Cause and impacts of forest fire in himachal pradesh

Himachal Pradesh, nestled in the north-western Himalayas, literally means the 'land of snowy mountains'. The extensive and diverse forests in the State endow the landscape with immense natural beauty. The forests also perform very important ecological function of recharging the aquifers ensuring regular flow of water in the Yamuna, Sutlej, Beas, Ravi and Chenab river systems. The forests of Himachal Pradesh, in addition to their crucial role in environmental and ecological functions in the State and outside, provide for economic well-being of the local communities through various provisioning services .Continuous flow of environmental, ecological and economic services, thus, requires maintaining the integrity of the landscape.
The forests of the State are, however, subject to intensive biotic pressure on account of removal of forest produce, grazing and forest fires. The State ,receiving precipitation only during monsoons and winter months, experiences 7-8 dry months every year making the forests highly vulnerable to fires. Even a small negligence during these dry months carries the risk of igniting forest fires that spread very fast riding on the wind. The damage caused to the forests by these fires has serious impact on the environmental, ecological and economic services forests provide. The forest field staff and the local communities need to maintain a strict vigil during the dry months to keep the forests safe from fires.