Russia had less forest fires due to natural causes,not bureaucratic efforts

1. "It seems that it was а long time ago since chief forest managers, seated

in Moscow, were in forest, otherwise they would not have been so optimistic, ­comments Vladimir Zakharov, ISEU forest Campaign coordinator. - The easiest way to learn about the real situation would be to ask directly those working on location".

2. Indirectly, Mr. Kasparov confirms these comments. He admits, that the worst fire situation was in Ural Federal region due to weather conditions - high temperature, no rain, and strong wind. This leads to conclusion that overall situation with forest fires in Russia is а matter of luck and weather.

3. Federal Forestry Agency of Russia draws the results of forest fire season 2004. Manipulation with numbers gives the ground for positive work assessment. "In year 2004 in the forests managed by Ministry of Nature Resources 21 980 fires occurred, which is 1,3 times less than in year 2003. This is due both to favorable weather conditions and introduction of targeted funding for forest fire prevention and extinguishing" - claims Albert Kasparov, head of Forest Protection Department of Federal Forestry Agency.

4. Aviation Service of Forest Protection (AviaLesookhrana) experts have their own opinion on the issue. Even is the number of forest fires is lower this year, this does not necessarily mean positive assessment of the work done. Absolute assessment, with favorable weather conditions impact taken in account, gives different understanding of the year results. With such favorable weather, number of fires might have been much less, forest fire experts say.

5. The high-position forestry bureaucrat follows with statement that necessary amount of fuel and food was supplied timely, as well as repair of equipment and fire prevention activities were done.

6. True situation with funding was not also as optimistic as painted by Mr. Kasparov. Forest firemen calculations show that money was enough for only а month of work. Only weather conditions allowed to "stretch" the funds until August. After that there was а silent order - to fly out to location that are closer to the airports. The situation was saved only due to the absence of the autumn peaks of the fires. All this helped to cover up lags in the funding policy.

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Forest fire and biological diversity

R. Nasi, R. Deппis., Е. Meijaard, G. Appleate aпd Р. Мооrе

Fire serves an important junction in maintaining the health of certain ecosystems, but as a result of changes in climate and in human use (and misuse) of fire. Fires are now a threat to many forests and their biodiversity.

Fire is а vital and natural part of the functioning of numerous forest ecosystems. Humans have used fire for thousands of years as а land management tool. Fire is one of the natural forces that has influenced plant communities over time and as а natural process it serves an important function in maintaining the health of certain ecosystems. However, in the latter part of the twentieth century, changes in the human-fire dynamic and an increase in ЕI Nino frequency have led to а situation where fires are now а major threat to many forests and the biodiversity therein. Tropical rain forests and cloud forests, which typically do not burn on а large scale, were devastated by wildfires during the 1980s and 1990s (FAO, 2001).

Although the ecological impact of fires on forest ecosystems has been investigated across boreal, temperate and tropical biomes, comparatively little attention has been paid to the impact of fires on forest biodiversity, especially for the tropics. For example, of the 36 donor-assisted fire projects carried out or ongoing in Indonesia, а mega diversity country, between 1983 and 1998, only one specifically addressed the impact on biodiversity.

Ecosystem effects of fire

Forest fires have many implications for biological diversity. At the global scale, they are а significant source of emitted carbon, contributing to global warming which could lead to biodiversity changes. At the regional and local level, they lead to change in biomass stocks, alter the hydrological cycle with subsequent effects for marine systems such as coral reefs, and impact plant and animal species' functioning. Smoke from fires can significantly reduce photosynthetic activity (Davies and Unam, 1999) and can be detrimental to health of humans and animals.

One of the most important ecological effects of burning is the increased probability of further burning in subsequent years, as dead trees topple to the ground, opening up the forest to drying by sunlight, and building up the fuel load with an increase in fire-prone species, such as pyrophytic grasses. The consequence of repeated burns is detrimental because it is а key factor in the impoverishment of biodiversity in rain forest ecosystems. Fires can be followed be insect colonization and infestation which disturb the ecological balance.

The replacement of vast areas of forest with pyrophytic grasslands is one of the most negative ecological impacts of fires in tropical rain forests. These processes have already been observed in parts of Indonesia and Amazonia (Turvey, 1994; Cochrane et al., 1999; Nepstad, Moreira and Alencar, 1999). What was once а dense evergreen forest becomes an impoverished forest populated by а few fire-resistant tree species and а ground cover of weedy grasses (Cochrane et al., 1999). In North Queensland in Australia, it has been observed that where the aboriginal fire practices and fire regimes were controlled, rain forest vegetation started to replace the fire-prone tree-grass savannahs (Stocker, 1981).