Evaluation of the state of forest protection from fires in Novgorod region

Abstract

Forest fires are among the main environmental factors of the negative impact on the forest and the ecological situation. An increase in the number of forest fires occurs due to numerous disturbances by the population, global climate change, and environmental degradation. Forests of the Novgorod region, located territorially between two agglomerations, are an indispensable environmental factor. Ensuring fire safety in forests of forestry enterprises is one of the most important state tasks. The purpose of the research is to assess the state of forest protection from fires in the Novgorod region using effective fire prevention measures. Forests of the Novgorod region are characterized by an average degree of natural fire hazard. The territory of the region belongs to low-visibility regions, and the dynamics of forest fires is associated with weather conditions. Forests in the region are represented by pine and spruce stands located in the northeast and the very south of the region, in which the proportion of young frogs is 31.6%. Damage to arrays by harmful insects and diseases, adverse weather conditions, recreational loads and emissions of industrial enterprises increase the fire hazard in forests. The efficiency of using the Forest Guard system allowed eliminating 85.5% of fires during the first day, while the number of large fires for the period 2009–2017 was eliminated. decreased to 4 pcs, and the average area of fires was 1.7 ha. The developed cartographic material for the distribution of forest land in the Novgorod Region according to the degree of forestry burnability and monitoring zones allows for the fire-prevention of the facility and provides real information for operational work. The complex of proposed and used fire prevention measures is characterized as a reliable and effective method for reducing the number of fires in forests.