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DISASTER
MANAGEMENT : AN
ASSESSMENT OF
FOREST FIRE
MANAGEMENT IN
HIMACHAL
PRADESH

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Introduction
Man has been facing natural and Man-Made disasters since the dawn of civilization. But to
regard that disasters affect only the man would be too narrow approach to understand the
very concept of disaster and disaster management. A very basic approach to study the
origin, classification, effects and management of disasters should be to understand the
concept of biosphere as an ecosystem. The biosphere as a part of earth which contains the
living organisms and is biologically the inhabitable part of soil, air and water. The
biosphere consists of all the living organisms and the physical environment in a continuous
and balanced interaction with each other. These continuous and balanced interactions may
be at times disturbed by either sudden or long term causes which lead to the origin of
disasters which affect all the components of the ecosystem ^
The word 'disaster' incorporates a variety of events, natural or man-made, that cause
injury, loss of life or damage to property, livelihood or environment. According to the
TJnited Nations', disaster may be defined as "the occurrence of a sudden or major
misfortune which the basis fabric and normal functioning of a society. It is an event or a
series of events which gives rise to casualties, or damage pr loss of property, infrastructure,
essential
Dr. Anurag Singh, "Disasters and India's Specific preparedness in their Management with
Special Emphasis on Earthquakes", Chanakya Civil Service Today, January 2008,
services or means of livelihood on a scale that is beyond the normal capacity of the affected
communities to cope with unaided.
Definitions

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Different writers have defined disaster in their different views. S. Narayan (2000) quoted
disaster as a calamity which is suddenly thurst either by nature or by man himself. It blows
out dismantles and smash all the way of life. In the twentieth century of anything has brow
beaten mankind quite often it is disaster-disaster of every kind^, R. B. Singh (2000) has
defined disaster in this way that there are two types of disaster natural or man-made. They
are the new constraints to development and a threat to our environment. They undermine
development efforts and cause loss of life and scarce resources, reduction of productivity
and environmental degradation^. United Nations Disaster Reduction Organisations defines
a disaster more qualitatively as "an event concentrating in time and space in which a
community undergoes severe danger incurs such losses to its members and physical
appurtenances that the social structure is disrupted'*. P.C. Sinha (1999) described disaster
as "a state of emergency", A state of emergency develops when the sudden increase in the
variety, frequency, magnitude and in the intensity of problems^.
caused by the forces of nature and man-made disasters such as epidemics, wars, pollution,
environmental degradation, terrorism and forest-fires, which result from the undesirable
activities of men. A third class of disasters can still be identified which result from the
combined action of natural and man-made activities. The best example in this regard would
be the occurrence of floods, droughts and forest fires. They are mainly natural disasters but
they are forced by human interference to occur.
Concept of Disaster Management
"Disaster Management" is one of the front running themes among contemporary global
issues. Disaster control and mitigation measures have been gradually attaining a level
where it could be called a subject to be extensively practiced. Disaster management covers
a wide range of activities such as "Preparedness or advance planning, rescue, relief and
rehabilitation"^.

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'Disaster Management' mean immediate rescue, relief and rehabilitation and
reconstruction measure because the victims are shocked to show patience in their pitiable
plight. Disaster Management includes planning, organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating
reporting and budgeting functions before the disaster attacks and rescue, relief and
rehabilitation work after the disaster attacks. It also needs proper leadership, information
technology, researches and development and time management, responsibility
management, risk management, performance management, strategic management,
financial management, communication
N.Chaturvedi & Shanta Kohli, "Social Administration Development & Change", Time Press
1980 p5.
management, human . management and knowledge management too^.
Disaster Management has within it, the ^seeds of welfare and development administration.
It is a goal oriented, imaginative, resilient, innovative, adaptive and responsive to the
changing requirement of the situation. Hence, the disaster management or management is
an important term. While defining the management it can be said that every activity which
we undertake an element that bring coordination or co-hesiveness in the activity without
this any act would be ineffective or stumbling perhaps random and unproductive. It is the
management which makes the organisation effective through adapting new approach from
top to bottom and from bottom to top that is 'disaster management' and frequency of their
occurrence increase due to the undesirable human activities.
Disaster can also be classified on the basis of their effects into catastrophes having
maximum destructive effects and minor disasters having less destructive effects. Another
basis for their classification may be the time and duration of their occurrence^.

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The unwanted events happen regularly over the crust and surface of this planet. Man has
entered in the new millennium with great hope and celebrations, but finds himself under
severe strain and feels comipelled to setup and reasses his environment, nature, culture
and future, "consumption for today and conservation for tomorrow" has become the slogan
of mankind all over the world. The enemy of our environment is within each one because
each one want more and more at the expense of nature. The new concepts like global
warming and global warming and global cooling
Source: HDRO Calculations Based on OFDA 2007
Rich countries have registered a mounting roll-call of climate change or disasters. During
2003, Europe was hit by the most intense heat wave in more than 50 years - an event that
caused thousands of deaths among the elderly and other vulnerable people. A year later,
Japan was hit by more tropical cyclones than in any other years over the previous
countries. In 2005 Hurricane Katrina, one event in the worst Atlantic hurricane season on
record, provided a devastating reminder that even the world's richest nations are not
immune to climate disasters. While climate disasters are affecting more and more people
across the world, the overwhelming majority lives in developing countries, for the period
2000-2004, on an average annual basis one in 19 people living in the developing world was
affected by a climate disaster^.
Here are the examples of some disasters after 2000-
• 2007 monsoon period in East Asia displaced 3 million people in China.
• Monsoon floods and storms in South Asia during the 2007 season displaced more
than 14 million people in India and 7 million people in Bangladesh. Over 1000 people lost
their lives across Bangladesh, India and Southern Nepal and Pakistan.

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• In 2006-07 cyclone season in East Asia which saw large areas of Jakarta flooded
displaced 4,30,000 people. Hurricane Durian causing mudslides and extensive loss of life in
the Philippines, followed by widespread storm damage in Vietnam.
• In terms of overall activity, the 2005 drought in the Horn of Africa threatened the
lives of over 14 million people across a swathe of countries from Ethiopia and Kenya to
Malawi and Zimbabwe, in the following years drought gave way to extensive following of
many of the some countries.
• Floods in Bihar in 2008 are the example of great havoc in India.
The world is heading towards unprecedented losses of biodiversity and the collapse of
ecological systems during the 21st century losses of ecosystems and biodiversity are
intrinsically bad for human development. The loss of mangrove swamps, coral reef
systems, forests and wetlands is highlighted as a major concern. Yet climate disasters are
heavily concentrated in poor countries some 262 million people were affected by climate
disaster annually from 2000 to 2004, over 98 percent of them in the developing world.
The forests play a crucial role in the lives of millions of poor people who rely on them for
food, fuel and income. And tropical forests are sites of rich biodiversity. The challenge for
international co-operation is to find ways of unlocking the triple benefits for climate
mitigation, people and biodiversity that could be generated through the conservation of
forests.

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Governments are not currently meeting the challenge the facts on deforestation tell their
own story between 2000 and 2005, net forest loss world wide averaged 73 thousand km^.
An area of the size of a country like Chile rainforests are currently shrinking at about 5
percent in year. Every hectare lost adds to green house gas emissions. While forests vary in
the amount of carbon that they store, pristine rainforest can store around 500 tonnes of
CO2 per hectare.
Between 1990 and 2005, shrinkage of the global forest estate is estimated to have added
around 4G+ to the Earth's atmosphere each year if the worlds forests were a country, that
country would be one of the top emitters on one estimate, deforestation, beat land
degradation and forest fires have made Indonesia the third large source of green house gas
emissions in the world. Deforestation in the Amazon region is another of the great sources
of global emissions. The world is losing immense opportunities for carbon mitigation
through forest conversion. Countries are losing assets that could have a real value in terms
of carbon finance. And people depending on forests for their livelihoods are losing out to
economic activities operating on the basis of a false economy. Viewed in narrow
commercial terms, deforestion makes sense only because markets attach no value to
carbon repositories. In ei'fect, standing tress are obstacles to the collection of money dying
on the ground. While national circumstances vary. In many countries most of that money is
appropriated by large scale farmers, ranchers and illegal loggers.
Importance of forests
The importance of forests in the developmental activities of rural India may be summarized
as follows:

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1. Forests are a powerful ecological unit affecting environment and are among the
most natural and renewable resources. They render the climate more equitable. The forests
help to prevent soil erosion and facilitate rainfall. This emphasizes the importance of
preserving an adequate proportion of the land area under forests in the interests of
agricultural development.
2. The contribution of forestry together with logging, to the national income in 1983-
84 was Rs. 1,758 crores constituting 1.1. percent of the total net domestic product.
3. Forests in India provide fodder for more than 300 million livestock.
4. It is estimated that 3.1 million workers of about 0.2 percent of the total work force
in the country are working in the forestry sector. Forests provide full time employment for
some and part time work for many.
5. They are also the homes of tribal people, numbering about 25 lakhs.
6. Forests provide raw material for industries like soul mills, match, plywood, paper,
pencil-making etc.
7. They provide major and minor products, the major products being fiber, timber fire
wood, charcoal and minor products being bamboos, canes, drugs, spices, fodder, gums,
rubber, lady fruits, honey etc.
8. Forests are an important source of revenue to the government. It is estimated that
annually an amount of about Rs. 500 crores is derived from the sale of forest

