The Sunday Mail
Grace Kaerasora
OVER 200 000 hectares of forests are set to be burnt nationwide as a preventative measure against veld fires.
The Forestry Commission of Zimbabwe has said 210 200 hectares of forest reserves will be burnt in Bembesi (Bubi), Gwaai, Ngamo (Lupane), Gwampa (Nkayi), Lake alice (Lupane), Mzolo (Binga), Fuller, Pandamasuie and Kazuma (Hwange).
The operation, which is called early block or prescribed burning, has in previous years been conducted in fire prone forests in Lupane and Hwange to reduce the intensity of wild land fires.
Forestry Commission of Zimbabwe operations manager Mr Stephen Zingwena said the activity is part of the country’s fire preparedness and prevention strategies.
“The timing of early burning is guided by the vegetation condition assessment so that it is done when the grass is not too wet or too dry and in Matabeleland North the operation is earmarked for mid-May to late June,” he said.
“Burning of over 200 000ha will be spread across all forests based on assessed fire risks and this will control internal fires as well as fires crossing from other properties.
Early block burning is the process of intentionally applying low intensity fires within forests from March to June when flammable material is partly wet and dry.
The burning results in a broken burning pattern usually called patchiness.
It leaves grass unable to sustain hot fires and also involves the use of cool fires that do not damage the vegetation.
Said Mr Zingwena: “The advantage is when fires break out late in the dry season, their intensity is reduced because of patchiness.”
Environmental Management services acting director, Mrs Alleta Nyahuye said early burning is controlled from spreading outside set boundaries.
In past years, techniques of hazard burning reduction were developed to protect timber in commercial forests.
