Ecobreves – CUBA: Danger: Fire

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

HAVANA, Feb 23 2009 (IPS) - The three hurricanes that thrashed Cuba in 2008 have increased the threat of forest fires during the current dry season, which lasts until early May, experts told Tierramérica. “This is a very dangerous period, because the lack of rainfall and the low humidity facilitate rapid combustion. If to that we add the amount of dried biomass on the forest floors resulting from the hurricanes, the threat is even greater,” biologist José Antonio Santos told Tierramérica.

Official sources reported this week that in 2008 there were 206 fires that destroyed 2,547 hectares in forested areas. Specialists from the forest ranger corps predicted that fires could be worse this year and called for extreme caution.