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Fire hazard
Forests in Poland characterize with high fire risk. There arise on average 3,5 thousand of fires within the area over 5 thousand ha annually.
The main reason of forest fires is careless use of fire, arsons and shifts from the non – forest lands. Danger of arising fires is also connected with increased forest penetration by tourists and local people, while picking up blueberries or mushrooms during summer and autumn. Then, the most exposed to fires are the forest stands located in the neighbourhood of busy roads. Also high vehicular traffic on national roads increases the fire hazard.
The most important meaning in assessment of the fire hazard have got the following factors:
- Rainfalls / snowfalls,
- Wind velocity,
- Radiation intensity of sun,
- Air temperature,
- Air humidity.
On the basis of the humidity of the plant (pine) litter, air humidity and quantity of falls, the foresters define a degree of the fire hazard.
There can be distinguished the following degrees of the fire hazard:
- 0 – no fire risk,
- I – low fire risk,
- II – moderate fire risk,
- III – high fire risk.
In order to discover and extinguish arising fires immediately, the foresters remain on duty during the whole period of the fire hazard in the Forest District, and the entire area of the Forest District is constantly observed from the Fire Towers.
A surveillance and alarm system operates on the area of the forest district and enables quick detection of fire in forests. Procedures in case of fire have been developed as well as technical measures enabling reaching the scene in order to prevent fire from spreading have been provided. The forest district co-operates with the neighbouring forest district in this respect.