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9. Forests have an employment generation potential through
(a) Production forestry (b) Social forestry (c) Minor forests produce (d) Forest
industries and (e) Forest department.
10. Forests are important for maintaining ecological balance through preservation of
wild life and biodiversity i°.
Participatory Forest Management has been the focal point of the National Forest Policy
1988, in which efforts have been made to achieve the desired goals like forest conservation,
extension of tree cover and fulfillment of the fuel requirement of the people. NFAP
{National Forestry Action Programme) has been made operational with the assistance of
ONPP since 1993 and initially areas like resource economics, forest industries planning,
institution development and forest sector review, have been taken care of efforts have been
made to devise effective methods to control forest fires and various schemes are running in
eleven states^i.
Exploitation of Forests
There was a time when forests covered a much longer area of the land surface then they do
know their partial or complete destruction has been brought about by a variety of reasons
but in many cases the primary cause has been man's desires to clear an area in order to
grow food stuffs. There is probably no other area of India's environment that has been
more viciously attacked and destroyed in the last century than the coury's forest. According
to official statistics India lost between the period 1951-1972, 3.4 million hectares of forest
lands to dams, new croplands, roads and industries, mining thereby an annual rate of
deforestation of about 0.15 M hectares. Though government statistics point out that the
approximately 23 percent of the country's total area that is 75 million hectare, is classified

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as forest lands. But this leads to be a misleading statement. It simply means that this vast
area is under
'" Dr. K.Venkata Reddy, "Agriculture and Rural Development, AG and Woon Perspective"/
Himalayan Publishing House, Mumbai, 2001, p 98.
"National Forest Policy (1988) Ministry of Environment & Forests.
the control of forest departments. There, however, is no guarantee that it has tree cover. A
report of the National Committee on Environment Planning also clearly sates that no more
than 12 percent of the country's total land surface is under adequate tree coveri2. The
following table indicates the extent of the forests lost for various logical or illogical reasons
during the period between 1952-72.
Table No. 1.1
Forest Area Lost in India During the period 1952-72
Sr. Purpose Area (in Thousand
No. Hac)
1. River Valley Projects 401
2. Agriculture Purposes 2,433
3. Roads and 55

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Communications
4. Establishment of 125
Industries
5. Miscellaneous 388
Total Area Lost 3,402
(This Represents an average annual loss of 1,55,000)
Source: Forest Resources of Tropical Asia, FAO (1981)
As it is clear from the table no. 1.1 that the forest area lost during the last two decades for
various reasonsloaa—&ee£k«ercrite significant though comprehensive figures for
reclaiming the losses or compensating the forest lost by some alternative afforestation or
conservation measures are not readily available but from all round apprehension
expressed about fast receding forest cover in country
1981 FAO report on Forest Resources ofTropic Asia clearly warns that the region is faced
with serious decrease in its forest stock. "There is no evidence to predict that the great
variety of forest services and functions, such as harboring of wild life, stabilization of soil
and of water can be re-established in the foreseeable future", says the report. The
consequences of this excessive depletion are increasing floods, soil erosion, heavy siltation
of dams built at an enormous expense and changes in microclimate. We have a forest cover
of barely 19.46 percent while the optimum forest cover of the area of any country must
have be 33 percent India's population has risen from 370 million in 1947 to 880 million in
1994. Constituting 18% of the world population. India also has 15% of world's livestock,
but only 2% of the geographical area, 1% of forest area, and 0.5% of pasture lands. Per
capita availability of forest in India is 0.08 which is much lower than the world average of
0.8 hac^"*.

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India has a forest area of 64 Mha, which constitutes only 19.5% of the total land area 98
against 33% of National Forest Policy of 1988. a large part of those forests is degraded and
productivity is very poor. Forest cover situation as assessed by remote sensing however
shows encouraging results of an increase area under the closed forest by almost 1% from
1981-1983 to 1987-
89. The average annual production of wood per hectare is 0.7 M3 as compared to the
world average of 2.1 M3 and the total estimated annual increment of growing stock was
1.29% in 1987. it has been estimated that about 157 million tones of firewood are required
for fuel every year by the rural population, whereas production is only
58 million tons. The remaining demand is met by illegal cutting and encroachment of the
forest is.
Thus, the pressure on the existing forest is quite high in India at present with high
population density and a very low per capita forest area. A wide range of flora and fauna
are fast disappearing as their natural habitats are destroyed, this further impoverishers the
remaining Indian forests.
In recent years, there has been increasing deforestation, causing environmental problems.
The National Forest Policy (1988) stipulates that a minimum of one-third of the total land
area of the country should be brought under forest or tree cover. India has a rich heritage
of species and genetic strains of flora and fauna. At present, India is home to several animal
species including 77 mammals, 22 reptiles and 55 birds and one amphibian species. For the
purpose of conservation of biological diversity India has developed a network of protected
areas including national parks, sanctuaries and biosphere reserves the Wild Life Protection
Act of 1991 prohibits the hunting of all species of wild life for commerce or for pleasure. An
amount of Rs. 422.24 crores was spent on preservation of forest and wild life by the end of
1996-9716.

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The state of Forest Report 1997, based on satellite data and interpretation identified some
states where forest cover is fairly good and some states like Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal
Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Kerala etc. where there has been further deterioration of forest
cover schemes like "Modern Forest Fire Control Methods in India", integrated afforestation
and eco-development project etc. ar engaged in schemes of afforestation.
Forest fires play a major role in degradation of biodiversity and productivity of forests. It is
estimated that about 60 percent of forest area is damaged by repeated annual forest fires.
Forest fires are quite common and wide spread since time immemorial. Today, the
incidence of forest fires is very high due to increase biotic interference in the forest eco -
system and inadequate forest fire management practices. Decreasing fiscal allocation in
forest sector and change in our priorities towards the whole concept of systematic forest
fire management are among the more important factors for failure in prevention of forest
fires.
More than 92% of forests in India are government owned and the responsibility of forest
management, including that of forest fires, lies with the State Forest Department.
Therefore, a national plan for systematic forest fire management for the purposes of
guiding, coordinating and monitoring the activities in this regard in necessary to realize
national goals and objectives.
The National Forest Policy 1988, also clearly spell out the need for protecting forest fires
through special precautions to be taken during the fire seasons and improved and modern
management practices adopted to deal with forest fire.
Fire in forest has been a perpetual problem though never tackles seriously. Even, today
there is no coordination between forest department and other agencies like National

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Remote Sensing Agency, Indian Meteorological Department and Forest Survey of India. The
Department does not have the requisite resources to fight the fires.
The problem of forest fire has been increasing gradually every year, and this concept of
forest fires management has become the
Forest fires are very common in many places around the world including much of the
vegetated areas of Australia as well as the Veld in the interior and the Fynbos in the
Western Cape of South Africa, and of course California. The forested areas of the United
States and Canada are also susceptible to forest fires. Fires are particularly prevalent in the
summer and during droughts when fallen branches, leaves and other material can dry out
and become highly inflammable in all over the world.
Notable Forest Fires
Following are the notable wild fire or forest fires in the world:
• One of the largest known forest fires, was the great fire of 1910 that burned on
Montana and Idaho.

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• The January 1936 Black Friday Fires, across the Australian state of Victoria, almost
20,000 km2 (4,942,000 acres, 2,000,000 ha) of land were burnt. 71 people died,
several towns were entirely destroyed. The stretion Royal Commission that resulted from it
led to major changes in fire and forest management in Australia.
• In 2004, approximately 6,500,000 acres (26,3002 Km) burned in Alaska.
• The Milford Flat Fire which burned in 2007 in Utah is statistically the largest fire
burning in Utah's history. At the time, Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr Stated that it is the
biggest fire burning in the world. The fire burned 363,052 acres (1469.22 Km^) before it
was fully contained^'^.
• The 2007 Greek fires were some of the deadliest in the world history, killing at least
64 people in Peloponnesus and Evia.
• The 2007 Southern California forest fires, burning an estimated 600,000 acres of
land with almost 900,00 people evacuated from the area.
by a large lightning storm in late August. The storm started roughly 1600 new fires, most
caused by dry lighting, fire fighting efforts continued in to October, before the majority of
the fires were controlled^8_

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• The Biscuit Fire burned almost 500,000 acres (2000 Km2) in Oregon and California
in 2002.
• McNally Fire Sequoia National Forest burned roughly 151000 acres (610km2) in
2002 and is the largest forest fire recorded in the forest history.
• The 2003 Okanogan Mountain Bark Fire was started by a lightning strike near
Rattlesnake island in Okanagan Mountain Park in British Columbia, Canada, during one of
the driest summers in the past decade. The final size of the fire storm was over 2502km. 60
fire departments, 1400 armed forces troops and 1000, forest fire fighters took part in
controlling the fire, but were largely helpless in stopping the disaster.
of Forest Fires
Contrary to the popular belief that all forest fires are natural and occurs due to lightning
strikes, bamboo rubbing or burning coal scams, the source of the forest fires in India are
almost entirely anthropogenic. The list of reasons for the fires in our forests lies within
human activity, wittingly and unwittingly carried out. At the height of the dry season,
between February and May when the forests are drained of moisture and the deciduous
forest floor is scattered with dry leaf litter, everything in the jungle is inflammable.
Man's desire for deliberately setting forests ablaze often stems from several domestic
needs. The most common domestic need being local harders resorting to this measure to
create new pastures for their cattle in the hope that fires would bring new shoots of grass
for their livestock. Collectors of minor forest produce such as dear antlers set forests on fire
so that it would aid their visibility in collecting the required produce which would

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otherwise be very difficult to spot in the knowledge of the geographical and temporal
distribution of burning is critical for assessing the emissions of gases and particulates to
the atmosphere. One of the important discovers in biomass burning research over the past
years based on a series of field experiments, is that fires in diverse ecosystems differ widely
in the production of gaseous and particulate emissions. Emissions depend on the type of
ecosystem, the moisture content of the vegetation and the nature, behaviour and
characteristics of the fire.
Lightening is an important source of natural fires which have influenced savanna type
vegetation in pre-settlement periods. The role of natural fires in the "lightning fire
bioclimatic regions" of Africa was recognised early. Lightning fires have been observed and
reported in the deciduous and semi deciduous forests biomes as well as occasionally in the
rain forest. Today the contribution of natural forest to the overall tropical forest fires scene
is becoming negligible. Most tropical fires are set intentionally by humans and are related
to several main causative agents:
• Deforestation activities (conversion of forest to other land uses, e.g. agricultural
lands, pastures; exploitation of other natural resources).
• Traditional but extanding slash and burn agriculture.
• Grazing land management (fires set by graziers)
• Use of non-wood forest products (use of fire to facilitate harvest or improve field of
plants, fruits and other forest products).

