Forest Fire Management Practices Used by Forest Departments

Traditional Practices
In India, the fire conservancy is as old as the scientific management of forests. Forest
departments of various States and UTs are using various traditional practices of forest fire
management. Most of these practices still prove to be very effective in the prevention as well
as mitigation of forest fires. These have been detailed below
1. Maintenance and Creation of Fire Lines
Forest Departments of various States/UTs in India develop and maintain fire lines for the
prevention of spread of the forest fires from one place to another place. Two types of fire lines
are in practice viz., Kachha or covered fire lines and Pucca or open fire lines.
In Kaccha fire lines, the undergrowth and shrubs are removed while trees are retained. The
Pucca fire lines are clear felled areas separating a forest/compartment/block from another. The
length and breadth of the fire line are variable and from 03 m to several meters. In old reserve
forests, the compartment boundary was also demarcated as a clear-felled strip of fire lines.
Besides such artificial fire lines, forest roads, paths, natural streams, etc. also act as fire lines
for the advancing forest fires.
2. Controlled Burning
Forest fires are usually seasonal. They start in the dry season and can be prevented by adequate
precautions. Controlled burning of leaf litter, twigs, grasses, and dry undergrowth is conducted
every year during early February in fire-prone forest areas predominantly in a dry deciduous
forest in India. Controlled burning or prescribed burning involves setting fires to maintain the
health of a forest. These burns are scheduled at a time when the fire does not pose a threat to
the existing forest. The burnt material includes dead grass, fallen tree branches, small dead
trees, and thick undergrowth. Control burning is undertaken only after a detailed plan is drawn
up. This plan includes details on how big the fire will be, and what it will burn. It also includes
the weather and environmental conditions under which the fire will burn and any situations that
might require the fire to be extinguished. The management aspects like protective area,
firefighting tools & smoke management are also worked out.
The controlled burning is carried out in strips separating bigger areas/blocks/compartments
from each other. In grassland Controlled burning is done in a phased/ staggered to get a flush
of green grass in monsoon. Historically, smaller fires occurred in forests at regular intervals in
our country. Suppression of these small fires leads to, flammable materials accumulating
increase in on the forest floor insect infestations, and overgrowth of under bushes. These types
of fires may be used in either even-aged or uneven-aged forests.
3. Fire Terracing
The forest departments generally practice fire terracing along roadsides during the initiation of
the fire seasons. Fire terracing is the practice of controlled burning along roadsides and paths
to prevent the unintentional occurrence of fire by human activities like burning ‘beedi’ or
cigarettes etc. The burnt strip sometimes also acts as a barrier to advancing fire. Such controlled
burning is used for clearing the roads and paths for movement and increases the visibility of
roads for patrolling.
 4. Back or Counter-Fire
Counterfire is a traditional method of firefighting in forests. However, this is very effective in
controlling forest fires in India as well as globally. In this method, a strip of the un-burnt area
of forest is subjected to fire from a safe distance towards the advancing blaze. On the other side
of this strip, the forest personnel are deployed to put off the fire so that the fire does not spread
to the other side. The counter fire burns all the fuel material so that when the advancing fire
reaches this area; it subsides and gets doused due to the lack of fuel on the forest floor. Fire
lines, streams, gullies, and paths are also used for counterfire so that the fire advances only on
one side. In past, the back or counter fire was also used to protect govt. reserve forests from
the advancing fire in zamindari forests which were more prone to forest fires.
A backfire should be started on the downwind side. Using a road or a fire line, and be allowed
to back into the wind or down the slope. The wind keeps the flames bent and cools the air on
top of the flaming front, thus reducing the danger of crown scorch or the development of a
crown fire. The preferred prescribed burning wind-speed range should be between 2 and 5
km/h. The preferred relative humidity (RH) for prescribed burning varies from 30 to 50%. RH
strongly influences the fine fuel moisture content, which is the most important parameter
affecting prescribed fire behaviour.
5. Rock Walls
In many places, permanent fire control rock wall barriers are constructed to protect the forest
from fire. These constructed barriers prevent the spread of surface fire as well as ground fire
from one place to the other place.
