Forest Fire Risk At Danger Level

Press, Volume C, Issue 29669, 13 November 1961, Page 12

Forest Fire Risk At Danger Level

The Forest Service’s plantations in Canterbury have never been drier than they are now, and standby firefighting crews have been doubled. Mr C. O. Bridgeman the chief ranger in Canterbury, said yesterday that he was most concerned about the Eyrewell forest, which had not had an appreciable amount of rain for 68 days. The 17,378-acre Eyrewell forest, one of the three biggest State exotic forests in the South Island, had a fire hazard rating of eight—three points above the danger level of five, and only two below the maximum of 10. “Appreciable rain” in the Forest Service’s language is a quarter-inch fall, enough to dampen the undergrowth and reduce the fire hazard. The dangerous situation at the 16,414-acre Balmoral forest, which had not had rain for 43 days, was relieved by such a shower 12 days ago, and the hazard rating there yesterday was six. Mr Bridgeman said the position at Balmoral was still serious. Balmoral and Eyreweil forests were both on the flat and much drier than the' smaller Hanmer and Ashley forests which were hill plantations not so exposed to north-west winds. A fire threatening the indigenous forest on Mount Fyffe, ribar .Kaikoura, had broken out again on Saturday, after being tackled by a crew from Balmoral last Thursday. Mount Fyffe is the catchment area for the Kaikdura water \ supply, and the fire threatened the ground cover there. Mr Bridgeman said that the

fire was now under control. ‘"The fire-danger situation in our forests is as bad as ever,” he said. “It is not so bad out in the open where there is still some green cover, but the forests themselves have never been drier.” Mr Bridgeman said the situation had not yet reached the stage where extra men would have to be brought in to cope with the position from other conservancies. He urged the greatest possible caution with matches and cigarettes, and reminded the publie that it is an offence to light a fire within a mile of a State forest. Burning-off on farms was extremely dangerous now, and any farmer intending to bum must obtain a permit. Mr E. A. Cooney, superintendent of the Selwyn Plantation Board, said yesterday that the forest floor in the plantation was as dry as he had ever known it at this time of the year. Usually it was not as dry as this until February. No rain had fallen in the board’s areas this month, and only 21 points of rain were recorded at Barfield in October. Mr Cooney said evaporation, measured on an evaporimeter, was 2jin for the first 12 days of November. Restrictions on daylight burning would be imposed this week. . -