Consequences of forest fires

Forest fires cause serious damage to natural ecosystems and economic and social damage. They can cause the loss of biodiversity and habitats for numerous species, mean loss of property and even human lives, generate expenses or economic losses due to the end of the activities that were being carried out there, etc.

The forest fires they don't just start from an ignition. Dry material is needed to help spread and fuel for the ignition to become a flame capable of destroying everything in its path. Nowadays, most wildfires are due to human causes. This is quite worrying since human beings depend on natural resources to sustain themselves.

What makes wildfires increase?

We have to take into account several aspects when analyzing the increase in forest fires. One of them is climate change. With the change in weather conditions, there is more and more dryness, so the circumstances for fires to spread are greater. The global increase in temperatures and the greater frequency and intensity of droughts is causing the fire to reach green spaces, where due to its humidity and shade, it had never been able to enter.

Another reason we find for the increase in forest fires is an abandoned rural environment loaded with fuel. The human being has moved towards the big cities and has left the rural area. This causes natural ecosystems to be unbalanced with a lack and insufficient management that leads to large forest fires. This is due to the accumulation of large amounts of dry scrub vegetation next to houses occupied by the population.

What do we do in this situation?

When we see that forest fires are only increasing each year, we have several options in the face of this situation. The first is to accept that forest fires are going to happen every year with more frequency and intensity and that they are going to cause serious social, economic and environmental consequences. Prepare budgets and all the personnel who can and fight fires in this way.

However, there is another option that is much more viable both economically and socially, and environmentally. It is about public administrations becoming aware of this environmental problem and starting to implement measures to solve it. The measures are preventive during the fall and winter months when there are no forest fires. Of course, in a context of economic crisis, the first thing that is cut is in the field of the environment. It must be remembered that the environment provides valuable environmental services (water, oxygen, soil, biodiversity, etc.) on which the entire population depends and which are at risk due to the lack of means to manage natural ecosystems.

How do forest fires form?

We mainly have two types of forest fires. Those of natural origin and those that are caused by humans. Those of natural cause can be given by a lightning strike in an area with a lot of dry grass, by the orography of the terrain, volcanic activity, by extreme weather or by characteristics of the natural vegetation. However, the natural fires that are generated are almost nil.

Those that are important are those caused by humans. These can be produced by negligence with the use of fire for barbecues or other activities, accidents, intentional fires, excess fuel load in the territory, deficiencies in the means and devices of prevention and extinction, occupation and urbanization of rural areas, lack of information, awareness and social participation, reduction of water sources, etc.