Gorumara forest division plans to mitigate wildfire risks with enhanced fire safety measures
Telegraph | 7 February 2025
The recent wildfire in Los Angeles made foresters of the Gorumara wildlife division in Jalpaiguri take proactive measures to prevent forest fires in reserve forests.
Dwijapratim Sen, the divisional forest officer of the division, said on Wednesday that they had intensified monitoring in the forests, identified vulnerable spots and were mitigating those risks.
“We have been actively monitoring the tree plantation sites established over the past five years. These sites are prone to the accumulation of weeds and dry biomass and hence have a high fuel load, increasing the likelihood of fire outbreaks. To mitigate such risks, necessary plans have been drawn to ensure fire safety,” said Sen.
During the upcoming spring season, the forest land remains dry. Additionally, there is a huge deposit of dry foliage as trees shed their leaves.
“At this time, there is always a risk of wildfire. We are thus reducing the ground fuel loads, which primarily consist of dry leaves, twigs, and branches which are highly combustible. A wildfire can engulf trees, leading to significant ecological and economic losses,” said a forester.
He pointed out that to enhance fire prevention efforts, the Forest Survey of India (FSI) has developed a real-time alert system.
“This system provides instant fire alerts to key stakeholders, including the Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) of the concerned area and our field staff. Their names and contact details are registered in the portal to ensure timely dissemination of fire-related alerts,” he added.
The JFMCs receive financial assistance from the state government as a portion of the department’s earnings. The committees, on the other hand, work for the conservation of forests, including monitoring the forest areas to prevent a blaze.
“As of now, around 1,000 members of JFMCs have been engaged for monitoring work and to minimise the risk of a forest fire,” said the DFO.