Forest fires are one of the major reasons for loss of forest ecosystems and human communities.
More than 3 million forest land is destroyed every year. In the longer term, they can adversely affect the supply of environmental services, threaten the survival of endangered species, the composition and structure of forests and the soil quality.
Forest fires can be caused due to natural or human activities but whatever might be the cause they need to be managed properly to minimise the damage to forest.
What are the issues?
Lack of early information in order to tackle the fire
Absense of proactive steps to prevent forest fires
Improper management of destroyed forest land
ABOUT
We came up with Faunus which provides an
end to end solution to all the
above mentioned problems.We propose an innovative solution by providing a
prediction,prevention and restoration of forest fires.
Below is our three-fold motto:
PREDICT
We take these parameters and our machine learning model
checks whether that area is susceptible to forest fires or not.
PREVENT
If an area is likely to have forest fire then we inform the user
about a list of measures that can be taken in order to avoid that disaster.
We have also got a simulator to visualize the spread of forest fires.
RESTORE
If a land is destroyed by wildfires then we take certain parameters from
the user and provide them with
valuable information to restore the land fertility.
PREDICT
We take the following parameters and our machine learning model checks whether that area is susceptible to forest fires or not.
Rainfall
Wind speed
Humidity
Temperature
More
Click here to Predict
Here you can set specific parameters and our Machine Learning models will
predict if that are is in danger of forest fire
PREVENT
Ways to prevent wildfires:
Grazing- It is one of the methods for reducing the risk of forest
fires, since it reduces the brush biomass, which serves as fuel for fires,
and consequently assists in preventing fires from starting and from spreading.Forest fires
start in low brush (leaves, twigs, grass), and their spreading to the treetops depends on
the contiguity of flammable substances between the forest floor and the treetops.
Sanitation- Continuous work done throughout the lifecycle of the forest,
which includes removal of dead/desiccated/sick trees from the forest,
whether they are upright or prone. Trees that cannot be removed due to
problematic conditions are sawed into stumps around 1m long, which are
left scattered in that section.
Thinning – Ideally, thinning should be done every seven to ten years.
This entails removing the less developed trees and the withering trees.
Thinning in conifer forests is done in accordance with the density charts
that define the number of trees left while taking the age of the
forest into consideration and the quality of the habitat.
Pruning –
Pruning includes the lower branches of a tree up to a third of its height,
2.5m from the ground at most. In recreation areas and along trails (where there is a
higher risk for fires), pruning might be done as high as 4m. This is in order to
remove the lower branches of the tree so that the treetop is separated from the ground.
Removing the Cuttings and the Tree Waste –
The cuttings and waste are
transported from the forest area to the side of the road, where they get
chopped up and then removed from the forest for various uses or, alternatively,
scattered on the ground. KKL JNF is careful about keeping a strip of forest
along the roads free of cuttings and tree waste, for at least 30m from the
roadside, and encourages the residents of nearby communities to use cuttings and
tree waste for heating and other uses.
Burning the Cuttings –
This is an interface operation of great importance for the management
of cuttings, and it is customary in various forested countries as a routine treatment.
After sanitation, thinning and pruning, the cuttings must be dealt with, and in places where
the forest is on a steep slope or far from the road, the cuttings are burned in a glade.
Water –
Water supply infrastructure for providing fire trucks and firefighters
with water in the event of a fire. Water is logistically the most important
resource for extinguishing a fire.
Watchtowers –
These watchtowers are intended for early detection of a forest
fire and directing firefighters to its location. The watchtowers are positioned
in a network so that any smoke rising above the forest will be visible from at
least two watchtowers, which allows for precisely locating the fire that has
been detected. The watchtowers are all at least 12m high.
Signposting –
Forest fire destination signs are mobile signs intended for a specific fire as
it is being extinguished that read: TO THE FIRE. In the event of a fire, these
signs are placed in the area by foresters in order to direct the firefighting
forces as they leave the main roads and follow routes leading directly to the
fire.
Click here to visualize
This simulator can help in predicting the behaviour of forest
fire which inturn can help in effective wildfire management
RESTORE
Channel Treatment
Channel treatments can used to modify sediment and water movement in stream channels, preventing flooding and debris torrents that threaten downstream communities and resources. These treatments often serve to slow water flow,
allowing sediment to settle out, and then release sediments gradually through decay.
Seeding
The hillslope stabilization treatment can be done by aerial seeding of annual grasses. This activity has shown limited effectiveness, but remains the only method available to treat
large areas in a short period of time and at a reasonably low cost per acre.
Mulching
Mulching is the most effective way to provide immediate ground cover to sensitive areas, but it also is relatively expensive and difficult to install. Also, a mixture of water, wood fiber mulch, seed and sometimes fertilizer known as hydromulch can be treated. This treatment provides
protective benefits during the first year, even if seeds don’t germinate.
Contour Log Felling
Burned logs onsite can be used to create a mechanical barrier to water flow that also traps sediment and promotes infiltration. Dead trees are felled, limbed, cut to manageable size and placed on a contour perpendicular to the direction of the slope. Long tubes of plastic netting filled with straw, known as straw wattles,
often are used in the same way as logs because they are easier and less hazardous to place.
Silt Fences
In areas where large-scale surface runoff with significant sedimentation is expected,
fences hung with specially designed fabric can be erected.
Tilling and Scarification
In areas where burn severity has created water repellent or hydrophobic soils,
breaking up the hardened soil layer to increase infiltration and improve conditions for reseeding. This scarification can be done by hand on steep slopes using hand-rakes known as McLeods, or it can be conducted mechanically
using all-terrain or other vehicles to drag a harrow across the ground.
Click here to see appropriate restoration solutions