Burst
Written by: Chen Leilei
2020-04-30 07:00
Last update date: 2020-04-30 07:00A mountain fire broke out in the Tai Lam Country Park in the middle of this month. The blaze burned for more than 40 hours and burned tens of thousands of forests. According to Zheng Ruhui, director of the environmental cooperation group Lvxi Earth Collaboration, the tree planting area of the Huangnidun Reservoir was affected by a secondary fire. Less than 10% of the trees survived on the scorched soil of the hill. "A green plantation area will take more than ten years. Volunteers went up the mountain to inspect more than ten times before they were established. " She said that it takes time for trees to recover from natural succession, and it can re-grow at least 20 years, but the main premise is that there is no wildfire during the period, otherwise everything will start again. Therefore, she believes that it is necessary to adjust the fire prevention strategy to prevent unburning. "If you do not carry out fire prevention work, natural succession cannot survive 20 years."
According to information from the Fisheries and Protection Department, a total of 229 mountain fires have occurred in country parks and special areas in the past 10 years. About 100,000 trees have been damaged and the affected area is equivalent to 150 Victoria Parks.
[Mountain fire burning the forest] A mountain fire broke out in the Dalan Country Park, and the tree planting area of the Huangnidun Reservoir also became scorched earth. Zheng Ruhui rushed to the scene the next day. Seeing that many years of hard work had turned to ashes, only less than 10% of the trees were left. She was very sorry. (Photo by Huang Weimin)
Mountain fires have been frequent in recent months. The fire at Ma'anshan Luchao Mountain in mid-February has destroyed large forests. At the beginning of this month, Dalan Country Park burned for more than 40 hours. Tens of thousands of trees were burned, including a large number of trees in the tree planting area. After the wildfire in the Tai Lam Country Park was extinguished, Lu Ruzheng ’s Director of Earth Collaboration, Zheng Ruhui, could n’t wait to go to the tree planting area of the Huangnidun Reservoir the next day. 10% of the trees survive. She heartily pointed out that the afforestation process is not simple. It takes a lot of manpower and material resources from inspection, afforestation and post-exploration survey. It takes at least half a year. The climate in Hong Kong is humid and rainy, and it is generally difficult to have natural fires. Some of the mountain fires were artificial, and she sighed: "It takes more than ten years for a green plantation area to be established by volunteers who visited the mountain more than ten times."
Trees maintain ecological diversity, prevent wildfires from spreading, and prevent soil erosion
Zheng Ruhui said that the trees themselves are also habitats for various creatures, which can maintain the ecological diversity. After the wildfires, the animals lost their homes and fled everywhere, and the birds have the opportunity to escape to the places near the dwellings, but they are looking for them in the future. Food, etc., cause certain difficulty and danger. Taking the Ma'anshan fire as an example, she fled to nearby houses due to the loss of her homeland, including birds such as woodpeckers.
The densely wooded hills are not only beautiful, but also practical, because trees can prevent soil erosion. In the 1960s, there was a serious collapse of the Huangnidun Reservoir. At that time, the mountain was still a poor land. Sand and stone rushed down the mountain, blocking the drainage channel and causing flooding in the Yuen Long Plain. Zheng Ruhui recalled that when he first arrived in the tree planting area in 2005, the soil on the hillside was loose and soil erosion was very serious. After planting the tree, the roots of the tree can grow up and hold the soil tight, preventing the soil erosion from intensifying and at the same time preserving nutrients in the soil. She also referred to the trees themselves as "fire belts". When a mountain fire occurs, the fire trees can effectively prevent the spread of the mountain fire.
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It takes time for the restoration of the natural succession of trees
In the past, some experts pointed out that it takes at least 20 years to regenerate the forest. Planting trees for mountain fire sites is often accelerated in a semi-manual way, but the fire protection strategy should also be considered while replanting trees. "If there is another mountain fire, everything will be reset to zero again." She pointed out that the tree planting area of Huangnidun Reservoir is a living lesson. "If you don't carry out fire prevention work, natural succession cannot survive 20 years."
Under the epidemic, Hong Kong has set off a mountain fever, but the risk of mountain fires is also rising. Zheng Ruhui believes that to avoid the occurrence of mountain fires, in addition to publicizing and educating the public on the "markless mountain forest", we must also divide each incident. Adjust the fire prevention strategy. She reminded mountaineers to take away garbage, avoid smoking in the suburbs, do not illegally start fires and handle fires carefully. For some people who deliberately went to the forest to be destroyed by wildfires recently, she reminded that the trees will become fragile after the wildfires and there is a risk of collapse at any time. If not necessary, they should avoid going.
From 2010 to March 2020, the number of wildfires, affected areas and burned trees in country parks and special areas. (Data provided by AFCD)
[Burning forests in a mountain fire] A fire broke out in the Tai Lam Country Park in Yuen Long in the middle of this month, burning a large number of trees. (Profile picture / Photo by Yu Ruiqian)
Suspected outings or grave sweepers leaving fire to make wildfires
A spokesman for the Fire Services Department said that the land area affected by the mountain fire in the Tai Lam Country Park on the 17th of this month was about 200 hectares. The cause of the fire is believed to have been caused by grave sweepers or outings leaving fire near the hillside of Huangnidun Reservoir. According to the Fire Services Department, a total of 26 firefighting vehicles were dispatched to different locations during the operation, including Huangnidun Reservoir, Landi Quarry and the hillside near Yangjia Village in Tai Tong, Yuen Long. 107 firefighters were dispatched to shoot and The back pump carried out the rescue, and the flight service team was also required to assist the rescue in response to the situation.
Over 100,000 trees were burned in the past 10 years. The affected area is equal to 150 Victoria Parks
In response to an enquiry from "Hong Kong 01", the AFCD stated that it will plant saplings in designated areas affected by mountain fires within the Tai Lam Country Park during this year's tree planting season to expedite the restoration of vegetation there.
In addition, according to information from the Fisheries and Conservation Department, from 2010 to March this year, a total of 229 mountain fires occurred in country parks and special areas, and a total of 94,125 trees were burned. The total affected area is about 2838 hectares, which is equivalent to 150 Victoria. garden. In addition, the AFCD has prosecuted a total of 108 prosecutions for illegally firing or using fires in country parks and special areas.
Mountain fire
