April, indications on the danger of forest fires

 HAVANA, Cuba, Apr 7 (ACN) The Cuban Forest Ranger Corps (CGC by its Spanish acronym) transmitted precise indications for April due to the fact that, historically, it has reported, like March, the highest occurrence of forest fires (111) on average in the last 10 years and of them (3) classified in the categories of large and very large.

The provinces that contribute most to this behavior are: Pinar del Rio, Artemisa, Matanzas, Camagüey and Holguin, in addition to the fact that in that period the meteorological variables favor their propagation, associated mainly with strong winds of southern component, high temperatures and the influence of the Atlantic Anticyclone.

A special report from the institution, from the Ministry of the Interior, and provided to the Cuban News Agency, points out that in April the time when forest fires are detected the most is between 1000 and 1700 hours, when 71% of the occurrence is grouped.

For these reasons, it recommends coordinating with the meteorological provincial centers to systematically exchange information, assess the evolution of the drought, and adopt appropriate measures to minimize the outbreak and spread of forest fires in the most affected areas.

The institution added that in each of them, it is vital to ensure the operational assurance with the ministerial bodies and the corresponding actions with the organizations and agencies that participate in the national protection campaign as established in Resolution 59 of the Minister of the Interior.

It stressed the need to organize control actions to detect motor vehicles and agricultural machinery without a spark arrester in forest, agricultural and sugar cane plantation areas.

In addition, to maintain as a priority the use of communication media at the territorial level, television, written press and radio for the prevention of forest fires, emphasizing the actions to be developed with the cooperative productive forms of agricultural production and credit and services, basic units of cooperative production and land usufructuaries.

Also, direct the work to those popular councils with high incidence in the behavior of the causes that originate the occurrence of these accidents.

The remaining suggestions of the CGC advocate increasing control actions on charcoal producers, with the clarification of their activities and the danger that their activity represents for the forests, for being a way for the emergence of them.

Control the management plans of the Protected Areas of National Significance, with regard to the Protection Plan and the responsibilities of the administrations with its fulfillment.

The last one consists of paying attention to the forecasts issued by the provincial meteorological centers on lightning storms in order to reduce the affected areas.