Forest fires are one of the most important problems in modern ecology, directly affecting human life. At first glance, this influence is not so obvious, but if you delve into and understand the issue, the consequences of forest fires add up to a very sad picture. To understand the real scale of the disaster, it is enough to resort to statistics: in Russia alone, more than 150,000 forest fires are recorded annually.
The main consequences of forest fires can be conditionally divided into several groups: environmental, economic and social. Consider this problem from all sides.
Damage to the "lungs of the planet"
One of the most important human needs is clean air. An adult, leading an active lifestyle, is able to absorb up to 15 kilograms of air per day, which is a quarter of oxygen. Plants are the main source of this gas on earth. The consequence of forest fires is a decrease in the amount of oxygen produced by trees.
Imagine a smoker's lungs that lose their working volume over time andbegin to breathe at full capacity. Approximately the same situation is developing on the globe, only instead of a smoker - the planet Earth with all the organisms inhabiting it.
In the modern world, carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere have increased dramatically. The main reason for this is the widespread use of internal combustion engines. One day there may come a moment when people will have nothing to breathe. In heavily polluted cities such as Beijing, the lack of clean air is already a serious problem.
The death of the "lungs of the planet" can be called one of the most serious environmental consequences of forest fires. Scientists have found that a hectare of pine forest annually absorbs up to 14 tons of carbon dioxide and releases almost 11 tons of oxygen. A deciduous oak forest of a similar area has a higher rate - 18 tons of carbon dioxide and almost 14 tons of oxygen.
Animal deaths
Another extremely unpleasant consequence of forest fires for humans is the death of many species of animals. The forest is a home for animals. Imagine how people in a burning building are rushing about in search of an exit. Our smaller brothers experience a similar state, being in the epicenter of a natural disaster.
In nature, all plants and animals are connected by food chains. There is a balance between populations of different species. A change in the abundance of any of them can affect the entire ecosystem of the region. For example, if the mosquito population decreases sharply, thenthe number of frogs and some species of fish that feed on these insects will also decrease.
In a forest fire, birds will also lose their nests. The reduction in the number of birds in the forest entails the total spread of pests that are bird food.
The number of many species of animals and plants listed in the Red Book and on the verge of extinction may also be reduced due to wildfires. For example, in 2016, a major fire broke out in the Chusovaya River Nature Park near the city of Nizhny Tagil, which ended the lives of dozens of rare animals and plants.
Threat to human life
In forest fires, not only animals and plants die, but also people. According to the International Association of Fire and Rescue Services, about 150 thousand forest fires are recorded in Russia annually. The consequences of forest fires are the broken lives of about 18.5 thousand citizens.
The United States has a kind of anti-record for the number of forest fires. Up to 1,300,000 fires occur in the United States every year. But about 3.5 thousand people die on them a year, which is 6 times less than in Russia. In America, for several years now, the practice of artificial fires, specially bred and directed by people, has been practiced. This practice allows you to get rid of the formed dead wood and create favorable conditions for the growth of new trees.
Many laugh at the pedantry and correctness of the inhabitants of Germany, but over the past few years, not a single forest fire has occurred in this country and innot a single person died in the fire.
In the statistical world ranking of the number of deaths in forest fires, Nigeria is confidently leading - 21, 13 thousand people. Russia occupies 45th place, the USA - 133rd. Germany is located on the 158th line.
It happens that forest fires end the lives of firefighters. In Russia, an average of 5 firefighters die every year in forest fires, in the US - about 60.
Smoke of settlements
Evacuation of residents of settlements is also often the result of forest fires. The reasons for the evacuation are the strong smoke from the settlements located on the line of fire, the risk of the settlement falling into the fire zone. Such measures are especially relevant for rural settlements.
Economic loss
One of the main consequences of forest fires for the population are economic losses. The main damage to the economy is the spending of funds on the localization and elimination of forest fires. As a rule, the fire spreads in areas that are difficult to access for heavy wheeled fire equipment. To fight fires, amphibious aircraft have to be raised into the sky, capable of dropping water on fire-affected areas of the forest.
The state provides all possible assistance to citizens affected by the fire element. Victims of the raging fire are provided with shelter, food and medicine.
There are forest and peat fires. The consequences of peat bog fires are muchmore seriously. The reason is that peat burns underground and is very difficult to extinguish with conventional methods. Only professionals with special equipment can cope with such a task.
According to the ROSECO project, the damage from forest fires in 2016 amounted to about 22 billion rubles.
Causes of fires
Fires themselves rarely occur without human intervention. Unfortunately, people in most cases are the cause of forest fires. The consequences of a poorly extinguished fire or a thrown cigarette butt can turn into hectares of scorched forest. By the way, making fires in the forest in the summer is strictly prohibited.
Trash dumps are also a common cause of fires. Glass or polyethylene can focus the sun's rays, causing dry grass or foliage to ignite.
How to protect the forest from fire
One of the common ways to fight forest fires is the preparation of fire ditches. In this way, the fire can be localized and prevented from spreading to neighboring forest areas.
One of the most effective methods is cutting down the resulting dead wood. The state welcomes the initiative of the population in this matter, but their actions must be sanctioned by the relevant authority.
And of course, the main condition for preventing forest fires is responsible human behavior in the forest.
