Forest Fire Protection in Poland

Ownership structure Nowadays forest area in Poland covers 9,2 million hectares (according to 2015 data from Central Statistical Office), which is 29,5% of the country’s territory, and as it is shown they are mostly owned by the state.

Forestry of voivodeships The most forested administrative districts of the country are: Lubusz Voivodeship (49,2%),  Subcarpathian Voivodeship  (38,1%), and Pomeranian Voivodeship  (36,4%). The least forested are: Łódź Voivodeship (21,3%), Masovian Voivodeship (23,3%), and Lublin Voivodeship (23,2%).

PROTECTIVE (ENVIRONMENTAL) functions of forests Protective forests have positive impact on shaping of the local and global climate, regulation of water cycle in nature, prevention of floods, avalanches and landslides, protection of soil against erosion and landscape against steppisation.

OTHER FUNCTIONS OF FORESTS PRODUCTIVE (ECONOMIC) primarily production of renewable biomass, including timber and non-timber products and effective management of hunting SOCIAL providing health- enhancing and recreational conditions for society, contributing to the labour market and helping to develop environmental awareness in society

Selected regulations for forest fire protection Regulation of the Minister of Municipal Economy of July 14, 1951 (Journal of Laws No. 40, item 303) Fire Protection Act of 1991, with the amendment introduced in 2009, which lists literally forests. The forests act of 1991, with a delegation introduced  in 1997. Ordinance of the Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration of June 7, 2010 on the fire protection  of buildings, other buildings and sites. (Journal of Laws of 2 010 No. 109, item 719) Ordinance of the Minister of Environment of March 22, 2006 on detailed rules for forest fire protection (Journal of laws of 2006 No. 58, item 405)

objects provided with the special fire protection: national parks nature reserves ecological use landscape couples areas of protected landscape natural-landscape teams documentary positions natural features of historic importance botanic gardens

FOREST FIRES There were 12 257 forest fires in 2015 which is 7012 more than in the previous year. The burnt area covered 5510 ha. The main causes of forest fires in Poland were: arson and negligence, and the fires with unknown cause took 37% of all.

Fire Weather It is a sum of unfavorable weather conditions which cause an easy rise and spread of a fire. Fire weather can be conventionally divided into static and dynamic. This division is due to the differentiation of the linear rate of spread of the resulting fire and the stability of the direction of its development. Basic meteorological elements characterized by dynamic fire weather, according to their size are: long period without rain, relative humidity of less than 40%, Wind more than 5 m / s, gusty wind often changing direction, cloudiness below 5, the air temperature exceeding 20°C.

Factors driving the forest fire hazard Forest fire hazard are shaped by the following factors: possibility of the appearance of embers of the fire able to ignite the soil cover the kind of combustible materials being in places of the appearance of embers of the fire, their amount and arranging on forest surfaces or in the immediate vicinity meteorological parameters determining the humidity of soil cover and other materials being in the forest Deciding on appearing of factors shaping a fire hazard of our forests are: season the age and the species composition of tree stands and the type of the soil cover intensity of economic treatments in the forest and way of using tree stands communication roads network and traffic intensity on these roads tourist-holiday attraction of the forest and the abundance of foetus of the forest fleece Location of human settlements in forests other local conditions

Methods of determining a fire hazard of forest Szczygieł’s method - prognostic method and known as „risk of fire hazard” Generalized formula: R = (Ktp + Kwp) ⋅ Kwś R - point value of risk of fire Ktp - rate resulting from the current or predicted air temperature, Kwp - rate resulting from the current or predicted relative humidity of air, Kwś - rate resulting from the current or predicted humidity of the pine litter. Forestry Research Institute’s method - measurement of humidity of litter from pine stand III (40-60 years old) growing on fresh borers, relative air humidity at the height of 0.5 m by the wall of the tree stand and atmospheric precipitation

Classification of forest areas according to fire hazard The purpose of classifying forest areas in terms of forest fire risk is planning and implementation of strategic ventures to enable and secure effective firefighting measures and the reduction of fire losses. These projects can be divided into three broad categories: Forest management aimed at the natural immunization of tree stands on the spread of fires and limiting the speed of their development Engineering terrain reinforcement enabling effective firefighting operations with minimal force and resources In threatened areas, providing sufficient forces and means of intervention and an adequate level of training of rescuers.

Prevention of fires Fire prevention is a multifaceted effort to prevent fire, delay its development and reduce the area covered by fire until the firefighting measures are taken. The man is the main cause of fires, hence the basis of information and warning-directed propaganda to the people should be detailed monitoring of the causes, time and place of formation of fires. As the fire risk increases over the year and the number of fires increases, this activity needs to be intensified, using the press, radio and television, and involving people and institutions of high trust and authority.

Fire hazard sign How TO inform about forest fire

FIREBREAKS Type A - reducing the fire load in the tree stand, up to 30 metres deep into of forest, than outside of him border, which embers of the fire can come into existence by Type B - spontaneous the arrest of development of the fire of the lid of the soil and enabling to base firefighting operations on it with hand equipment Type C - isolating objects and in every other case of becoming known of a special fire hazard Type D - tactical use in extinguishing operations Firebreak Type A

Sources ,,Lasy w Polsce 2016” - Centrum Informacyjne Lasów Państwowych ,,Ochrona lasów przed pożarami” - Karol Wiler, Paweł Wcisło Private archives

Authors: Damian Chołyst Klaudia Jędzura Izabela Pawłowska Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Organizacji Narodów Zjednoczonych w Biłgoraju klasa 2C