INTRODUCTION OF NEW PREVENTIVE MEASURES FOR THE LIMITING OF WILDFIRES

Abstract

The yearly number of wildfires in the western Slovenia places this part of the country among high-risk fire areas, particularly affected by fires in late winter (February, March) and summer months (July, August). Statistics for the last ten years (http://spin.sos112.si, June 2014) show that the size of burnt areas has not declined. Increase in average annual temperatures and overgrowing of the most fire-prone areas in Slovenia contribute to the creation and spread of wildfires. Such forecasts call for additional preventive measures to effectively prevent fires and limit their consequences. One possible additional preventive measure is prescribed burning which, in certain circumstances and in selected areas, may reduce or eliminate combustible materials and thus prevent fires or limit their intensity. After the controlled application of fire, an area is rapidly overgrown with humid vegetation of poor combustibility. Prescribed burning is appropriate for critical points or areas where fires occur frequently, for example, along the railway lines or other identified strategic points.