News Center: Fire is an integral part of the forest life system and it has widespread for thousands of years, but it did not arouse fear as it does now, and even wild animals have been able to adapt with it, but due to the increase in fires in recent years, forests are in real danger.

Forests cover an area that reaches 10% of the globe. The forests of New Guinea, the forests of Australia and the Amazon in Brazil, and forests in Germany and in many regions around the world are some of them.

 Causes of fires

 In specific seasons every year, fires break out in forests; the most prominent cause of fires is the high temperature that reaches 40 Celsius. Forests contain a large number of dry plants, which speeds up the ignition process, so firefighting teams need a great effort to control them.

The summer season, in particular, is witnessing high temperatures due to an increase in carbon dioxide, the so-called global warming phenomenon, which is mainly responsible by the major industrialized countries, especially the United States of America, which produces a quarter of carbon dioxide in the world, and refuses to sign the Kyoto Climate Agreement.

Human beings also contribute to forest fires, but this does not mean that all responsibility lies with them, as natural phenomena are partners in this tragedy, such as thunderbolts that trigger the first spark, which may be caused by the rolling of stones as well; the volcanoes also play a role in forest fires.

Something strange is the discovery; The fires that broke out in the Australian forests, which have been described as the largest natural disasters that hit the country, were caused by vultures. The vultures carried the burning branches and threw them in different areas, creating burning spots in the forests; Australian scientists from the University of Sydney captured a video of these birds spreading fires in the forests.

 Benefits of Forests

Forests, the lungs of life, absorb carbon dioxide and various harmful gases and give off oxygen in return, they work to adjust the temperature and prevent soil degradation and erosion. The forests are a natural source of torrents and rivers and the most important renewable natural resource-rich in biodiversity, and also maintain the stability of mountains.

The Amazon forests help stabilize the global climate by storing 90 to 140 billion tons of carbon, and the rainforests alone represent 10% of the planet's total biomass, they contain 750 species of trees and more than 10 million species of living organisms, and they are an important source of freshwater as they are the source of one-fifth of the amount of fresh water on the surface of the earth.

Destruction on Wildlife

 The most prominent negative consequences of the fires are the destruction of wildlife and the death of a large number of animals, which leads to the extinction of certain species, including koalas and kangaroos in Australia and many other countries.

In the past, wild animals were able to adapt to fires, which are a natural condition in the forests, but with the increase in burning areas, survival for the animals has become almost impossible.

 During the fires that broke out in 2009 in Australia called "Black Saturday Fires", the Bosom marsupials were able to survive by hiding in tree trunks, but the situation became extremely complex, as even the surviving animals suffered from a lack of nutrients and they are victims of the long-term effects.

 Kangaroos and koalas that characterize Australia are animals among the endangered animals. The Animal Foundation had warned that koalas were threatened with extinction before the fires, but it seems that the fears have become real after large numbers of them died in recent fires.

 The British Guardian newspaper published that the bush fires in Australia have led to the deaths of millions of animals, numbering half a billion animals, including those who are already threatened with extinction.

Bishtigo Fire

 It is the first fire recorded in history as the largest fire in the world, that it erupted in the year 1871 AD in the forests of the state of Wisconsin in the US and caused the loss of a large number of people, ranging between 1500 and 2500 people, and destroyed 17 villages.

 Amazon forest fire in Brazil

 The Amazon Forest fire that broke out in 2019 was traumatic; it destroyed seven million hectares of land.

 About 74,155 fires broke out in Brazil, more than half of that broke out in the rainforests, the dam impregnable to global warming. The Amazon rainforest had the largest share of the fires, with 39,194 fires, which prompted the Brazilian government to declare a state of emergency in August, and the fire sparked international concern about the fate of the most important forests in the world, which plays a major role in mitigating global warming.

 Since the seventies of the last century, forests have lost about 20% of their area due to fires, and because of these fires, the world loses a fifth of oxygen gas and a large proportion of carbon.

 Lebanon fires in 2019

 In October 2019, a series of fires broke out in the forests of Lebanon, reached to 100 fires, and spread over large areas, including residential areas.

 The main cause of the fires was the high temperature, which reached 38 Celsius, but the rains and the provision of aid and equipment from several countries, including Cyprus, Greece, and Jordan helped to extinguish the fires.

 Australian fires in 2020

 The country declared a state of emergency after the Australian fires that broke out in September 2019 lasted until the New Year 2020; these fires were considered one of the worst natural disasters in Australia. The main cause of the fire was the high temperature which reached up to 40 Celsius, and the strong winds spread it which made them more difficult to be extinguished, so the authorities evacuated the residents of several cities. Yet about 20 people lost their lives, including three volunteer firefighters, and more than 1,300 homes were destroyed in the state of New South Wales, in Victoria State, two people lost their lives and about 43 houses were destroyed.

 These fires are not the first in the country, in February 2009, the fires caused the loss of 180 people in the state of Victoria, and these fires were known as "Black Saturday Fires."

 Ways to protect forests

 People should take serious steps to protect the forests through individual protection, including not throwing cigarettes and making sure to extinguish the fires made for barbecues after hiking in the woods, and they should ensure the safety of electrical wires, "high voltage lines".

 Governments have a great role to play in adopting serious policies to protect forests from fires, especially industrial ones; otherwise, fires will be an imposed reality.