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• Wildland/residential interface fires (fires from settlement e.g. from cooking,
torches, camp fires etc.).
• Other traditional fire uses (in the wake of religious, ethnic and folk traditions, tribal
warfare etc.).
• Socio economic and political conflicts over question of land property and land use
rights.
Briefly the causes of forest fires can be classified into two categories:
A) Environmental Causes (Which are beyond control)
B) Human Related (Which are controllable)
Environmental Causes are largely related to climate conditions such as temperature, wind
speed and direction, level of moisture in soil and atmosphere and duration of dry spells.
Other natural causes are the friction of bamboos swaying due to high wind velocity and
roiling stones that result in sparks setting of fires in highly inflammable leaf letter on the
forest floor i^.
Human related causes result from human activities as well as methods of forest
management. These can be intentional or unintentional for example :-
" V.K. Bahuguna Updhyay, "Forest Fires in India-Policy Initiative for community
Participation" Internationa] Forestry Review 4(2) 2002 pp 122-123.
Graziers and gatherers of various forest products starting small fires to obtain good
grazing grass as well as to facilitate gathering of minor forest produce.
• The centuries's old practice of shifting cultivation.

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• The use of fires by villagers to ward off wild animals.
• Uncontrolled literate supervised departmental burning also caused forest fire.
• Fire lit intentionally by people living around forests for recreation.
• Fires started accidentally by careless visitors to forests who discard cigarettes butts.
• Villagers burn pastures for bringing about new flush of grasses.
• The fire litter by the people after collecting honey from honey bee in the forests.
• Fire litter by the travellers after camp.
• Coal driven railway engines sometimes cause fire in forests.
General Impacts of the Forest Fires
Fire is a major cause of forest degradation and has wide ranging adverse ecological,
economic and social impacts including,

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• Loss of valuable timber resources.
• Degradation of catchment areas.
• Loss of biodiversity and extinction of plants and animals.
• Loss of wild life habitat and depletion of wild life.
• Loss of natural regeneration and reduction of forest cover.
• Global warming.
• Loss of carbon sink resources and increase in^ percentage of CO2 in atmosphere.
• Change in the micro climate of the area with unhealthy living conditions.
• Soil erosion.
• Ozone layer depletion.
• Health problems leading to diseases.

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• Loss of livelihood for tribal people and the rural poor, as approximately 300 million
people are directly dependent upon collection of non-timber forest products from forests
areas for their livelihood.
Because of the smoke of the fire different types of health problems take placebo.
The vulnerability of forests to fires varies from place to place depending upon the type of
vegetation and climatic conditions. While taking the example of Himalayan regions that are
rich in natural resources like soil, minerals, water, valleys, rivulets and forests. Forest as
the backbone of the Himalayan economy is rich in biodiversity. But the time has come that
these resources are in danger . due to environmental problems such as overgrazing
deforestation and forest fires. It needs to manage promptly otherwise will create great
problems.
• Loss of valuable timber and minor forest produce resources.
• Loss of livelihood for tribal population living within or near the forest.
• Increase in the incidence of respiratory diseases.
• Loss of human life (Four Women grass cutters were killed in February, 2001 in
Gwar village of Uttranchal).
• Depletion of Carbon sinks, deteriorating the environmental condition.
• Loss of bio-diversity and extinction of plant and animal species.
• Soil erosions resulting in loss of soil productivity and flooding of downstream
valleys.
• Loss of agricultural land due to erosion and landsides.

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• Degradation of watersheds resulting in low rainfall and fall in the water table.
• Damage to wildlife habitat and their death.
• Damage to natural regeneration and reduction in forest vegetation.
Impact of Forest Fire on the Global Environment:
Forest fires controlled or uncontrolled have profound impacts on the physical environment
including: land cover, landuse, biodiversity, climate change and forest ecosystem. They also
have enormous implication on human health and on the socio-economic system of affected
countries. Economic cost is hard to quantify but an estimate by the economy and
environment can be provided. The fire incidence problem for South East Asia put the cost
of damages stemming from the Southeast Asiain fires (all causes) at more than $4 billion.
Health impacts are often serious. As per one estimate 20 million people are in danger of
respiratory problems from fire in Southeast Asia.
Most pronounced consequence of forest fires cause their potential effects on climate
change. Only in the past decade researchers have realized the contribution of biomass
burning to the global budgets of many radioactively and chemically active gases such as
carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, nitric oxide, tropospheric ozone, methyl
chloride and elemental carbon particulate biomass burning is recongised as a significant
global source of emission contributing as much as 40% of gases carbon dioxide and 30% of
tropospheric ozone.
Most of the world burnt biomass matter iS from savannas and because 2J3^'^ of the earth
savannas are in Africa, that continent is now recognized as 'burnt center' of the planet
Biomass burning is generally believed to be a uniquely tropical phenomenon because most
of the information on its geographical and temporal distribution is based on the
observation of the tropics.

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Table No. 1.2
Global Estimates of Annual Amounts of Biomass Burning
and Resulting Release of Carbon into the Atmosphere
Source of Burning Biomass Burned Carbon Released
(Tg dry Matter/Year) (Tg C/Year)
Savannas 390 1660
Agriculture Waste 2020 910
Tropical Forests 1260 570
Fuel Wood 1430 640
Temperate and boreal forests 280 130
Charcoal 20 30
World Total 8700 3940
Source: Andrea et al. 1991
Extent of Forest Fires in India and Estimated Losses:
The vulnerability of forests to fires varies from place to place depending upon the type of
vegetation and climatic conditions. The coniferous forests in the Himalayan region
comprising of species like fire, spruce, Cedrus deodar, Pinus roxburghi and Pinus
Wallichiana, are highly fire prone regions with one or two major incidences of forest fire
almost every year. As estimate of the area affected by forest fires annually in different
forest types is given under.
In a countryside study in 1995, the forest survey of India, estimated the area affected
annually by forest fires in India.

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Above figures give the extent of fire incidences in the forest areas of the country, based on
the inventory conducted by Forest Survey of India. The Forest Survey of India data on
forest fire, attributes around 50% of the forest areas as fire prone very heavy and frequent
forest fire damages are noticed only over 0.8%, 0.14% and 5.16% of forest areas of the
country, thus, only 6.17% of the forests areas prone to occasional fires damage 43.06
percent areas are prone to occasional fires. In absolute terms out of the 63 million ha of
forests in India 3.73 million ha can be presumed to be affected by fires annually. At this
level, the annual losses from forest fires in the country have been moderately estimated at
Rs. 440 crores. This estimate counts only the replacement cost of seedlings and does not
include losses to biodiversity, timber increment, carbon sequestration capability, soil
moisture and nutrient losses etc, all of which are very significant from the point of view of
ecological stability and environmental conservation.
Relevance of Forests in Himachal:
Forests in Himachal Pradesh have a very productive ecological niche attitudinally, the state
falls in the tropical zone, but its geographical location and good forest cover have enriched
it, both biologically and economically. During the immediate post independence period,
planners identified the forests of the state only as a source of timber and other products.
This led to large scale felling and clearing of forests areas. Deforestation, to meet the timber
needs of industries set up in the plains, ultimately created consciousness about the need to
protect the forests.
A vast majority of the population of the state is rural and depends mainly for its livelihood
either directly on forest products or on those, within are produced by using the resources,
conserved or protected by the forests unsustainable exploitation of dense forests
ultimately led to the gradual loss of the ecological environment suitable for producing
different crops, both traditional as well as improved commercial fruit, vegetable and
medicinal plants. The damage to the environment and the land is so heavy that certain
areas in the mid hills which 20 years ago were suitable for growing fruit crops are no
longer able to sustain the fruit plants and the farmers are losing interest in growing these
fruit crops. This condition of the forests adversely affects the economy of the hill people.

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The forest of Himachal Pradesh are not only of importance for the state, but have also a
strong influence on the ecology, climate and bioresources of the neighbouring states of
Punjab, Haryana, Uttranchal and Rajasthan. Glaciers flowing from the Tibetan hills and the
melting snows feed the rivers originating. In the state and provide water to other states.
The forest cover of Himachal not only regulates the rainfall in the neighbouring areas but
also ensures snowfall in the high mountains. A reduction in the forest cover of the state will
prevent the formula of glaciers and snow, resulting in less water in the rivers. The summer
heat will easily melt the glaciers and the snow and cause flash floods both in the hills and
plains of the neighbouring states.
Status of Forests in Himachal Pradesh
The strategy for the Ninth Five Year Plan of Himachal Pradesh states, "the degraded forest
lands, the village common lands and wastelands will be rehabillitated through various state
plans/centrally sponsored and externally aided project/schemes so that a forest cover of
50 percent by 2000 AD as per policy of the state government is arrived at "The National
Forest Policy, 1988 also has recommended that at least two third of the total geographical
area of Himachal Pradesh should be under forest. This comes to about 37,1152Km.
However, according to statistics provided by the Department of Forests, Himachal Pradesh,
the recorded forest area was 37,0332Km. In 2000-01 this amounted to 66.5 percent of the
geographical area. Nearly 16,3762Km, or 29.41 percent of the total geographical area is
under alpine pastures and perpetual snow cover. This leaves only 20,6572Km or 37.10
percent under some kind of forest coverts.
Satellite imagery places the forest cover of the state at 13,0822Km, or 23.5 percent of the
total geographical area in 1999, an increase of 56l2Km from 12,5212Km from 12,5212Km
in 1997. According to the latest data, the forest cover is 14,3602Km. Which is 25,79 percent
of the geographical area. This includes area under orchards and natural regenerated area.
C l a s s i f i c a t i on of Forests
Reserved forests: An area so constituted under the Indian forest or other state forest
Acts.
Protected Area: A legal term for an area subject

