Forest Fire Research Paper

1.1. Introduction

Fire is a significant evolutionary force, and is one of the first tools that human used to reshape their world (Bond and Keeley 2005). First evidences of fire are found in Carboniferous age 400 million year ago forming fusains or fossilized charcoal in coal deposits (Spinage, 2012). During Carboniferous period there was adequate number of terrestrial plants and lightning to provide ignition. Charcoal layers as indicators of ancient fires have been recorded in fossils dating back to the boundary between Devonian and Carboniferous (Komarek 1973, Jones and Rowe 1999). Therefore, forest fires are as old as the forests themselves. This can also be seen as an evolutionary relationship; plants and other species residing in terrestrial

While some ecosystems depend on fire for their regeneration, other forest ecosystems are prone to severe damage by fire (e.g. tropical lowland, peat forests). Fires can produce local extinctions of species, alter species compositions and successional stages (Gill, 1994) and bring about substantial changes in ecosystem functioning (soils and hydrology) (DeBano 2000). In almost all forest ecosystems throughout the world, humans have altered the natural fire regimes by changing the frequency and intensity of fires. People have excluded or suppressed fires and changed the nature of the landscape so that a naturally occurring fire will not behave in the same way it would have in the absence of human impact. The inter-relationship between humans, fire and forests is a complex one and has been the subject of countless studies and reports.

The impacts of forest fires can also have global consequences (Thonicke et al. 2001): Forest fires produce gaseous and particle emissions that impact the composition and functioning of the jet stream and the global atmosphere, exacerbating climate change (Radke et al. 1978). Tropical forest destruction, through fire, could also spiral our weather systems in new and unpredictable

Study area

This study was carried out in Mudumalai Tiger reserve (MTR). MTR is situated at the tri-juction of Tamilnadu, Kerala and Karnataka on the north eastern slope of Nilgiri part of Western Ghats descending to Mysore plateau. MTR is a part of 5520 km2 Nilgiri Biosphere reserve (NBR) and is spread in an area of 321 Km². It is contiguous with wayanad wildlife sanctuary on the northwest, bandipur tiger reserve on the north, sigure and singara reserve forests in the south and east. The MTR is between 110 32’ & 110 43’ N and 760 22’ & 76045’ E (fig 1.1).

MTR is one of the few areas in India with a rich and varied terrain, flora and fauna. MTR plays an important role in biodiversity conservation of especially large mammals, by offering habitat contiguity with three other protected areas in the region, namely Nagarahole and Bandipur National Park and Wynaad Wildlife Sanctuary. Mudumalai forests were the property of Tirumalapad of Nilambur until it was given on 99 year lease to the government in 1863. The government attempted to raise teak plantation (1864-65). The Mudumalai was declared as reserve land under section 26 of forest act in 1889. The reserve (Sanctuary) was created in 1940, the first reserve in southern India, with an area of 60 km2. In 1958, it was enlarged to 318.70 km2 and later to a further 321 km2, which is its present extent. The Core Zone of this reserve (100 km2) has been notified as National Park. This park has five ranges (Mudumalai, Theppakadu, Kargudi,