In our country, forest lands occupy more than one billion hectares. It should be noted right away that not all areas are suitable for economic use. However, fires in the forest, no matter where they occur, always cause great damage to the environment. Environmentalists have the term “forest burning”, which is used to characterize and assess the situation. In this indicator, Russia lags behind Europe and North America. This fact is partly due to large areas of unprotected forests. In the northern regions of Siberia and the Far East, protection is very difficult from a technical point of view.
Impartial statistics indicate that forest fires most often occur as a result of human activity. More than 80 percent of the number of fires occurs during careless handling of fire. The cause of an emergency may be an outstanding cigarette butt, match, or spark of a bonfire. Even the exhaust fumes from a working bulldozer can cause a forest fire. Given these circumstances, the Federal Forestry Agency has developed special training materials on the organization of forest fire protection. This memo may be useful not only to representatives of local government, but also to individual citizens.
Of course, it is not enough just to make an appeal "Protect the forest from fire!". Appropriate activities and training are needed. Every year, when a fire-hazardous period begins, in many regions they try to limit people's access to forest lands. This way to prevent fires in the forest is acceptable, but only with an integrated approach. It is no secret that a significant number of people still remain who, as they say, "live in the taiga industry." To forbid them to get mushrooms, berries and nuts - this means depriving them of sources for subsistence. In such situations, it is necessary to conduct practical and theoretical classes according to the rules of stay in a forest area.
Forest fires are a process of uncontrolled spread of fire. More precisely, it is spreading in the direction in which the wind blows. By type of fire can be grassroots, horseback and underground. According to the speed of distribution, grassroots species are divided into stable and fluent. The latter type most often occurs in spring. Last year's grass and fallen foliage burns. The propagation speed depends on the wind speed. Sustained burning can occur in mid-summer. In this case, the entire fertile layer burns out in one limited area.
The horse spreads over the crowns of trees, and the underground spreads when a peat layer ignites. In any case, fires in the forest pose a great danger to humans. As already mentioned, ignition must be avoided. But if this happened, then if possible it should be repaid and reported to the administration of the nearest settlement. If the fire grows, leave the danger zone as soon as possible. You should go to the windward side perpendicular to the edge of the fire. If there is a strong smoke, you need to close your mouth and nose with a wet bandage, a towel or just a piece of clothing. It is very important in such situations not to succumb to panic.