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Forest Acts.
Forest land owned by government but non-constituted into a reserved or protected forest.
All land with a forest cover of trees with canopy-density of 40 percent and above.
All land with a forest cover of
trees with canopy-density between 10 and 40 percent.
All land with poor tree growth chiefly of small or stunted trees with canopy-density less
than 10 percent23.
Above table shows the classifications of forests by legal and ownership status. Nearly 94.3
percent of the forests area of the state has been classified as reserved and protected forests.
The remaining
5.7 percentfallsinothercategories.Withinthe protectedforests,
34. 3 percentof the area has beendemarcated.PrivateindividualsHimachal Pradeshisa
predominantlymountainousstate.Consequently,itsclimate ismore congenial toforests.Itcomprises
fourforestzones- sub-tropical,sub-temperate,wettemperate anddry-temperate.
Thiszone consistsof foothillsandvalleysuptoan elevationof about915 metresabove meansealevel
witha sub-tropical climate andanannual rainfall of 70-100 cm, of which75 percentfallsduringthe
monsoonseason.The maximumtemperature goesupto400C. It comprisesdrydeciduous,chirpine,sal
(21402Km) and thornyforests(432Km) mostlyof xerophyticspecies.
Sub-Temperate Forests

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These forestsextendfrom916 metresto about1523 metresabove meansealevel,hasamildclimate
an annual rainfall of 90-120 cm, nearly70 percentof whichisreceivedduringthe monsoonseason.
Some upperhillsgetmildsnowfall duringwinter,whichdoesnotstayforlong.
The maximumtemperature insummerremainsaround30°C variousspeciesof pines,oaksandbroad-
leafedspeciesgrowinthiszone.There are goodpasturelandinthisarea.
Wet-Temperate Forests
These extendfrom1524 to 2472 metresabove meansealevel,andhave some majorforestsand
pasturelands.The annual rainfallvaiesfrom100-250 cm, withsnowfall duringwinter,whenthe
temperature fallstominus10°C.Duringsummer,the maximumtemperature rangesbetween15and
200C. These forestshave beencategorisedas(a) lowerwesternHimalayantemperate forestsconsisting
of conifers,oaksandvariousdeciduoustreesand(b) WesternHimalayantemperateforests, which
consistof firs,oaksand rho do dendronspeciesfoundinalpine zones.
Dry-Temperate Forests
These extendtoabove 2472 metres.The meanannual temperature isaroundlO^Candthe meanannual
precipitationabout25cm,mostof whichisreceivedas snow.The areacontainsscatteredtreesand
bushessuchas chilgoza,willow,erobinia,ailanthus,poplarsandalpine pasturesinterspersedwith
bushessuchas ephedra.
The flora andfauna of variednatural ecosystemsconstitute the forestwealthof the state.The forest
varietiesrange fromsoftwoodconiferstohardwooddeciduousfloweringplants.Th^45,000 speciesof
plantsfoundinthe countryas manyas 3,295 are reportedinthe state.The statusof landutilizationfor
the state is givenintable 4.1.
Table 1.4 .
Land UtilisationinHimachal Pradesh
Category Area(Sq-Km)

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Geographical Area 55,673
ForestsArea(ForestRecords) 37,033
PermanentPasturesandother 7,549
grazinglandsincludingalpine
pastures,barrenanduncultivable
wastesetc.
FollowLands(Currentandother 719
follows)
NetAreasouth 5,514
Cultivate Wastes 1,194
Land but to non-agriculturaluses 3,022
Source:Himachal PradeshForests2002, ForestDepartment
32

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On the face value Himachal Pradeshseemstobe comparativelyinahappierpositioninthe contextof
national averages.The followingtablesgivesanideaof the areaunderforestsinHimachal Pradeshat
the national level.
Table 1.5
Comparative Studiesof ForestResources
Areathousandsandpopulationthousandno•
Geographical Forest Percentage Population Per-Capita
Area Area of Forestto 1981 Forest
Geographical Census Area
Area
Himachal
Source:Iridia'sForest,IssuesbyCentral ForestryCommissionGovernmentof Indial980.
The percentforestscoverage hasalsobeenJuxtaposed.Similarlyforthe populationfiguresinHimachal
Pradeshandin the countryas a whole percapitaforestareahas beenworkedoutandcompared.
The forestsof Himachal are importantforthe country fromecological pointof view.Theyformthe
uppercatchmentsareasof the riversinnorthernIndia.Afterthe openingupof the regionbyway of
roads andpaths the hithertoinaccessible andvaluable

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Table no.1.9 is showingthe differentcausesof forestfiresinHimachal Pradeshfrom1991-92 to 1992-
98. In 1991-92 there were about93 casesdue to accidentinwhich2157 hectare area wasaffected.In
1992-93, about 96 forestfireswere occurreddue toabove cause andin that 1732 hac area wasaffected
in1993-94, forestfiresincidentsdue toabove factorwere 46 and 569 hac are was burnt.In 1994-95, 16
forestfireswere recordedbythisfactor.In1995-96, 58 cases were recordedinwhichabout4165 hac
area wasburnt. In1996-97, 28 forestfireswere recordeddue toaccidentandin1997-98 the number
were 14 inwhich1993 hac area was affected.
In 1991-92, 12 forestfireswere recordeddue tocrossingexteriorfire inwhichabout744 hectare land
was burntinsome year 331 incidenceswere recordeddue tovillagesortravelers passingthroughthe
forestinthis2257 hac area was burntin thatyear 96 causeswere unknown.In1997-98 14 caseswere
recordeddue to accidents,only2cases were due tocrossingexteriorfire tracesinwhich8 hac area was
affected.
29 forestfires incidentswere due totravelerspassingthroughforestsandinthatabout143 hac area
was burnt.These were the causesandnumberof incidentswere increasinganddecreasingduringthe
periodbetween1991-92 to 1997-98.
Table no.1.9 providesthe figures relatingtothe causesof forestfire alongwithnumberof casesand
affectedareas.Thoughforestfire isaglobal phenomenon,the onlydifference intacklingthisproblemin
Himachal Pradeshisthe lack of prioritizationof forestmanagementobjectives. The conceptof forestry
planninghaschangedoverthe

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periodof time withthe changingfundplanning.Earliermostof the forestactivitieswere fundedthrough
nonplan,therefore,the fundingsource wasstable andassured,butsoonafterthe introductionof plan
fundinginthe forestrysector,the maintenancecomponentsof forests,whichincludedmanyissues(fire
protectionbeingone of them) were givenup.The areaof preventionandcontrol the forestfire inthe
state dependsupontwobasiccomponents:
1. Control Burning
2. Clearingof forestlines
In hillyforestareasthe effectivewaytocheckforestfire expansionare maintenance of fire lines,block
lines,installationadequate watchtower,networkingthroughwirelesscommunicationsystemanda
highlymobile fire fightingcrewsystemtoreachthe nearestsightof fire byroad.
Table no.1.10 isshowingthe clearpicture of forestfire duringthe periodbetween2000-2001.
In differentforestCirclestable noorforestareaexcludingprivate forestswere36,29,496 hac and the
target wasto protectthe 36,42,769 hac area from forestfires.Areaburnedduringthyyearwasabout
6,216 hac. Total protectedareawas about35,36,553 hac. Total protectioncostduringthe year was
6134.1 lac rupees.
Table no.1.11 revealsthe areaprotectedfromfire duringthe year2001-2002. Total areain different
circleswas36,28,496 hac. Areaattemptedtobe protectedduringthe yearwas 34,94,669 hac. Total are

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burntduringthe periodwasabout1684 hac and area actuallyprotectedwas34,93,045 hac and total
protectioncostwas 7349.2 lacs.
It isclear fromthe table no.1,12 that departmentmade bestefforttoprotectthe forestfromburning.
Target wasto protectthe 35,11,503 hac areawhichwas actually, protectedwas34,98,675 hac. Area
burntduringthe yearwas 1,2828 hac and protectioncostwas8418.2 lacs.
Table no.1.13 showsthatin 2004-05 in differentcirclesof Himachal Pradeshthe targetwastoprotect
the 33,79,183 hac of area outof 36,28,496 hac. Area whichprotectedwas33,10,998 hac. Areaburnt
duringthe periodwas6319 hac and total cost of protectionwas9042.8 lacs.
It isclear that effortsare beingmade toprotectthe maximumare fromforestfiresduringthe years.
Above table no.1,14 showsthe causesof forestfiresin2004-05 indifferentplacesinHimachal Pradesh.
In Bilaspurcircle about20 forestfiresincidenceswere recordedinwhich201 hectare of areawas burnt
and forestfireswere occurreddue tocarelessnessinburningfire lines.34fireswere occurreddue to
villagersortravelerspassingthroughthe forestinwhichabout585 hectare of area was burntdue to 16
forestfire incidencesandcause wasthe same mentionedabove inRampur47 incidencesinwhich1057
hectare area washurt the cause wasthe same.
47

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Afterobservingthe temperature the resultisthisthatin2004-05 129 forestfiresincidenceswere
recordeddue to cardessnessinburningfire linesinwhich2315 hac area wasburnt, and119 forestfires
were occurreddue to travelerspassingthroughthe forestsinwhich2420 hactare area wasburnt.
Table no.1.15 belowprovidesanideaof areaprotectedbythe
ForestDepartment:
Table 1.15
AreaProtectedfromForestFire inHimachal Pradesh
Years Area FailuresArea Protection
Attempted i.e.areaProtected Cost (Rs
to be actuallyto million)
protected be pointed
1 2 3 4 5
1983-84 958628 966 957668 0379
1984-85 , 974671 50364 924307 3563
1993-94 1871178 10170 1861008 2650
1994-95 2680912 10850 2670062 3033
1996-97 2689223 6052 2683171 9399
1997-98 3039145 2174 3036971 8942 Source:Annual Administrative ReportForest
Department
Table no.1.15 hasdepictedthe clearpicture of area protectedfromforestfire in Himachal Pradesh.

