• TOPICS
Nepal last year witnessed the worst wildfire in its recorded history. There were hundreds of wildfires raging in many of Nepal's 77 districts.
Apart from destroying trees and vegetation, such fire incidents transform the soil, some leading even to desertification. With the onset of the dry season shortly, Nepal should start making preparations to control these wildfires.
Fires are not always bad. A few studies indicate the positive influence of fire on vegetation regeneration and forest management. Until the recent past, forest patches in Nepal would burn smooth and regenerate soon naturally. This occurred periodically and was good for the forests. However, when humans intervened in the cycle, it prevented natural burns. Forest technicians often prescribe controlled burning to maintain a natural cycle and keep the forest healthy. Prescribed burning has been proved to increase soil nutrients and improve overall soil properties. However, as more and more debris collects in the forests, a singly spark can burn up a whole forest. About 50,000 different wildfire incidents burnt millions of acres of forest last year across the world. A recent mega forest fire is said to have caused a loss worth billions of dollars in Australia alone.
With forest fires, the temperature rises, creating just the condition for changes in the soil. But flames cannot be controlled as planned. Wildfires can spread so fast that it becomes almost impossible to control, wiping out precious flora and fauna in no time, with a bigger impact on the soil underneath, bringing several physical, biological and chemical changes onto the ground.
Whatever the outcome of forest fires, the management of a newly burnt area is essential.
Testing of the soil properties after a fire helps in finding the immediate structure, properties and nutrient content in the soil.
The nitrogen content can be replenished by adding fertilisers, green manures, and planting nitrogen-fixing plants.
Fast-growing nitrogen-fixing crops might rehabilitate soil health and nutrition.
Plantation of native species helps in quicker regeneration.
Similarly, invasive species should be prevented from spreading by using herbicides or by weeding. Some countries like the USA spend millions annually on these burnt area rehabilitation programmes. Nepal, with 40 per cent of its area under forest cover, should also be emphasising on rehabilitation.
Forest fires thus have latent effects on the soil underneath.
Proper reforestation and care of the wild ecosystem need good post-fire management. If manipulated well, a forest fire can result in better vegetation and successive growth in a forest.
A version of this article appears in the print on February 11, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
