Forest fires in Bosnia-Herzegovina and evaluation of damages
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54652/rsf.2001.v31.i1.227Abstract
Forest fires in Bosnia-Herzegovina caused significant damages in 2000th. There were
two critical periods of fires: spring (March-April) and summer (July-August), expect-
ed in this area, although forest fires occasionally may appear all over the year. Spring
fires caused local people burning weeds and other plants remains, when their land,
located next to forests, cleared for a new agricultural crop. Summer fires were close-
ly related to visitors and rate of its damages were far higher then spring ones. Burnt
area was 9,7 ha per a fire in spring, and even 69,1 ha per a fire during summer. Appar-
ently, occurrence of forest fires depends on human activities and even 98% were men
caused.
Conifers were the fuel of the highest risk in general, and conifer plantations in partic-
ular. However, grassland at the west of the country burnt in a highest rate during
2000th due to mines that restricted fire control. Various approaches were used in eval-
uating forest fires damages in past. New method discussed is based on:
a) rate of forest wood stock burnt, fire control expenses and recultivation costs (direct losses) and
b) ecological consequences of forest fires (indirect losses).
Direct losses include wood stock and current increment from last inventory, fire control and recultivation costs.
Indirect losses are evaluated by coefficients corresponding to the type of forests (high forests, degraded forests, coppices and shrubs); level of protection of forests (national parks, reservates, primary forests etc; water supply area, scientific and school forests); and site characteristics (land tending to erosion and landslides, rocky and thin soils).
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