Hurricane Ivan's passage through Cuba's Guanahacabibes Peninsula in September left a danger of forest fire, which would be disastrous for the strategic biosphere reserve located there. Experts warned that a mere spark could be enough to set fire to the great number of trees, branches and leaves that accumulated on the ground as a result of the hurricane's winds on the peninsula, located some 200 km west of Havana.

The forest service corps from the area drew up a program for prevention and surveillance, which includes air patrols and ground clean-up.

Forest service staff will also receive training to fight forest fires, which are normally very rare in the region.

They should be ready by Feb. 1, when the high-risk period begins, says Jesús Cabrera, a forest protection expert.