Round-The-Clock Watch For Fires In Forests

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28802, 24 January 1959, Page 14

Round-The-Clock Watch For Fires In Forests

* £ i K ■- Si W • - (New Zealand Frees Association j

WELLINGTON, January 23. Night , and day throughout New Zealand; this summer fire watchers-of the New Zealand Forest Service are keeping an unceasing vigil over 14 million acres of exotic and indigenous forests, Crown lands and national parks. Forest look-outs equipped with radio and telephone are manned by an army of watchers backed up by mobile patrols and aircraft. They are assisted in their fire-spotting tasks by scores of farmers in isolated rural areas and forestry workers. In the case of manned observation posts, whisps of < smoke are reported to forest headquarters in seconds and help is on the way without delay.

So far this summer there have been no major blazes, and. the only fire of consequence was one on a private plantation in Hawke’s Bay. A Forest Service spokesman said today that, generally, conditions for this time of the year were not severe. Heavy rain over most of the country during the Christmas period reduced the danger of big outbreaks, but he added that there had also been a good response from the public. The spokesman emphasised that although the national fire hazard was not extremely high at pres- • ent, local conctitions could vary suddenly to produce a dangerous risk of fire. New Zealand’s forests are < divided into seven conservancy areas—Auckland, Rotorua, Wellington, Nelson, Westland, Canterbury, and Southland. About 75 per cent, of the forests in these areas have manned look-outs. From Kaikohe to Invercargill 63 weather stations back up the work of the fire watchers. These stations are usually, located near the look-out towers,or at headquarters in the various forests.

Twice a. day—at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.—weather forecasts giving wind strength, rainfall* temperature, humidity, and moisture content are sent to the Forest Service in Wellington. In the case of fires, or in times of abnormally high ifire hazard, these reports are stepped up to sometimes reach a maximum of one every half-hour. The look-outs report in from three to five times a day. Aircraft Spotting The Forest Service has made arrangements with many aero clubs to use club aircraft for spotting in emergencies; and the service employs one aircraft in the Rotorua conservancy for full-time spotting duties. Another aircraft is usually standing by and can take off within minutes. The Rotorua conservancy contains New Zealand’s largest stands of exotic forest, and the aircraft is invaluable for the pan it plays in sweeping thousands of acres of State forests in the area. Officially, the summer fire season extends from October 1 to the end of April, but this year the service was on guard much earlier when the risk of fire was severe during spring droughts in several South Island regions.