6. Fire Watchers
Deployment of fire watchers is a routine practice of the Forest State Departments. The strength
of forest watchers depends on the forest area which is to be monitored. They are generally from
nearby villages and members of Joint Forest Management Committees of villages and are hired
for fire season only. Watchers are appointed for 4-5 months i.e., from 1st January to 15th June.
Fire watchers, help in the effective sweeping of fallen dead leaves or organic matter on the
lines. Generally, in the States, the fire lines cutting works start every year on the 15th of
November and it is completed by the 15th of January. After completion of this work, the work
of ticket patrolling along with sweeping dead leaves on the lines commences.
7. Fire Watch Towers
The most effective way for early detection of forest fires is by monitoring forest lands from
fire lookout towers, especially in fire-sensitive forests. As soon as the fire is detected by the
forest officials from the watch towers, a forest fire fighting team reaches the site of the fire.
Thus, a large forest area can be monitored through the established watch tower. The nature of
the fire watch tower varies from a kutcha/ semi-permanent small tree house or hut to a pucca
RCC watch tower. Different methods are used to communicate information on fire occurrence.
8. Soil and Moisture Conservation Works
Soil and moisture conservation activities include contour trenches, gully plugs, loose boulder
structures, water harvesting structures, etc. All of these measures are employed to increase the
moisture content of the soil which helps in reducing the frequency and spread of forest fires.
 9. Ticket Patrol System
This method was used by the forest department in the Central Provinces during the British rule.
Tickets and routes were issued to fire watchers in the morning from a naka and these tickets
were carried by fire watchers to the next naka. The fire watcher traversed the stretch of forest
from source to his destination and on the way detected and disposed of the forest fire. Thus,
the ticket system of patrolling was found effective to control or manage the incidence of forest
fires.
Modern Practices Used by State Forest Departments
With the development of new technologies and easy access to forest areas by roads and
vehicles, the forest departments have adopted several new practices for forest fire management.
These are detailed below:
1. Fire Alert System
The fire alert system was developed by FSI using Geospatial technology. The fire points
detected by the satellite are being sent to concerned forest officers through mobile & emails
for further action at the end of the forest department.
2. Mobile Squads
In fire season, intensive patrolling is carried out by the staff deployed by the state forest
department for the detection and disposal of fire. Mobile squads equipped with vehicles are
used to mobilize the manpower from nearby villages to the nearest possible site of a forest fire.
3. Use of Leaf Blower
Nowadays, leaf blowers are being used to control the fire by clearing a strip at some distance
from the advancing fire. The advancing fire dies off when it reaches this cleared strip due to
the absence of litter/fuel material. These leaf blowers run on petrol/diesel and are easy to carry
on back and are very effective to blow away the fallen leaves, twigs, and other fuel material
lying on the forest floor.
4. Communication Devices
Communication plays a key role in ensuring for control of forest fires before they spread/cover
large areas. Forest departments are nowadays making use of wireless systems, especially in
protected areas for communications and especially regarding forest fires. In case of any fire
incident being observed inside the forest, a message is sent through the communication devices
to the fire control room. After getting the information, the control room officer informs the
concerned forest officer about the fire who then deploys his personnel to control the fire.
5. Community Participation
Forest Departments have adopted a participatory approach to controlling forest fires. Joint
Forest Management (JFM) is an important tool for the participation of people in forest
management. Forest departments of states have constituted Joint Forest Management
Committees (JFMCs) in the villages having forests in the vicinity. The names of these JFMCs
vary in different states/forest areas like Joint Forest Management and Protection Committee
(JFMPC), Village Forest Management and Protection Committee (VFMPC), Village Forest
Protection Committees (VFPC), etc. These JFMCs work in coordination with forest
departments and play an important role in works related to the protection developmental work
in and fringe and improvement of forests including the management of forest fires. Fire
watchers are generally deployed with the help of JFMCs. Awareness programs regarding forest
fires are also being conducted with the help of JFMCs. In case of fire incidence, these
committees also help in mobilizing villagers to put out the fires.