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In 1983-84 about 9,58,628 hac area wasattemptedtobe protectedand9,57,669 hac was protected.
Protectioncostwas379 million.In1984-84 the attemptwasto protect the area about9,74,671 hac and
protectedareawas 9,27,307 hac. protectioncostwasabout 3,568 million.In1993-94 it wasthe target
to protectthe area about
18,77,178 hac and area whichwasacturallyprotectedwere 18,61,008. Protectioncostwasabout 2650
million.In1994-94 26,80,912 hac area wasthe target to be protectedand26,70062 hac area was
protected,inwhichtotal costwas 3033 million.In1996-97 total area targetedtobe protectedwas
26,29,223 hac and actuallyprotectedwere 26,83,171, total cost of protectionwas9399 million.Andin
1997-98 there was the targetto protect about30,39,745 hac area and areawhichwas protectedwas
30,36,971, heactare.Protectioncostwas8942 million.
It can be saidthe governmenthasbeentryingtotheirbesttoprotectmaximumareas.
Detailsof Fire Incidencesfrom 2000-01 Onwards:
Here is the data from2000 to 208 whichhasshownthe state of forestfiresinHimachal Pradeshduring
the years.In 2000-01 there were 301 incidentsof forestfireshasbeenrecordedinwhichabout5119
hac area was affectedandtotal estimatedlosswere 4622 lacs. In2001-02 numberof fire incidentswere
282 andestimatedlosswasabout40.27 lacs. About550 forestfire incidenceshasoccurredin2002-03 in
which9896 hac area wasaffectedandtotal estimatedlosswas74.31 lacs.In 2003-04 about 769 forest
fireshasoccurred and12,865 hac wasaffectedandtotal lossof 86.42 lacs . In 2004-05, 391 forestfires
were recordedinwhich60022 hac area wasaffectedandestimatedlosswasabout36.39 lacs.In the
series494 incidentstookplace in2006-06 and area affectedwas8195.7 hac and 47.01 lac wre the
estimatedloss.In2006-07 about208 forestfireswere recordedandin2007-08 about580 forestfires
were recordedinwhich7810.8 hac of area was affectedandestimatedlosswas86.63 lacs.

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Tablesshowthe seriousnessof forestfiresinHimachal duringthe years.
Table 1.16
InformationRegardingFire IncidentswithEffectFrom
2003 - 0 4 as on 9 . 03 . 2007
Year District No.of Fire Area Loss (in
Incidents Effected(in Rs.)
hac)
1 2 3 4 5
2003-04 Kangra 118 1292.67 1419707
Una 10 207.50 73550
Total 128 1500.17 1493207
2004-05 Kangra 78 587.12 724573
Una 3 26.00 2500
Total 81 613.12 727073
2005-06
Kangra 87 783.11 818322
Una 10 115.70 42.450
Total 97 898.81 860772
2006-
07
Kangra 39 458.62 462551 Una 3 5.50 4500
Total 42 464.12 467051
Source:ForestDepartmentDharamshala

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Table No.1.17
Detailsof Fire IncidencesFrom2000-01 Onwards
Year No.of Fire AreaEffected EstimatedLoss
Incidents (inhac) (Rs.In Lacs)
1 2 3 4
2000-01 301 5119 46.22
2001-02 282 4204 40.27
2002-03 550 9896 74.31
2003-04 769 12865 86.42
2004-05 391 60022 36.39
2005-06 494 8195.7 47.01
2006-07 280 5012.88 44.47
2007-08 580 7810.8 86.63
Source:H.P. Forest Department
For the presentstudyfourregionsof Himachal PradeshhasbeenselectednamelyNahan,Solan,Shimla
and Kullu.Selectionof the regionwasbasedonincidence of forestfires.
Areasof Study
Nahan

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The word Nahanappearto have beenderived fromSanskritwordNahan,Whichmeans'tiger'or'Nah'
and name Nahanwas foundedin1621 AD byRaja Karam Prakash.Presentlyitisthe headquarterof
districtSirmour.Inthe heart of the city the oldpalace is still jingoodcondition.Inthispartthere is
anotherplace calledShamshervitta,constructedbyRajaShamsherSingh.JustBelowthe palace isRani
Tal Bagh,The townis varysalubriousinclimate andhasall the modernamenitieswithcircuithouses.
The districtliesonouterHimalayanrangescalledasShiivalikbetween77ori2''and 77099'40'' east
longitude and30022'30'' and 31001'30" north latitude andexceptthe DunValley.
The districtispredominantlymountainousandboundedbyShimladistrictinthe north,The riversTons
and Yamunain the eastdistrictAmbalaof Haryana in the Southand Westand North-WestbySolan
district.
The forestrange betweenscrub,sal andbambooforestof the low hillstothe fur,and alpine forestof
the higherelevations.The forestsgrownbetweenthe extremesvaryasthe elevation.The higherlevel
forestconsistof oaks,fur,spouce and bluepine.A partfromthem, there are deodarforestinthe north
of the giri rivermixedwithkail andpine.Theseforestsare veryvalueableandtimberextractedfrom
that issoldin the plainsforveryhighprice,inthe formof sleepers.Sal forestisoccurredinthe Dun
Valleyandeastof Nahan.Its timberisof great value.
Solan
DistrictSolanhas deriveditsname fromthe Solantownwhichcame intoexistence afterthe
constructionof containmentatthe place.The districtisboundedbythe Shimladistrictinthe northand
by Ropar districtof PunjabandAmbaladistrictof Haryana inthe South,bySirmourdistrictinthe east
and byBilaspurinthe west.The Solantownbeing the headquarterof the districtispopularSummer
resortand issituatedbetweenShimlaKalkaoron national highwayno.22 at distance of 45 kmsfrom
Shimla.Itisconnectedbyrail also.The heightfrommeanseaLevel is1463 meters.There are Art And
Science College,State Institute of Education,HigherSecondarySchool forGirlsandHighSchoolsfor
Boys,The townbecame the headquartersof the districtAdministrationwhenSolanwasformedasa
separate districtof the state from1st September1972. The townSolanis comingupon the industrial
map of the districtandthe state.

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Before the independence Solanwasknownforthe locationof MohanMeakinBrewery,areputedhouse
for the manufacture of Indianmade foreignliquorandbeverages.Forestlie between500metersto
2300 meterselevation,inthe district.The slopesare frommediate toprecipitous.Solanforestdivisions
containsscrub forestontowerelevationandchil,deodarandkail at higherelevationoakforestare also
available onhigherelevation,inscrubforeststhe proportionof bamboo,khairandafew other
economicallyimportantbroadleafedspecies,chirisrelativelyverylow amongconferspeciesthe mostis
the predominantone.The principle marketableproductsare Resin,Chir timberand2 pupwood,fire
woodand charcoal and katha.
Shimla
The shape of the districtissomewhatrectangularwithhightbulgesonthe westernside intruding
towardSolandistrictand onthe northernside towardsKuUudistrict.The districtliesbetween the
longitudes7700" and78019" eastand latitudes3004501" and31044" northand isboundedbyMandi
and KuUu districtinthe northKinnaurinthe east,the state of Uttar Pradeshinthe southand by Solan
districtinthe west.Inthe districtabout262360 hectaresof landarea wasunderforest,of this6334
hectaresconstitutedreserve forest.250228 heactaresprotectedforestsand5798 hectaresunclassed
and otherforests.The forestinShimladistrictcome underShimlaforestcircle andcomprisesfour
divisions,namelycircle andcomprisesfourdivisions,namelyChaupal,Kotgarh,RohruandShimla.
For properexploitationof the forestwealthonscientificandeconomiclines,the workhasbeen
entrustedtothe Himachal Pradeshforestcorporationandtosave the landfromerosion,vigorous,steps
are beingtakenunderthe soil conservationschemesbyconstructingcheckdamswhere necessaryand
by suitable plantation.
KuUu

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KuUu wasonce a bigstate nextto the Kashmirand Kangra.Afterthe British occupationof the Punjab
hillsin1846 it formeda part of the Britishterritory.The districtinitspresentformsliesbetween
31058'00" north latitude and77006'04'' east longitude.Onthe northandnortheast itis boundedby
Lahul and Spiti andKangra district,oneastand South-eastbyKinnaurandShimlaandinthe south-west
by Mandi district.The districtheadquarterislocatedatKullu.
The districtof Kullupresentsatypical ruggedmountainousterrainwithmoderate tohighrelief.Forest
occupy a prominentplace inthe economyof the districtandthese are administratedbythe forest
divisionKullu.Forestsconstituteamajorproportionof the total land.The reserve forestare spreadover
an area of 15618 hectare while the protectedforestconstitutedfor193495 hectare of land.
The forestof Kulludistrictare richinvariouskindsof medical herbslike,Karu,Dhoop,Muskwalaand
Kakarsingi,.Mushroomsare alsoavailableinplentyandextractedinlarge quantityfromKulluforests.
Deodarattains considerable dimensionsinthe upperBeasandParvati valley.All the higherrangeshave
denforestsvalleysdeodar,kail,cheel,Walnut,Worse ChestnutandOakare betterclassesof trees
foundinabundance inthe forests.
Reviewof Literature
The literature onfiresinIndianforestsshowsthattheyplayavital role throughoutthe country.They
have beenmentionedthroughoutthe periodof scientificforestryasamajor cause of degradationof
forests.Veryfewempirical studieshave beendone onthe reasonsforthese firesandinmostcasestheir
originremains
unclear.Available evidence suggeststhatfiresare employedtomaintainthe grasslayerforcattle
grazingand that theyfacilitate the collectionof several non-timberforestproducts.Itcan be statedthat
firesare setto gain a certainbenefitsorinotherwordsto obtaina specificeco-systemservicewe use
the MillenniumEcosystemAssessment'sdefinitionsof the termecosystemservicestoinclude both
tangible productsaswell asintangibleservices.The listof tangibleproductsobtainedwiththe helpof
fire isa longone,and rangesfromfodderand NTFP(NonTimberForestProducts) tofuel woodand
charcoal.The intangible servicesobtainedwiththe helpof fire are more difficulttoassessandso far
there have beenveryfewstudiesonthistopicinIndia.

