Forest fires are on the rise in the country that is now under a severe dry spell. There have been over 40 forest fires in the first 77 days of the year. Said to be the worst drought in 50 years, the forests are also suffering from an attack by plagues of beetles.
According to Gerónimo Abreu, head of the National Forest Fire Office at the Ministry of the Environment, the number of fires is higher than over the same period last year with the national parks being where the most fires have occurred.
In March alone, so far there have been more than 20 fires in the José Armando Bermúdez National Park, between Santiago Rodríguez and San José de las Matas, in Santiago province. Only last week there were six fires simultaneously in San José de las Matas, affecting around 16 hectares. Other areas affected by fires have been in Bahoruco and Los Haitises and the last forest fire was on Sunday 17 March in Guaigüí, La Vega.
The forest fire office works with two teams, one for actually fighting fires with 22 brigades across the country and the other with 300 brigades working to prevent fires and with reforestation.
Abreu said that usually the fires are caused deliberately by those who wish to plant crops or raise cattle. This year only four fires were caused by falling electric cables and the rest have all been caused by man.
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Diario Libre
20 March 2019