Fire – a natural
disturbance process – predates the arrival of humans on earth and remains a
Frequent visitor to
forests, woodlands, and grasslands. Although not an element in the modern,
chemical sense of the word, fire has been – and continues to be – an
elemental force determining species composition, forest structure, and ecosystem
trajectory. Since the time humans first learned to use fire, it has been a major
source of energy, which we embrace as warmth, light, and a means of exercising
dominion over land. Our hunter-gather ancestors used fire to obtain food by
isolating animals or by making other forest products, like desirable leaves,
seeds, nuts, roots, and insects, among others, more accessible. Now we use fire
in land preparation, forest management, and continue to use it in the harvest of
some of the same forest products our ancestors found desirable.
Changes in two
principal factors have produced impacts affecting the evolution of fire regimes:
These factors are climate and the increasing of population.
numbers in forests
and grasslands, either as extractors or exploiters, have lead to an overall
increase in fires,
and now we are the primary cause of fires, especially in the tropics and
subtropics .As our numbers increase, we place greater demands on forest
resources. People who are dependent upon forests or woodlands for fuel wood now
walk farther which requires more time and more human energy. People are less
nomadic than before which affects the intensity of land and forest utilization,
especially in cut-and-burn agriculture.
More people are
choosing to live in forested areas in the urban-wild land interface
or in remote areas, which affects the location, frequency, and potential
losses from wild land fires.
Not only are human
numbers increasing, but our expectations of benefits from forests are also
increasing. Some
want the economic benefits – jobs, timber, value-added wood products, and the
stability of rural communities that a thriving forestry sector offers. Others
want the amenities of living in a wooded environment – shade, quiet, clean
air, scenic beauty, and the recreation opportunities found there. Some of these
desires conflict with each other, e.g., smoke production during controlled
burning or wildfire directly conflicts with the desire to have clean, smoke-free
air .
Forest fires cause great damage especially in Marmara region of Turkey. In Istanbul, Forest Regional Directorates are exposed to the most destructive forest fires, (Çanakçıoğlu, H., Özkazanç, O. 1997) In Istanbul 947 forest fires occurred and 4969 ha forest area burnt between the years of 1993-12003.Urbanization greatly increases fire risk. Also the climate is suitable for forest fires. To eliminate the large fires, it is necessary to eliminate the forest fuels, and establish an organization for fire control.
There are five Forest management directorships are in Istanbul. These are Çatalca, Istanbul, Bahçeköy, Şile and Alemdağ (Kanlıca). These five directorships are meet under the main directors that is call as Istanbul Zone Forest Management Directorship. Duties of this Management are;