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FrancoisRamde (1984) Studyon Ecological andNatural Resourcesrevealsthatinthe wayof forest
protectionforestfire isagrand obstacle.He explainsthe causesof forestfires.Hisstudyshowsthat
Europeanforestshassufferedgranddegradationfromfire inrecentyears.Overthe whole
Mediterraneanbasin,approximately2,00,000 hectaresof forestsare burntdowneach year.Authorhas
suggestedsuggestionstoprotectthe forests^.
J.K.Brown& Debyle,NV (1989) In theirpaperhave theirdiscussedbiomassof grasses,forbsandshrubs
and productionof aspensuckerswere monitoredannuallyfor4-5 years,following3prescribedfires
standin SouthEasternIdaho.In thispaperthe variedpatternsof vegetationandtheirmanagement
implicationsare discussed.Howtosolve the forestrelatedproblemlikedeforestation,overgrazing.
These all issue are discussedinthispaper2.
' FrancoisRamade,'Ecologyof Natural Resources'Willey &Sons,1984.
^ J.K.Brown,Debule,N.V.,Effectsof PrescribedFire OnBiomassandPlantSuccessioninWestern
Europe,USA,1989, pp 16-30.
Julio,G(1990) in hisstudyhe has made on analysisof 19,645 recordedforestfiresinChileinfouryears
(1984-88) in orderto developasystemforassessingfire risk.The bestfunctionsforestimatingfirerisk
were multiplelinearregressionswithvariableslike temperature,relative,humidity,windspeed,drought
and seasonality.Functionsare presentedfor eachof the risk zone^.
VelozR.Salazar,M Lundeford{1990) intheirarticle entitled'Fire have Investigatedthe forestfires
ecology'.Six articlesare includedonthistopic.Mediterraneanforestfire,causes,effectsandcontrol

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withparticularreference toSpain,EAO'srole inforestfire protectionmodernforestfire control,an
Indianexperience andfire asaforestmanagementtool'*.
R.S.Thapa & Singh(1990) in theirpaperexplainedthe damagescausedbyfire whichbroke outinApril-
May 1984 inNahanForestdivisioninH.P.andnumberof Chirpine treesslowlystarteddyingone after
the otherevenafter10 monthsof out breakof fire.Authorhasdescribedall thattypesof forestwhich
were destroyedinforestfire.Inthe endtheyhave given suggestionstocontrol andpreventthe problem
of forestfire^.
R.K.Pandey,Nirmal K.Shah& ShankarD. Bhatt(1990) have consideredenvironmentdegradationasa
majornatural disaster.Theypointedoutthatforestenvironmentinthe Himalayaisdeterioratingdayby
day due to forestfiresanddeforestation.Rainfall hasbecome erraticandlesserinquantity,water
sourcesare fastdryingup.Authorshave suggestedsome solutionstothe problembeingfaced,
' Julio,G,'A Systemof ForestFire Hazard IndicesforChile'Institutede MangejoForestall,Chile,
1990, pp59-72.,
" Velez,R.Salazar,M. Lundeford,J.,Fire Unasyla,1990, pp 3-38.
^ R.S.Thapa & SinghP, ForestEntome Discipline,the IndianForester,1990, pp 375-380.
amongthose environmental rehabilitation,forestation,horticulture,forestfarmingandlike other
methods^.
S.S. Negi (1990) in hisbookentitled'HimalayanForestsandForestry'hasdescribedthe Himalayan
forestsandprogrammesof forestry.He has alsodescribedthe bioticpressureonforestsbyannual
forestfiresremoval of leaf litterandremoval of forestproduce etc.Bookalsorevealsthatparticipation
of variousagenciescanhelpinthe successof forestryprogrammes'^.

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Afrin,M. I (1991) hasdiscussedthe forestfire disasterof Russia.In1990 a total of 1.4 millionhaof
forestedlandand0.3 millionhaof nonforestedlandwere affectedbyfireswithatotal lossof 113.2
millionroubles.A breakdownof some of those figuresisgiveninthisbookwith discussionof the causes
of fires,penalties,organizationof fireddictionandfire fighting,weatherandfire forecastingetc^.
Karkee,T.B.(1991) inhisarticle he has carriedout surveyof tworegionswhichwere affectedbyforest
fire inNepal in1988. Afterfindingoutsome causeshe hasguidedsome suggestions^.
Flanningoan,M.D.& Wagner(1991) ^^in the journal of 'ForestryCanada' have describedthe potential
effectof global warmingonthe severityof the forestfiresseasoninresultsweresuper imposedover
historical sequencesof dailyweather,the relationbetweenseasonseverityratingsandannual provincial
area burnedbywildfire wasanalysed.The resultssuggesteda46% increase inseasonseverity
* R.K.Pandey& Nirmal K.Shah& ShankarD. Bhatt, Himalaya:Environment,Resource &
Development,AlamaraBoole Dept,1990.
' S.S.Negi,'HimalayanForests&Forestry'IndusPublishingCompany,1990, New Delhi.
* Afrin,M. I,'AgainstFire Disaster'LesnayaPromyshelouw,1991, No.6 Moscow, pp5-6.
9 Karkee,T.B.,'ForestFire CausesanditsRelationshipwithSocioEconomicVariables,Nepal
Journal of Forestry(1991), pp 75-80.
'"' Flanningoan,M.D.«&Wagner,'Climate Change andWildfire inCanada'CanadianJournal of Forest
Research,1991, pp 66-72.

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rating,witha possible similarincreaseinareaburned,asa resultof doublingpresentCO2levels.
GopeshNathKhanna(1993) has undertakenastudyon global environmentcrisiswithanobjectionof
the assessmentof UNEPwithspecial Indiananalysisthe conceptof environmentandthe patternof
actionof safe guardit throughplanningandpolicieshasbeendescribed.Accordingtoauthorall the
environmental problemsstartsfromdegradationof forests.Forestdegradationbyfiresisverycommon
and itis causedbyman. Interferenceof maninecological activitiescauseddestructionii.
V.KBahaguna8& A. Upadhyay(2002) intheirpapertheyhave presentedthe prevalentcausesand
extentof forestfiresinIndia.Theyhave describedthe statusof the JointForestManagement
Programme,introductionof modernmethodstocombatforestfires,the recognitionof the needfor
communityinvolvementandinitiativestakenbythe governmentof Indiatoencourage participationby
communitiesthispaperisbasedonpoliciesof the governmentof Indiaandonthe personal experiences
of the authors,whoare responsible formanagingforestsfiresinIndiaforthe governmentatNational
level.Theyhave describedthe national guidelinesonforestfires.Fromthispaperone canget the idea
the problemof forestfire andmanagementsysteminIndia^2
Ravi Mishra (2001) inencyclopediaof geographical scienceandenvironmenttriedtobringtogetherand
insimple waythe fundamentalsof geographical science andenvironment.Booksshowsthat
environmentincludesmanycomplexities,andinterrelatedconcepts.Writerhasdescribedmany
environmental problemswhich
" GopeshNathKhanna,'Global EnvironmentCrisis&Management'AshsishPublishingHouse,
NewDellhi,1993.
'^ V.K.Bahauguna& A. Upadhyay,'ForestFiresinIndia, - PolicyInitiativesforCommunityParticipation,
International ForestryReview,4(),2002, pp122-127.

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affectcommunityverydeeplylikeproblemsrelatedtowater,soil,streamsandvalleys,glaciersandthe
forests.He has describedhowdeforestationcouldcreate torrentsandfloods.The deforestationthat
give else tosuchflowscan be producedbothbyfellingandfire.Due tofire inforeststhere are many
instancesof climate change andrisingof sealevel.Bookgivessome suggestionstoimprove ortackle
withthe problems13.
Aarti Dhar (2005) in herarticle for 'PolicyonDisasterManagementemphasizeduponthe needstohave
a full fledgedpolicyandanational institute of disaster management.She pointedoutthatthere isa lack
of properpolicytotackle withthe disasters^^.
Rajive,K.Shrivastava&Dhan Singh(2003) monitoredandevaluatedthe state of forestfire inIndia.They
remarkedthatin Indiamajorityof wildlandfiresare the consequencesof acombinationof climate and
humanactivities.Suchanti-environmental humanactivityhasresultedinthreattobiodiversity,
ultimatelyleadingtoglobal warming.The smiokefromburningvegetationnotonlyledtoenvironmental
pollutionbutalsoreducesrainfall releaseof chemicallyactive gaseslike,CO2,CarbonMonoxide,
Methane,Nitricoxide makesforestfire veryresponsible toclimate change.The bookincludesthe forest
area affectedbyforestfire inIndia.Sothisstudyexaminesthe impactof forestfire onclimate change
and forestbiodiversityis,
Jarnail Singh& S.Shrivastava(1995) intheirpaperon fire protectionplandescribedthe policiesand
programmes.Malghatforestdivisionof Maharashtrawas takenup to study.The planmainlyfocuseson
earlydetection,suppressionandorganisationof fieldstaff

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" Ravi Mishra, 'Encyclopediaof Geographical Science &Environment',Annual PublicationsPvt
Ltd.,NewDelhi,2001.
'" Aarti Dhar, 'NeedforPolicyonDisasterManagement',The HinduApril 7,2005, p 9.
" Rajiv,K.Shrivastava& DhanSingh,'ForestFire,Haze PollutionandClimate Change;Indian
Forester,Vol 129, No.6, June 2003, pp 725-734.
and available resourcestocontrol the fire.The paperevaluates the peopleperceptionalso^^.
S.N.Rai & AlokSaxena(1997) have pointedthe causesof degradationof forestsinIndia.Theirstudy
revealedthatforestfire andgrazingbyanimalswasthe maincause of forestdegradation.Theyincluded
intheirstudyforestinventoriescarriedoutbyforestsurveyof Indiasince 1965. This inventoryincludes
the extentof fire andthe regenerationstatus.Thispaperexploresthathow the natural regenerationof
the forestisaffectedbythese andotheranthropogenicfactorsi'^.
A.N.Chaturavedi (1999) in hisarticle on'ForestFire'has drawn the attentiontothe damage done by
forestfires.Mostforestfiresare manmade the writersays.He admitsthat forestareasinIndiaare
subjecttoheavybioticpressure.Grazingof livestock,collectionof non-woodforestproducts,collection
of firewoodforbonafide aswell asforsale inneighobouringtownshipare commonpractices.Fire
reducesthe productivityof suchforests.Authorsuggeststhatthe forestermustfix priority forforest
type so that theyshouldhave inlargernational interest^8.

