Though recurrent fires cause a great harm to the structure and the functions of the forest ecosystems, wildlife and biodiversity, and economic wealth, they had not been given an appropriate place in the forest management schemes of India. Fires still annihilate millions of hectares of forest area annually causing irreparable damage to the plantations raised at a considerable cost and effort. Forest fires in India are still fought with age-old methods, when systematic modern fire management techniques and methods are followed in rest of the world. This book after presenting a comprehensive overview of the fire history in India, enlists the current facets and dimensions of the fire problem and explores the causes and effects of fires on the forest watersheds, productivity, and national economy. The unpredictable fire behaviour due to variable weather and fuel elements has been discussed with respect to fire size, fire shape, fire growth, fire frequency, and fire intensity. Various principles and practices of fire control measures have been dealt under fire prevention, fire presuppression activities and fire suppression, along with tools and mechanised equipment used for the purpose. As more than ninety percent of the fires in the country are caused due to incendiary reasons, fire prevention strategies through education, silviculture and management including Joint Forest Management have been given due consideration. A strong case has been made to develop a fire-danger rating system for India’s forests, to frame a fire policy for India and to fight the fires aggressively and timely when they are still small in an organised way. In due recognition of the role of fires in serving ecological functions, the methods and application of prescribed fires have been discussed at the appropriate level. Numerous research findings, case studies, diagrams and photographs have been included in the text along with an extensive bibliography.
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