FOREST BURNING : PRESCRIBED BURNS TO RESTORE CARIBOO-CHILCOTIN GRASSLAND

The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations advises that prescribed burning is planned for several areas west and south of Williams Lake between Sept. 24 and Oct. 31, weather conditions permitting.

These burns are being managed under the Ecosystem Restoration Program to help restore native grassland ecosystems. The following areas will be treated using prescribed fire:

* Beecher's Prairie (Highway 20 at the Toosey turnoff): approximately 220 hectares
* Bald Mountain (south of Riske Creek): approximately 150 hectares
* Deer Creek (Alexis Creek area): approximately 100 hectares
* Crow's Bar (Fraser River area, south of Dog Creek): approximately 3,000 hectares
* Ward Creek (Fraser River area, north of Gang Ranch): approximately 400 hectares

Historically, the grasslands in the Cariboo-Chilcotin were renewed through frequent, low-intensity ground fires. Such fires prevented tree encroachment, rejuvenated understory plants and helped maintain more open grasslands and forests with large trees. The reintroduction of managed, low-intensity ground fires to these grasslands is intended to restore and maintain traditional grassland plant communities that are native to these areas.

These fires are part of an ongoing ecosystem restoration program administered by the provincial government in consultation with First Nations, local ranchers, the B.C. Wildlife Federation and the Cariboo-Chilcotin Conservation Society.

Factsheet: Prescribed burning as an ecosystem management tool

* Fire is a normal, natural process in many of British Columbia's ecosystems. Many species of plants, birds, insects and other animals depend on fire for its regenerative properties.

* Fire helps control insects and the spread of disease in forests. It also contributes to forest regeneration, as younger trees replace older trees. Having trees of various ages in a forest helps create biodiversity.

* Prescribed burning is one of the tools used by forest professionals to achieve land management objectives. For example, fire can be used to enhance habitat and improve forage for cattle, deer, bighorn sheep and moose.

* A controlled burn can also reduce fuel loads (combustible material such as underbrush and dead wood) and reduce the risk of wildfire in interface areas (where urban development borders on rural areas).

* The size and intensity of prescribed burns are carefully planned and controlled to meet ecosystem management objectives. Prescribed burns are only ignited when weather conditions are favourable and when the fire will not create excessive smoke. Important factors used to determine whether a burn will go ahead include the venting index, temperature, humidity and wind conditions.

* The venting index is a measure of how quickly smoke will disperse under specific conditions. Prescribed fires may only be ignited on days when the forecast for the venting index is "good" or better.

* All prescribed burns must comply with the Environmental Management Act's open burning smoke control regulation, which helps minimize the amount of smoke that's produced.

* A prescribed burn is ignited and continuously monitored by trained firefighting crews to ensure that the fire does not spread beyond its planned size. The fire crew supervisor (the "burn boss") is responsible for ensuring that initial burning conditions are favourable and that the fire is fully extinguished once the prescribed burn is complete.

Media Contact:
Hugh Flinton
Ecosystem Restoration
Range Branch
Ministry of Forest, Lands and Natural Resource Operations
250 398-4224
hugh.flinton@gov.bc.ca

FOREST DEGRADATION IN SELANGOR MALAYSIA

Forest Degradation. Selangor which had experienced a loss of up to 10% of its forests in the 22 years between 1990 and 2012 continues to face forest degradation, a study by UKM scientists found.

The deforestation was found to be due to economic and development factors including increased farming and urbanisation arising from a growing population.

Director of UKM’s Institute of Climate Change (IKP), Professor Dr Sharifah Mastura Syed Abdullah said the continued degradation of the remaining forests is of a major concern.

Speaking to UKM News Portal after a seminar on Space Sciences here, Prof Sharifah Mastura said knowledge on deforestation and its driving forces in Selangor is very important as it provides the basis for the calculation of the total amount of carbon stock remaining above ground.

Carbon stock is the supply of carbon, especially carbon dioxide, kept in trees and other plants.

She said the study provided an insight into appropriate measures that could be taken to increase the area of trees to reduce the release of carbon dioxide emission into the atmosphere.

Photographs taken by satellites and land use maps from the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrobased Industry showed the deforestation in Selangor had complex causes.

