DENR calls on communities to help prevent and control forest fires
Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Horacio C. Ramos has ordered his field officials to step up efforts to prevent forest fires by strengthening their coordination with concerned local government executives and communities to ensure the safety of people and forest vegetation.
“Involving local communities is crucial to prevent and control destructive forest fires. These communities occupy the frontlines in preventing forest fires,” said Ramos in an urgent circular, reiterating that the risk of fire had increased as the long dry spell and high temperatures had left large amounts of flammable debris in forest areas.
On top of this, Ramos also ordered all the Regional Executive Directors (REDs) to fully optimize the manpower pool of the Department’s 3,000 regular forest rangers, who will be augmented by emergency laborers hired by the DENR last year under the Comprehensive Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program (CLEEP) of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
Data from DENR’s Forest Management Bureau (FMB) shows that each forest ranger is assigned to patrol around 2,133 hectares.
“Even with an augmented workforce, the effort should be very localized because the people who live in the locality know the local conditions best, making it as the most viable alternative to minimize the damage due to fire losses,” said Ramos, noting that the strategy hinges mainly on its policy of granting forest stakeholders tenurial instruments over public forest lands that need rehabilitation and protection under the Community-Based Forestry Management (CBFM) program.
Nevertheless, he notes that the threats posed by climate change should go beyond the traditional risk season, which generally runs from March to June. “We need to find new ways of approaching the forest fire issue which necessitates rectifying the agency’s organizational arrangement for effective progress in forest fire management in the Philippines,” Ramos noted, that refers to the present set-up which gives responsibility for suppressing forest fires to the Bureau of Fire Protection within the Department of Industry and Local Government (DILG) as a result of the implementation of the 1991 Local Government Code.
A 2004-study commissioned by the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) recommended that the DENR should reassume full responsibility to combat forest fire noting that the transfer of such function has reduced the effectiveness of fire management in the country citing that “forest fire management must be seen as a wider social problem, not a narrow technical problem.”
“DENR has a central role to play in addressing this issue and can only do so effectively if it is given responsibility for forest fire management for the land that it manages. It is very reassuring to note that the CBFM initiative in the Philippines has these wider social imperatives at its core. Any initiatives taken by DENR to strengthen the achievement of CBFM’s objectives will also result in increased protection of the forest from fire,” the study noted.
Defensive measures to be undertaken include: monitoring of kaingin activities and unauthorized bush burning in pasture land by cattle raisers; construction of water impounding structures to trap and store water from rainfalls, creeks and rivers; planting of new grasses or brushes in existing two-to-three meter wide firebreaks or buffer fire lines inside tree plantations; inventory of all fire fighting tools; and regular holding of forest fire drills with forest-based communities.
Other measures include preparation of fire control maps and activation of fire protection communication systems, inventory of stocked emergency supplies needed for fire control operations like first-aid kits and non-perishable food supplies, and installation of signboards in fire-prone forested areas warning people about forest fires.
According to Forest Management Bureau (FMB), forest fires have been largely blamed on kaingin and other human activities inside forest lands such as soil burning by cattle raisers to induce good grass growth for their herds, charcoal making, camp fires, discarded lit cigarette butts, and gathering of ant eggs and honey that uses fire torch.
In Region VI, it was noted that forest fires occurred in places where water are scarce during the summer.
PENRO Iloilo reported that a total of 54 hectares of forest lands in Iloilo were razed by fire since January 25 to March 1, this year. It covers the UDP-CBFM areas of Igpaho Agroforestry, Tubungan (4has.); Forest Area of Brgy Igpigus, Igbaras (30has.); timberland area in Brgy Bobon, Leon and Brgy Manasa, Alimodian (45has.). In addition to these reports, an initial investigation is also being done on the reported fire incident at a portion of Jalaur Reforestation Extension Project in Brgy. Pototan & Gutao, Dingle (3 has.) and portion of Refo Project at Brgy. Gutao, Dingle (2has.) The causes of these forest fire incidents are now undergoing a thorough investigation of the concerned CENROs.
RED Julian D. Amador had alerted all PENROs to be more vigilant and activate forest fire brigades of various people’s organization as well as intensify information dissemination among the communities adjacent to the forest and protected areas.
