News Excerpt: 

The incidents have been reported from all districts of Himachal Pradesh, with major fires in Kinnaur, Manali, Kullu, Chamba and Shimla in the last three weeks.

More about the news: 

• There have been 2,050 incidents of forest fires between October 16, 2023 and January 16, 2024, according to data from the Forest Survey of India (FSI). There were just 296 incidents of forest fires during the same period last year.
• Himachal also ranked among the top five Indian states where major incidents of forest fires were reported in the last one week, according to the FSI. 
• It reported 36 such incidents. The state had reported 123 major fire incidents during the winter of 2022-2023. Uttarakhand was second, Andhra Pradesh third and Jammu and Kashmir fourth.
• There were 369 incidents of fire in Himachal during December 2023, 275 of which were forest fires, according to the Fire Safety Department of the state government.

What is forest fire?

• Uncontrolled fire occurring in vegetation more than 1.8 meters (6 feet) in height. 
• These fires often reach the proportions of a major conflagration and are sometimes begun by combustion and heat from surface and ground fires. 
• A big forest fire may crown, that is, spread rapidly through the topmost branches of the trees before involving undergrowth or the forest floor. 
• As a result, violent blow ups are common in forest fires, and they may assume the characteristics of a firestorm. 

Reasons behind the fire incidents: 

• The state has undergone a long dry spell in the past three months, with no rainfall or snowfall. 
• There has been a 100 percent rainfall deficit in January, according to the meteorological department. 
• The number of fire incidents is expected to increase in the coming weeks, given the lack of precipitation.
• Some 15 percent of Himachal’s 37,033 square kilometres of forest area is covered with chir pine, an extremely fire-prone and flammable type of tree.

HImachal Pradesh’s Forests and Forest fire incidents: 

• The Forests of Himachal Pradesh known for their grandeur and majesty are like a green pearl in the Himalayan crown.
• The forests of Himachal Pradesh are rich in vascular flora, which forms the conspicuous vegetation cover. 
• Out of a total 45,000 species of plants found in the country as many as 3,295 species (7.32%) are reported in the State. 
• More than 95% of species are endemic to Himachal and characteristic of Western Himalayan flora, while about 5% (150 species) are exotic introduced over the last 150 years. 
• 8 of 12 Himachal districts are considered fire-prone. The state’s forest fire season usually lasts from the second week of April till June. But this year, there have been more incidents during the winter.
• Over the years the forest wealth of the State is being destroyed by the incidences of fire attributed to both anthropogenic and other reasons.
• The destruction of rich flora and fauna of the State due to forest fires will have serious repercussions on the ecological balance of the State.