A third more forest burned down in Russia than a year earlier – Kommersant

The head of Rosleskhoz, Ivan Sovetnikov, said that this year the area of ​​forest fires reached 4.3 million hectares, which is about a third more than in 2022 (when 3.3 million hectares burned down). Most of the fire was recorded in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Khabarovsk Territory, Magadan Region, Amur and Sverdlovsk Regions – they accounted for about 80% of the total area of ​​forest fires. For example, 1.5 million hectares of forest burned in Yakutia, and 0.9 million hectares in the Khabarovsk Territory. Mr. Sovetnikov made it clear that in 2023, the fire passed 1.8 times less than the average. Thus, according to Rosleskhoz, the average area covered by fire in Russian forests over five years reached 7.8 million hectares.

In June 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on fighting forest fires, instructing the government and governors to reduce their area by at least 50% by 2030 compared to 2021 (then the fire in Russia covered 10.1 million hectares – an area larger than Hungary). Recall that in August 2022, due to the heat and lack of rain, a fire hazard situation developed in the Central Federal District. Then the smoke from forest fires reached Moscow, and residents began to complain about the smell of burning, ash and smog. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin even created a government commission that coordinated the extinguishing of forest fires in Russia. According to the decree of the government of the Russian Federation, in 2023, the fire in the forests should not cover more than 5.5 million hectares.

Rosleskhoz also stressed that since the beginning of this year, the so-called control zones have been reduced by 94.5 million hectares, where earlier fires were not allowed to be extinguished “because of economic inexpediency.” Most of these areas are located in remote and hard-to-reach areas of the forest. And Mr. Sovetnikov was glad that in 2023 the target of 5.5 million hectares was not achieved, promising: “This year, the area (fires.— “b”) if it increases, it is already insignificant. However, the official recalled that in recent years, the fire season in Russia lasts the whole year, so his department expects fires in the forests of the southern regions in September-October and “until December.”

Ivan Tyazhlov