Friday, February 21, 2014

Fire line

Fire line is a tricky business in forest now. People have lost the idea of using Fire Line as a tool in Wildlife management.I still remember when all the forest staff in Kanha was asked to sit on ground in front of Kisli Rest House and Mr H S Panwar taught them the A B C D of Wildlife. Fire Line was one of the topic in that. Due to my profession, many times I had access in this kind of meetings. Nagpure, Tripathi, Choubey, Tiwari and Gulab Singh were few people who were Forester at that time and key figure in the field. In fact in those days (1978-84) I was posted in Kisli and I know for sure that in Kisli Sh B.R.Nagpure, Sh Budhailal Gope and Late Sh Ramsingh Khushram aka Kakka were the key persons in field. By mid October fire lines were cut and burnt. Fire lines were wide and long. Even on road side they were 8-10 feet wide.
Similar practice were adopted in Bandhavgarh too but only during those days when staff from Kanha was transferred here. Mr Hasan and Mr R.C Sharma as Director, Mr Ashutosh Dubey as Ranger  did lots of work here but that's an old story. 
Fire line produces new shoot for herbivores and when one meadow was burnt in previous year then next year it was divided by long and wide fire lines. Fire lines becomes a favorite spot for herbivores. Few years back when Chakradhara and Rajbehra meadow were divided by wide and long Fire lines herbivore and carnivore both enjoyed them.
Now we are seeing these fire lines being cut and burnt in the park.
It is an activity for the name sake that needs to be fulfilled. 

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