehradun, Champawat, Nainital, Ramnagar, Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary and Kalsi Soil Conservation divisions.The forest corporation has been given permission to carry out marking and felling of trees. Officials said that of the total log lots identified, 93 are in Kumaon, 37 in Garhwal and four in wildlife areas.“Working plans define division-specific strategies to balance ecological preservation with fire risk management. Fire lines work as natural firebreakers, which is why these stretches have to be cleared,” said Sushant Patnaik, state nodal officer for forest fires and disaster management.Officials said maintaining fire lines is especially important in vulnerable forest zones as they help prevent the spread of wildfires by creating gaps in vegetation.According to the department, at least 1,689 forest beats in the state are vulnerable to forest fires. Of these, 84 have been classified as highly sensitive, 291 as moderately sensitive and 1,364 as low-sensitive.Forest department data showed that since the beginning of the summer fire season in Feb, around 122 hectares of forest land have been affected in 200 fire incidents across the state.