Latest news with #wildfireprevention
Arab News
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Study outlines forest fire prevention plan
RIYADH: The National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification has completed a study to enhance forest protection and reduce wildfire risks in support of environmental sustainability goals. Titled 'Forest Fire Prevention and Post-Fire Recovery in the Southern and Southwestern Regions of Saudi Arabia,' the study was conducted in collaboration with King Khalid University and Monash University in Australia. It includes an assessment of forest conditions and risk factors, the development of a digital database, and a review of preventive measures and community practices, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday. The study proposes an integrated response plan involving relevant agencies, with defined roles and the use of modern tools such as early warning systems and drones. It also offers field designs and sustainable alternatives for strategic firebreaks, a post-fire recovery guide, a performance evaluation tool, and a framework for joint operations. To support this, the study outlines a mechanism for engaging local volunteer teams in forest areas through training, capacity-building, and coordination with authorities. The study demonstrates institutional, technical, and community collaboration in forest protection. It reflects Saudi Arabia's efforts to preserve natural resources and address climate-related challenges while balancing development with ecosystem conservation. The national center continues to promote sustainable vegetation cover and has launched an initiative to plant 60 million trees — equivalent to restoring 300,000 hectares — by 2030.
CBC
23-05-2025
- General
- CBC
"Fire is not inherently bad" says Fire Archeologist
Social Sharing Chief Joanne Miles of the Flat Bay Band says people in her community have practiced low-intensity controlled burning for as long as she can remember. When done correctly, she says this can prevent devastating wildfires. The knowledge of how this is done has been passed down through generations. "Education is a big component to, you know, the Mi'kmaq and the way we live," Miles said. "Hopefully we can … pass that awareness and that prevention on to our youth." Several factors are considered before starting a low-intensity controlled burn, Miles said. Elders in her area have learned the seasonal patterns, the moisture levels of the ground and plants, and how to recognize wind changes. Miles said this practice is the reason the Flat Bay area has hardly seen any major forest fires. People head out onto their land as soon as the snow melts for this annual activity. But she said they don't just start lighting random fires everywhere, and emergency preparedness is always kept in mind. "Traditionally, it's our land that we've been watching, and taking care of it as stewards," Miles said. Fire is a natural system - Hillary Renick Hillary Renick, President of the California Indian Land Institute, is a member of Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo Indians located in Northern California. She also protects cultural values at risk during wildfire events as a Fire Archeologist. She recently travelled to St. John's, NL, to speak to students at Memorial University. Renick says fire is surprisingly helpful for many plant and tree species, and some are actually fire resistant. There are even trees with seeds that need a slow burning fire in order to germinate, she said. She also said wildfires can clear an area of invasive species, allowing native plants to grow back. "Fire is a natural system, it is not the enemy of the earth," said Renick. "It's part of a system that's tied to the soil health, to weather and climate. There's a rhythm." Some tribal nations have retained knowledge of the burning connection they had with the Earth, Renick said. The knowledge of others was decimated through colonization, she said. Some tribes still have elements in their language or songs that refer to taking care of the land. But not everyone is able to use the knowledge they have, she said. "Especially with displacement, it's hard to do things when you don't have access to the land, when the land is owned by, you know, the federal government, or the crown, or the state," Renick said. She said we need to stop looking into forests only for recourses, and start using Indigenous knowledge to help save them. "We're all part of this whole system," Renick said. "Fire is not inherently bad, it's just a different way of looking at the world."
CBC
22-05-2025
- Climate
- CBC
The art of the burn: How controlled fires in northeastern Alberta help mitigate wildfire risk
In the Wood Buffalo region, both municipal and provincial authorities have been conducting controlled burns, so that old vegetation won't become fuel for the next big fire.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
What are controlled burns? Here's how these fires can stop wildfires before they start
Smoke from Arizona's controlled burns can be visible for miles, often causing people to wonder if a wildfire has ignited nearby. However, these controlled burns are an essential part of a strategy to clean up forests and prevent wildfires before they begin. Prescribed burns are part of an initiative from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service and the Arizona Department of Forestry and Land Management to maintain the health of fire-dependent ecosystems, which have a large presence in northern Arizona. Here's everything Arizona residents need to know about controlled burns, also called prescribed burns, and how they help prevent wildfires. Every year before wildfire season starts, forestry agencies across the southwestern U.S. conduct prescribed burns to protect ecosystems from insect infestations, disease and drastic wildfires. These burns are planned in advance, and experts work to identify the best and safest conditions for the prescribed blazes. The U.S. Forest Service notes that they "consider temperature, humidity, wind, moisture of the vegetation, and conditions for the dispersal of smoke" before a prescribed burn is started. Those conditions are checked on the day of the burn to ensure it is safe to continue. Wildfires are part of a natural process of ecosystems in northern Arizona to reduce forest fuels and clean up plants from plagues and diseases, but increasingly dry and warm weather conditions in the state can cause wildfires to grow beyond safe levels and become harmful to watersheds, wildlife habitat and put human lives at risk. Forestry officials say that prescribed burns build resilient landscapes that are less vulnerable to extreme wildfires. They simulate wildfires in a controlled environment under suitable weather conditions. According to the Forestry Service, prescribed burning's benefits include: Helping thinned forests recover faster and develop resistance to insect and disease attacks. Getting rid of dead wood, overcrowded trees and thick layers of pine needles that contribute to catastrophic wildfires, including crown fires. Preparing land for new growth and helping certain plants germinate. Fire can expose plant seeds and facilitate their contact with soil, which is necessary for some species to regenerate naturally. Assisting grazing wildlife such as elk and deer, animals that benefit from new growth as shrubs produce edible leaves when re-sprouting after a fire. Helping protect communities from severe wildfires by creating buffer zones and areas where an out-of-control wildfire might be stopped by a lack of forest fuels. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Prescribed burns: What are they and how do they stop wildfires?
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Provincial fire ban issued for large part of northern Sask.
A fire ban has been issued by the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency for a large part of the province's north, effective as of 5 p.m. Thursday. It includes areas north of the provincial forest boundary to the Churchill River and is meant to stop human-caused fires, the agency said in a news release. The ban prohibits open fires, controlled burns and fireworks in the designated area, including in provincial parks, recreation sites and the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District in the area. A list of fire restrictions in provincial parks and recreation sites can be found here. The fire ban is necessary "to protect lives, communities, major infrastructure, and resources from wildfire," public safety agency vice-president of operations Steve Roberts said in the news release. Roberts said the main cause of the current wildfires is human activity that can be prevented. The agency said 28 wildfires were burning in the province as of Thursday afternoon. So far, there have been a total of 133 wildfires in Saskatchewan this year, according to the news release.
