The data and records that the forest department gives about the forest fires and the affected area in the state are not completely true. The figures of the Forest Survey of India report tell a different story. The FSI report for the year 2023 mentions that 180890 hectares (1808.90 sq km) area has been affected by forest fires in the state from November 2023 to June 2024. Whereas the Uttarakhand Forest Department report is telling that only 58 thousand hectares of area was affected by forest fire in 25 years.
FSI releases a report on the forest situation in the country. In this sequence, last year FSI released the Forest Status Report-2023. It also mentions forest fires. Under this, it has been mentioned how much area has been burnt due to forest fire from November 2023 to June 2024. According to the report, the state has been the most affected area in the eighth place in the country.
During this period, more than two and a quarter lakh hectares of area has been burnt. Whereas according to the data of the Forest Department, since the formation of the state, it has been mentioned that 933.55 hectares of area will be affected in the year 2023 and 1771.665 hectares of area will be affected in the year 2024. In such a situation, the question is whether there is any discrepancy in the reporting of forest fire? Apart from this, a big difference between the data of FSI and the data of the Forest Department also raises many questions.
This is how the FSI report is prepared
According to the scientists of FSI, the report related to forest fire is prepared on the basis of satellite data. In this, first the place where the fire alert occurs is seen. Then the spot or burnt place is seen at that place. What was the situation at the concerned place two months ago is also studied comparatively. If there was vegetation there earlier and now the spot is visible, then it is considered a burnt part. Land verification is also done at some places. The report is prepared on the basis of all this.
Controlled burning is done on a large scale
Claims are made of all efforts to save the forest from fire. One of them is controlled burning. Under this, controlled burning was done in 25 forest divisions of the state in the year 2024. Under this, the forest department did controlled burning in 201253.94 hectares. Even after this, 1276 incidents took place, in which 1771 hectares of forest area was affected.
Forest fire incidents in the last 10 years
Year Incident- Affected area (in hectares)
2015 412 701.66
2016 2074 4433.75
2017 805 1244.64
2018 2150 1822.90
2019 2158 779.2
2020 0135 104.36
2021 2813 3943.89
2022 2186 3425.05
2023 773 933.37
2024 1276 1771.665
2025 268 310.95
Testing will be done
Forest Minister Subodh Uniyal says that this matter is not in his knowledge, it will be tested. Chief Forest Conservator (HOF) Sameer Sinha says that the assessment of forest fire is done as per the data of FSI. Apart from this, satellite data is also received directly, which is also assessed. Any contradiction in the data of FSI and Forest Department will be investigated