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PhillipEngelbert&Diane Sawinski (2001) have made an attemptto describe disasterespeciallynatural
disaster,theircause,effectsandrelief,mitigationandpredictionintheir bookentitled'Dangerous
Planet- The Science of Natural Disaster'- The bookdescribesatleast16 typesof natural disaster
alphabeticallyandthe methodsof managingthem^^.
'* Jamail Singh&Shrivastva,'Fire ProtectioninEastMalghat ForestDivision,IndianForester,Vol.121,
July1995, No. l,pp59-99.
S.N.Rai & AlokSaxena,'The Extentof ForestFire,GrazingandRegenerationStatusinInventoriedForest
Area,IndianForester,Vol.123,Aug 1997, No. 8, pp 689-766.
'* A.N.Chaturvedi,ForestFire,IndiaForester,Vol.125, December,1999, No.12„ pp1271-1273.
" PhilipsEngelbert,DangerousEarthPlanet - The Science of Natural Disaster,December2001.
JayantKumar (1999) inhispaper entitled'DisasterManagement - A Case Study'has emphasized onthe
needforinitiatingactionatvariouslevelsbyall concernedonthisissue.Inordertostreamline and
improve the disasterpreparednessandresponse capacities.Writerexplainedthatitisessential thata
comprehensive andcritical analysisof the pre,duringandpostdisasterpreparednessandresponse of
variousgovernmentagenciesshouldbe undertaken.Accordingtowriterthe objective of writingthis
paperis notto findfaultwithanyagencyor institutionbuttolearnfromexperiences,identifyareas
concern,fix responsibilitiesandidentifyfocal pointsforactioninpre duringandpostdisasterssituations
inthe future^o.
KavitaArora inthe paper 'Managementof IndianTropical Forest:Needof Review,hasexplainedthat
tropical forests of Indiaare importantnotonlyfrom ecological pointof view butalsofromthe factthat
theyare havingeconomicimportance.The role of voluntaryorganizationtocheckforestdestructonis
an importantaspectforenvironmentalprotection.There isadire needtoprotectthe forestsfrom
degradationcauseslike overgrazing,deforestationandforestfires.Writerhasgiventhe example thatin
Los Angelesthere hasbeenaproposal of timberpurchasinglawsinwhichpreference wouldbe givento

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the woodcertifiedbyanenvironmental organizationandAsiancountrieswill be badlyhitbythis
legislation
KishnaP.Acharya (2005) inthe journal 'MountainResearchandDevelopment'hasdescribedthe main
forestmanagementstrategyof Nepal,Communityforestryis basedonpeople participationinNepal
local people make decisionsregardingforestmanagement.Theyare organisedasacommunityforest
usergroup.The studydescribesthe communityforestrypolicyinwhichall managementdecisionssuch
as
^° JayanKumar,'DisasterManagement,Dana,February1999, pp 36-38,42.
^' KavitaArora,'Managementof IndianTropical Forest',Needof Review,Yojana,October,2001, pp 43-
landmanagement,forestmanagementandresource distributionare takenbythe CommunityForest
User Group (CFUGs).The aim of the case studieswastoanalyse variousinstitutional arrangements
developedbycommunityforestusersgroupsinordertoimplementforestmanagementproperly22.
V.K.Bahuguna(2002) inhispaperentitled'ForestPolicy InitiativesinIndiaoverthe lastfew years'has
introducedanewintegratedforestprotectionschemeduringthe 10**^ five yearplan.The emphasis
was to deal holistically.Accordingtothe paperithas beenestimatedthataround3 millionhacof forests
were affectedannuallybyforestfirescausingalossof around Rs. 4.4 billionannually.He hasdiscussed
the National Guidelinesforfire preventionandcontrol23.
R.K.Luna (2007) in the booknamed"PrinciplesandPracticesof ForestFire Control"has emphasisedon
the needof properpolicytocontrol andpreventforestfire inIndia.Inthisbookitispointedoutthat
forestfire isstill foughtwitholdage methods,whensystematic,modernfire managementtechniques
are followedinrestof the world. Thisbookafterpresentingacomprehensiveoverview of the forestfire
give suggestions.

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Himachal PradeshDevelopmentReport(2007) Himachal Pradeshisa disasterprone state.Ithasseen
varioustypesof natural disastersontime totime,amongthose flashfloods.Cloudbursts,earthquake
and forestfiresare common.The reportstatesthat incomparisonwithotherpartsof the country,the
forestsof the Himalayanregionare more prone to forestfires.The reportpointsoutthatseverityof the
problemmaybe judgedfromthe forestfiresof 1995 in twostatesof Uttaranchal and Himachal.The
reportalsogivesthe suggestionstocope withthe
^^ KrishnaP.Acharya,Private,Collective andCentralisedInstitutional ArrangementsforManaging
forest'Commons'inNepal,MountainResearch&Development,Vol.25,No.3 Aug2005, pp 269-277.
" V.K.Bahuguna,ForestPolicyInitiativesinIndiaoverthe lastfew years,Proceedingsof the Forest
PolityWorkshopKualulumpur,Malaysia22-24, Jan2002.
problemand alsorecommendedthatHimachal Pradeshshoulddevelopadvance,specifichazard-
mitigationplansandshouldprovideastrongand stable administrativesetupfordisastermitigation,
preparenessandrelief^'*.
DavidGanz, PeterMoore and Dominque Reebin theirbookentitled'CommunityBasedFire
Management,Case StudiesfromChina,The Gambia,Honduras,India,LaoSsTurkey'have drawn the
attentionof readerstowardsthe managementof forestfiresbycommunity.Accordingtothisstudyfire
isa disturbance thathasplayed,andwill continue toplayamajorrole in forestecosystemsthroughout
the world.These case studiespointsoutthatinmanyparts of the worldlocal communitiesare often
blamedforsettingfire onforests.These studieswere conducted inmanypartsof the world,the resultis
that local populationwere total fail tocontrol firesbutnotdue tolack of awarenessorcarelessnessbut

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rather a lackof incentivestoprotectforestresources.Whyprotectforestswhentheyare ownedbythe
state and utilizedbyoutsiders?Authorshave suggestedthatemphasisshouldnotonlyoncommunity
involvementbutalsoona communitycapacitywhichshouldbe supportedbyotheragencies25.
Dr. K. UUas Karanth,DirectorIndiaProgramme of WildlifeconservationSociety(WCS) duringhislong
termstudiesinNagarhole NationalParkandotherreservesinKarnatkahasobservedseveral
consequencesof forestfiresonwildlife andtheirhabitat.Fireshave adevastatingeffectonthe forests
and turnshuge areas intoash anddeserts.Forestfiresdestroyvaluabletimberworthseveral crores
annually,justone cubicfeetof teakcouldfetchoverRs.1,400 inthe market.The extentof lossof
revenue isunimaginable butmore importantisthe irretrievable lossinthe biological andecological
areas.
^^ Himachal PradeshDevelopmentReport2007, State Government'sDocument.
DavidGanz, PeterMoore and Dominque Reeb,CommunityBasedFire Management,Case Studiesfrom
Chinato GanibiaFAOCorporate DocumentRepository.
Prabhakar(2001) in hisbookentitled'LawsonForests'hascoveredmajorlawsto protectforestand
forestresources.These include the state of the worldforestplanning,AmazonDefloration,Desperation
of BrasiliaInternational Tropical TimberAgreement.International LabourConference Recommendation
and RioDeclarationonGovernmentandDevelopment^^.
Dohston,D.R.,A.J.Graysonand R.T. Bradley(1978) have writtena bookon 'ForestPlanning'.The book
dealswithdevelopingpractical andrealistic methodsof managementandplanningforanexpanding
forestsestate.The bookisdividedintofourparts.The firstpartdealswithforestpolicy,the secondwith
principlesandtechniquesof planning,the thirdwiththe implementationof plansandthe fourthwith
data collection.If providesguidelinestoforestmanagementandconservation^^.