She said the reduction in forest cover in the state must be understood because for decades perceptions and controversies of deforestation had persisted in public debate.

Prof Sharifah Mastura said the degradation was due to economic, institutional and cultural practicesand policywith just over half related to population dynamics and the rest due to agriculture, economic factors, public policy and road networks.

She gave the following data:

Factors Causing Deforestation in Selangor	Percentage
Population Dynamics	54.4
Agriculture Intensification	18.2
Economic	13.6
Public Policies	9.1
Road Networks	4.5

 

Overall forest loss in the 22 years was 2% from dipterocarp forestsmade up of the largest trees and 8.6% from peat swamp forests.

While the stastistics may not appear to be alarming, detailed analysis using the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) showed the quality of the forest had degraded widely.

Most researchers agree that forest cover is an important and critical feature as it plays a major role in maintaining the regional hydro-climate-ecological balance as well as life sustainability and well being on earth.

In Malaysia forest and grassland conversion was fourth in the source of carbon dioxide emission in the country, contributing 14%. Continuous conversion of forest to other land use is responsible in the releasing of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

Global annual data on emission of carbon dioxide from deforestation amounted to 25% of the total carbon emission.

Prof Sharifah Mastura urged more case studies be done on the deforestation process – not only in Selangor, but all over the country. Only then can the regional level be considered.

She said case study results from Selangor contain valuable ground truth that helps to build up the bigger picture of the actual deforestation issue in Malaysia.

Any policy aimed at sustaining the forest in Selangor would be futile if underlying causes of deforestation are not properly known or poorly understood.

Many countries have policies favouring economic growth over forest protection. Consequently, these countries have to bear long term downstream and irreversible impacts of environmental degradation among which is an unsustainable forest resource.

Forest Degradation Ensuring carbon stock in the soil and vegetation above ground, provides the critical information required for policy makers to access the feasibility of projects based on land acquisition, Prof Sharifah Mastura said.

FOREST FIRE IN BRITISH COLUMBIA

The first water-dropping helicopter was en route to a fast-moving forest fire in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley nearly half an hour after it was first reported, according to a timeline compiled by the provincial government, which says an initial review has found the response was fast and well co-ordinated.

The fire started in high winds just outside of Peachland on Sept. 9, causing 1,500 residents to flee and destroying four houses.

Newly released audio recordings of RCMP radio dispatches detailed the initial response, as Mounties on the ground called for help and at times appeared frustrated that firefighters were not on the scene sooner.

But the B.C. Forests Ministry says although its review largely confirmed the account gleaned from the audio recordings, it also indicates the response by provincial firefighters was appropriate in the circumstances.

"An initial review by all responding agencies shows an excellent co-ordinated response. The ministry has received numerous compliments for its fast response to this fire," the ministry said in a fact sheet released this week.

"Given the aggressive behaviour of this wildfire, public and first responder safety was of paramount importance. No injuries were reported during this incident."

The fire was first reported at 2:55 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 9, and emergency officials quickly confirmed it was just outside the jurisdiction of Peachland's volunteer fire department, leaving the initial response to the provincial wildfire management branch.

A forest officer was in a truck driving to the scene by 3:10, according to the ministry timeline.

By 3:22, about 27 minutes after the fire was first reported, the first water-dropping helicopter was in the air and en route. The chopper's travel time to the fire was estimated to be about five minutes.

At roughly the same time, a duty officer with the Peachland Fire Department responded.

The forest officer requested Peachland's help at 3:27, and the two vehicles from the department were dispatched within minutes. The first Peachland Fire Department member was on the scene at 3:34, according to the ministry — 39 minutes after the fire was first reported.

Meanwhile, the fire was growing rapidly in strong winds..

The fire moved one kilometre in just half an hour — or 33 metres every minute, according to the ministry fact sheet.

At one point, sparks and embers capable of starting smaller fires — a process known as spotting — were being carried up to 500 metres ahead of the main fire.

At 3:59 p.m., a bird-dog plane, which makes observations and directs air tankers carrying fire retardant, flew overhead. An air tanker dropped the first load of fire retardant at 4:16, according to the ministry.

The ministry said it would also conduct a full review into the response, as it does with all significant fires.

