engleski

Fires in Dalmatia and Reforesting of Burned Areas

Every year the Republic of Croatia, especially its south part of Dalmatia, faces forest fire risks. Weather exceptionally conditions fires, so the main period of fire occurrences is between June and October, characteristic by long lasting dry and warm weather with temperatures over 30º C. Researches carried out by the authors in 1997 and 2008 have pointed at the fact that human impact is the main cause of ignition. Apart from the so called unintentional reasons (burning of dry vegetation, clearing of fields, barbecues), deliberate conflagrations have become more recurrent aimed at shifting the purpose of land. Mass tourism, building of hotels, apartments and weekend houses have resulted in outstanding seeking for free land. Abandoned and overgrown agricultural land, neglected olive and vine yards overrun with maquis are ideal places to become a new building-plot. The Paper reads an overview of total number of fires in the period from 1998 until 2008, principally emphasizing forests and woodlands fires in Croatian Dalmatia. Data on the situation in Dalmatia refer to the situation in the areas of responsibility of four Dalmatian Police Administrations (PA Split-Dalmatia, PA Dubrovnik-Neretva, PA Sibenik-Knin and PA Zadar). Analysis has been grounded on official data of Croatian Ministry of Interior and the report of National councilor for managing and controlling (preventing) forest fires. The authors have analyzed the frequency of fires in Dalmatia in the period of ten years (1998-2008) comparing it with the previous period, 1989-1996. The results that the authors have obtained reveal how fires most commonly (2/3) break out during warm part of a day, from 09:00 until 18:00 hrs and warm period of year. Mainly exposed are the forests of Aleppo pines and maquis being most thermal forests, whilst on the south of country the forests of Holm oak (Quercus ilex) and Oak robur (Quercus robur) are at highest risk. Reforesting of burned areas is very slow and has been far behind the reforesting in continental part of the country.

fires, Croatia, Dalmatia, reforesting

nije evidentirano