June 5, 2018: World Environment Day: Fire, a good servant, but a bad Manager

Posted June 7, 2018

Today we left Portland to Bend. Along the way we passed forests which were destroyed in a veld fire in 2003. The effects are still visible. Effort is being made by US Forests services and other partners to restore the lost forest.

Fire has been used since time immemorial to manage forests. Prescribed fires are preferred to random veld fires. Prescribed fires are managed fires that are useful in reducing biomas in case of a bigger fire.

I had an opportunity to meet Smokey the Bear; “Only You Can Prevent Wildfires”.

Created in 1944, the Smokey Bear Wildfire Prevention campaign is the longest-running public service advertising campaign in U.S. history, educating generations of Americans about their role in preventing wildfires. Despite the campaign’s success over the years, wildfire prevention remains one of the most critical issues affecting USA. Smokey’s message is as relevant and urgent today as it was in 1944.

Veld fires and their impacts are not limited to USA only, Zimbabwe yearly experiences veld fires, most of them caused by human carelessness. Fire is used to trap animals for hunting, slush and burn agriculture, cigarettes butts, and campfires that are never put out completely. Environmental Management Act prohibits burning or starting veld fires from August 1 to October 31 of each year. The rational being that, its the driest and windy time of the year. Fires at this time of the year always get out of hand and destroy lots of property and forest resources.

Effects of fire:

Destruction of homes,
Destruction of wildlife, wildlife habitat and timber
Polluting the air with emissions harmful to human health.
Fire releases carbon dioxide- a key greenhouse gas—into the atmosphere.
Fire causes damage to the soil by the burning of the litter layer and the organic material that is present in the soil.

We all need to work together to prevent veld fires….