Summer showers help ward off forest fires in Himachal Pradesh

The state’s forest department is heaving a sigh of relief as frequent showers this summer have helped keep down forest fires to extremely low across Himachal Pradesh thereby saving the rich and vaied timber wealth of the state.

Forests in the middle and lower hills of the hill state are prone to catching big fires between April and June keeping forest department officials worried and on their guard.

Officials say, about 7,500 hectares of forests were affected by fires during last year’s summer, but this year barely 970 hectares were damaged during the same period.

The dry spells in summer usually last for several weeks, this dries up the forest floors making them prone to catching and spreading fire quickly. These fires spread rapidly and are hard to put out in the difficult and dry mountain terrain.

 

Besides disturbing the fragile flora and fauna, these blazes also cause huge damage to standing trees. Himachal Pradesh has one of the richest and most varied forests in northern India particularly the Himalayan pine variety which is highly valued for its superior timber.