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Kaushil ,R.C.(1969) has triedto make a bulletin.Himachal Pradeshstatistics1969 is fourthinthe series
of statistical bulletin.The publicationgivesdetailsonthe forestarea,growingstock,fieldrevenueand
expenditure,achievementsunderFive YearPlans,outturnof major andminorforestproducts,results
of auctions,timbersupplies,detail of workingplans,resultsof workingof resinsturpentivefactories
organisationof forestdevelopmentetc.ina wayit almostcoversall the forestresourcesof the Himachal
Pradesh,andmethodsof the management.
GOHP (1966) Himachal Pradeshthissouvenirisabrief resume of the developmentof forestryovera
periodof one century,the resourcesandthe actionplannedandbeingtakenfordevelopmentof the
forestresourcesof Himachal Pradesh.Some specialfeaturesof thissouvenirare thatthe data regarding
the forestarea underdifferentspecies,
^* PrabhakarV.K.,Lawson Forests,Anmol Publications,New Delhi 2001.
" Johston,D.R,A.J.Grayson andR.T. Bradley,ForestPlanning,Natraj Publication,Dehrradun,1978.
growingstockand prescribedyieldhave beencompiledfordifferentforestdivisions.The information
regardingsoil erosionforestfire andgrazingproblemshasalsobeensummarised.The possibilitiesof
settingupforestbasedindustries,includingthe resinandalliedindustries,have beendealtwithtomake
the bestuse of our forestresources andtoharnessthemfor the greatestbenefitof the people^s.
Heinsall J.K.P.(1975) has made .an assessmentof forests.Forestassessmentisthe evaluationof forest
landsand standsand theirgeneral management,takingintoaccountall usestowhichtheyare put.For
such assessmentone mustconsiderhistory,topography,climate,soil,production,economicsof timber

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ecologyandnature conservationandsocial functionsincludingrecreation.The bookdescribesthe
presenttrendof these inforestmanagement29.
G.B. Pant (1982) has pointedthe forestmanagementproblems.He hasconductedthe studyonKumaon
region.Inthisstudyhe observedthatthe village folkfeltthattheirrightswere beingencroachedopen,
since the authoritiesdampedrestrictions. ForestryServiceswere nearlythe onlyelementof those
modernizingsystemswhichbegandefiningthe longrange ecological realities.The bookcoversall these
aspects^o.
A.S.Rawat (1999) studydealswiththe historyanygrowthof forestryandits impacton the marginalized
population.TopicscoveredincludeIntegratedWatershedManagement,importance of micro-
watershedsinnovationinforestry,the role of NGOsinforestproblemsmanagement.The authorhas
alsodiscussedthe strategiesfor
^' GOHP, Himachal PradeshForestSouvenirCentral Boardsof ForestryXMeetingShimlaOctober15-16
1996, Departmentof Forest,Govt,of H.P.Shimla.
Heinsdi JK,ForestAssessment,Contre forAgriculturePublicationandDocumentation,Wage ningen,
1975.
'° Pant,G.B.,'ForestProblemsinKumaon,ForestProblemsandNational Uprisinginthe Himalayan
Region,GyanoayaPradashan,Nainital.
65

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preservationof biodiversityhumanecology,deforestation,forestfire andillicittimbertrade.He hasalso
suggested remedial measures^i.
KirkC. (1994) has elaboratedthe outcome of Himachal PradeshForestryProjectinitiatedbya
multidisciplinaryteamof consultantsengagedbythe overseasDevelopmentof Administrationfromthe
National ResourcesInstitute andthe International Centre forIntegratedMountainDevelopment.
Deferentspecialistcontributedtocompile thisreportcontainingdetailsof socioeconomicsetting,forest
developmentinIndia,problemsof conservationandfarmingsystems^^.
Negi,S.S(1994) in hisbookentitledIndianForestryThroughthe Ages'hastracesthe historyand
developmentof Indianforestryfromthe earlydaystothe present.The bookdiscussesthe topicof
general historyof forestry,historyof forestpolicy,forestlegislation,forestmanagement,workingplans,
forestresearch,educationandtrainingclassificationof forests,wildlifeanditsconservationand
problemsof forestprotection's.
Sagwal (1995) inhisbook he has attemptedtopresentacomprehensive detailsof forestecology.The
bookcontains16 chapterson variousaspectslike,forestplanning,forestproblemsmanagementthat
provide insightonthe impactof thesesaspectsonthe livingthingsandthe environment'^^.
Shafi,M& M. Raja (1992) have presentedthe volumes relatingtothe 'ForestEcosystemsof the World'.
An attempthasbeenmade to focusattentionof some of the majorissuesinvolvedinforestutilization
and management.The papershave beendividedintothree sections(i)Forestecosystemsandecology
(ii) Crisisof forestinthe developing
" Rawat,A.S.,ForestManagementinKumaonHimalaya,Struggle of the MarginalizedPeople,
IndusPublication,NewDelhi,1999.
" KirkC, Himachal PradeshForestryProject,Vol.II,Annexes,FRIDehradun
" S.S.Negi,IndianForestryThroughthe Ages,IndusPublication,New Delhi,1994.
" Sagwal,S.S.,ForestEcologyof India,PointerPublications,Jaipur,1995.

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worldand (iii) Utilizationandmanagementof forestinthe developedworld.Thissectionexamines
variousissuesinvolvedinthe exploitationandmanagementof forestresourcesinaglobal ecological
context^s.
Azad,K.C.and R.L. Verma(1994) intheirbooklookcare of the importantaspectsof greeningthe hills
throughafforestationwitheconomicspeciesby mobilizingpublic-participation.The authorsare of the
opinionthatdevelopmentwithconservationinthe hillscanbe ensuredonlythougheffective public-
participation.The bookgivesanaccountof environmentalsituationinIndiaandimportance of forests
and the problemswhichthe forestsare facing^^.
Bhatia(2000) in hisbookwhichisthe outcome of workshopon'ParticipatoryForestManagement'
coveredpeople centredforestpoliciesthathave emergedinmanycountriesof the regionandtheir
objective of supportingandstrengtheningparticipatoryforestmanagementtoensure thatthe needsof
mountainpeople isparticipationandtheyneedstrongsupporttocope withforestrelatedproblems
like,deforestation,overgrazingandforestfire^'^.
Besera,H.S& L Rawat (1999) made investigationthatthe rapidexpendingpopulationduringlastfew
decadeshasledto the increasingpressure onthe limitedlandresources,facultylanduse andwrong
managementpracticeslike overgrazing,deforestationandforestfires.Thenthere isthe needof
conservingecological resourcesandchoice of speciesshouldbe suchthatare capable conservingand
cater the local needsintermsof fuel,fodderandthe forestproduce issustainedmanner^s.

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" Shafi M «& M. Roza, ForestEcosystemsof the World,Rawal Publishers,Jaipur,1992.
'* AzadK.C.& R.L. Verma,Horticultural Forestry:SolutiontoManyillsof Hills,MinervaBookHouse,
Shimla,1994.
' ' Bhatia,'ParticipatoryForestManagementImplicationsforPolicyandHRDin HinduKush
Himalaya,Vol.I,icimodNepal.
'* Desera,H.S.& L Rawat,Eco-RestorationUsingAgroForestryInterventioninDegradedLandswith
ParticularReference toGashcutmaley,1999.
Desai (1991) has conductedastudyon forestmanagementinIndiaandissuesrelatingtoitand
problemslike deforestation,forestfiresetc.Authorexplainedthatforestsplayavital role inthe
ecological balancesashabitatsforfloraandfauna,anchors forsoilsandtamers of climates.Forests
constitute one of the problemsof forestmanagementinIndia^^.
Ompal Shannain hisstudyconductedon'ForestAdministrationinHimachal Pradesh'hasanalysed
qualitativelythe forestpolicyandforestorganisationintermsof peopleparticipationinlocal forestry
schemes.Inthe endhe has suggestedthatthe active participationof the people ismustforthe success
of anyprogramme.He has describedthe problemsfacedbythe forestsof Himachal Pradesh'*o.

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P.C.Roy inhispaper hastriedto analyse the forestandwildlandfiresissue withparticularreferenceto
SouthEast Asiaand emphasizesondevelopmentof National andRegional fire managementplans
consideringthe complexityanddiversityof fire.The paperalsoattemptstoassessthe currentstatusof
applicationsof satelliteremote sensingforfire detectionmonitoringandassessment.Itcanbe
consideredthe beststudyinthe directionof forestfire management'*^
There isa dire needtoconductmore and more researchon the issue andwrite more new thingsonthe
issue of forestfire managementsothatthiswill furtherresearch.
Needof the Study
Fire situationinIndiaisalarming.The forestsinrecenttimeshave beensubjectedtotremendous
pressure notonlyfromnatural
" Desai,V.Forest ManagementinIndia,IssuesandProblems,HimalayanPublishingHouse,New
Delhi,1991.
"^ Ompal Sharma,Doctoral ResearchConductedonHimachal PradeshForestAdministration,H.P.
University,Vol.I,IIHS.
P.C.Roy,ForestFire andDegradationAssessment UsingSatellite Remote SensingAndGeographic
InformationSystem, IndianInstitute of RemoteSensing,pp361-400.

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calamitiesbutalsofromhumaninterference suchasforestfires.The incidence of fire inthe countryis
considerablyveryhigh,the maintrendoverthe lasttenyearsare an increase inthe numberof forest
fires.There isnofocuson fire inIndia.There isno clearfire strategyor planningregardingitstatistical
data on forestfireswhere available are eitherskeletal orunreliable. Nosystemexistsforfire weather
forecastingdangerratingfire reportingorpreventive measuresapartfromsome basicfire line clearance
and prescribedburningonplantationboundaries.India'sforestdeservesafull fledgedfiremanagement
structure withoutstudyingandgoingin-depthinthisfieldone cannotfindsolutionregardingforest
fires.More and more researchisneededtobe conducton thisissue.The time hasgone whencommon
people usedtosee fordevelopmentfunctionstotopgovernmentand theywere outof reach.Nowthe
scenariohasbeentotallychangedandpowerare vestedinlocal institutions.Thisstudywill helptodraw
the guidelinestonational andstate forestfire preventionandcontrol guidelines,whichwillidentifythe
vulnerable areasof forestfiresmapsandcreationof data bankon forestfires,evolvingfiredanger,
provisionforacrisisor disastermanagementgroupandefficientenforcementof legal provision.Thus,it
isessential thatoriginal researchspecificforIndia conditionstobe conducted.Himachal Pradeshisthat
Himalayanstate of Indianwhichisrich innatural resourcesandvegetation.Forestare the important
assetsof the economy.Butduringpreviousfew yearsthe state isaffectedbyforestfiresdue tovarious
causes.Therefore there wasadire needtoconducta specificstudyonthisproblem.
Objectivesof the Study
Forestfire managementdependsonastrongpolicymattersandlegal framework,clearmanagement
goalsand effectivelongtermplanning.Forestfire preventionpoliciesneedaneffectiveforest
managementandsufficientsources,publicawareness,educationand

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