Incidences of Forest Fires in Himachal Pradesh

The Forests of Himachal Pradesh known for their grandeur and majesty are like a green pearl in the Himalayan crown.

This life supporting systems are presently under great stress due to impact of modern civilization, economic development and growth in human and cattle population. The forests of Himachal Pradesh are rich in vascular flora, which forms the conspicuous vegetation cover. Out of total 45,000 species of plants found in the country as many as 3,295 species (7.32%) are reported in the State. More than 95% of species are endemic to Himachal and characteristic of Western Himalayan flora, while about 5% (150 species) are exotic introduced over the last 150 years. Over the years the forest wealth of the State is being destroyed by the incidences of fire attributed to both anthropogenic and other reasons. The destruction of rich flora and fauna of the State due to forest fires will have serious repercussions on the ecological balance of the State. The rich forest wealth of the State has been subjected to the numerous fire incidences.  A list of the same has been tabulated below:-

• Forest Fire Hazard Risk Assessment Report