Neither the provincial wildfire management branch nor the Peachland Fire Department have targets for response times.

The Forests Ministry said such guidelines aren't practical for provincial firefighters because of the size of the province. Instead, the ministry noted 92 per cent of all wildfires are contained before they reach four hectares.

The Peachland Fire Department, which required a request from the province before leaving its own boundaries, also said response time targets don't make sense, because response times often depend on where volunteers are when a fire breaks out and how quickly they can reach the fire hall before responding.

The ministry fact sheet noted the wildfire management branch has an agreement with Emergency Management B.C. to co-ordinate responses when fires are near populated areas. In such cases, a response that involves multiple agencies is handled through a "unified command structure," which was put into action in the Peachland fire.

The ministry noted that agreement allows municipal fire departments to respond to fires outside of their jurisdiction if requested by the wildfire management branch.

The Peachland fire started about two kilometres up the road from the end of the Peachland Fire Department's jurisdiction.

Elsie Lemke, chief administrative officer with the District of Peachland, said a major issue in such cases is insurance, including personal and corporate liability and workers' compensation.

"We're covered for responding to fires or other emergencies within our boundaries," said Lemke.

"The only time we're covered to go outside out boundaries is when we're called by the appropriate organization that has the right to request us or when a neighbouring community calls and asks for our help when it's under a mutual aid (agreement)."

There are a number of homes and acreages along the road between the district and where the fire started, near a park on the side of Highway 97C.

Lemke noted in 2010 the Regional District of Central Okanagan planned to explore the possibility of funding fire protection in the valley.

When the regional district asked the province for help in paying for such a study, the government said its grant funding had been used up for the year. Lemke said Peachland has not heard anything further about the issue since then.

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Singapore puts heat on Indonesia to take on haze situation

The Singapore authorities have stepped up efforts to add peer and economic pressure on Indonesia, which is yet to sign the Asean Transboundary Haze Pollution agreement.
The nine other Asean nations have ratified the 2002 agreement to prevent and control haze pollution in the region.
To date, Singapore has collaborated with Indonesia in the province of Jambi to train officials and staff from non-governmental organisations in studying satellite photos.
This is so that they can identify plantations and companies responsible for forest fires.
Air- and weather-monitoring stations have also been set up to detect forest fires and smouldering peatland more efficiently.
Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan said yesterday that Singapore has offered to extend the existing million-dollar project through several sub-projects in Jambi, as part of a second phase.
Jambi, located about 330km south of Singapore, is one of the provinces worst hit by forest fires this year.
Indonesia has yet to respond to Singapore's offer.
While Singapore offers support by providing resources, the Indonesians have to be the ones to decide and take the lead, because "it is their province, their plantations, their agricultural centre", said Dr Balakrishnan.
"There are lessons which have to be taught on the ground, as well as (having) to make sure that there is enough economic and social pressure on people taking a shortcut."
Fires in Jambi and other Sumatran provinces have been faulted for the haze that envelops Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia each year.


Dr Balakrishnan, who has just returned from the Transboundary Haze Pollution meeting in Thailand, believes that "the strongest...stimulus to pro-social behaviour is peer pressure".
He was speaking to the media at the launch of the Public Hygiene Council at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. Addressing hygiene issues here, he said that anti-social behaviour, such as littering, can also be curbed through exerting peer pressure.
The new council, which has 21 members, is headed by Khoo Teck Puat Hospital's chief executive, Mr Liak Teng Lit.
The council's main aim, said Mr Liak, is to stamp out unhygienic practices and raise standards here "up to the first-world standard".
A National Environment Agency (NEA) survey led by one of the council members, Associate Professor Paulin Straughan, found that nearly four in 10 here would litter if they thought nobody was looking.
Prof Straughan, vice-dean of the National University of Singapore's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, said that NEA could leverage on the survey findings to reach out to "younger new citizens".
The council also hopes to improve the cleanliness of public toilets, especially those in foodcourts and coffeeshops.
Discussion sessions, public forums and feedback channels will be set up, and a new educational campaign will be rolled out by the end of the year from the findings obtained.
Mr Liak said: "Every Singaporean needs to take ownership in building a clean Singapore. Only then can we say that we are First World and enjoy the place."

Source : http://news.asiaone.com