Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Controlled burns: are they desirable?

Roy Mathew

SHEER NEGLIGENCE: Fire is used for clearing fire lines in forest. Picture shows fire lighted by workers without any supervision at the Kakkayam forest in Kozhikode district.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Forest Department has been using controlled fires as a forestry management practice for years to prevent major fires. However, opinion is growing against such prescribed fires especially in view of change in priorities of forest management away from hardwood production to biodiversity conservation.

The department is of the view that controlled burns, which is used to burn down litter, dry grass and other underbrush, will help to prevent disastrous late fires in summer resulting from accumulation of combustible material on the ground. The burning of the underbrush does not affect the big trees while larger fires would. So, controlled fires have been prescribed even in the management plans of wildlife sanctuaries. Burning will also facilitate growing of fresh grass favoured by animals, it says.

However, experts are almost unanimous in their opinion that the controlled burns would prevent regeneration of degraded forests in the State. Those who agree with limited application of controlled burning for fire control object to the timing and manner in which the prescribed burning is being done. The burnings were being carried out without proper monitoring and there were several instances of fires going out of control. Studies have shown the burning of forests too often poses serious threat to biodiversity and their cumulative effect may be as profound as high intensity fires. Fire can significantly alter the ability of a landscape to capture and retain water, nutrients and carbon, through its effects on soil macro fauna.

P.V. Karunakaran, researcher at the French Institute of Pondicherry, says that controlled fires as is done in other countries may not have applicability in limited forest areas with rich biota as in Kerala. If at all controlled fires were to be used, it should be done in small patches so that the biodiversity is not affected. But now large areas were being burned with little supervision. "I have not seen controlled burns being done under strict supervision. Usually the firewatchers do the burning though there may be exceptions," he says.

K. Swarupanandan, scientist, Kerala Forest Research Institute, says that controlled fires will promote growth of economically valuable hardwood species in deciduous forests. But repeated burning will lead to further degradation of forests. (In the absence of fire and other biotic interferences, the deciduous forests will grow back into evergreen forests). Controlled fires at Rajamala (Eravikulam National Park) have been done as a tourism initiative. It has no fire control or management aspect to it.

S. Sathis Chandran Nair, an expert in conservation, says that fires will only lead to further degradation of forests. There is little justification for burning grasslands for producing fodder. "Controlled burning for wildlife management is a joke. Hardly any wild animal is dependent on it," he said. If controlled burns for fire control are to be done, that should be done early in the morning or evening in November-December before the winds set in. The ground should be moist. Only 10 to 20 hectares should be burnt at a time under strict monitoring of the weather conditions as well as the fire. However, no monitoring is being done now.

Mr. Nair says that the extensive grass lands in the Periyar Tiger Reserve, where the Forest Department carry out controlled burns, is the result of planting of eucalyptus and fire degradation.

E. Kunhikrishnan, lecturer, Department of Zoology, University College, Thiruvananthapuram, says that controlled burns done after November will be equally damaging as other fires. They destroy many species especially birds which nest on the grasslands. It also leads to predominance of fire hardy species in the ecosystem. Controlled fires have often spread beyond the intended area and done much damage, he says.

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