By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

Authorities of the National System of Conservation Areas are asking the public not to make any kind of fire because of the increased risk due to the strong winds recorded during this month.

According to the National Meteorological Institute during the last two weeks, gusts from 50 km/h to 100 km/h have been recorded in some regions of the country.

"With the current conditions of strong winds, easily any fire will get out of control and thereby cause forest fires,” said Grettel Vega-Arce, director of the agency known as SINAC from its name in Spanish. "Also the high temperatures, low relative humidity and current conditions of dry vegetation are factors that will cause a simple wood fire to become a forest fire that can cause serious consequences to the environment and the community. "

According to data provided by the system, in the first two weeks of January, six forest fires have been reported: three in Puntarenas, one in Pérez Zeledón de San José and two in Santa Cruz in Guanacaste.

Since Jan. 15, officials of the agency announced the start of the permanent alert system for the 2020 forest fire season.

This plan will increase the operational actions of daily fire detection alert through the use of satellite images, activation of permanent watchtowers and land and aerial patrols, among other strategies, she said.

The agency has more than 950 people trained, including forest firefighters, its own employees, park rangers and volunteers, to carry out prevention work along with the country for the extinction of forest fires within the national parks.

According to the agency, the teams have 618 volunteers of which 165 are women. There are seven brigades with 64 forest firefighters and a team of more than 250 park rangers.

Specialists will visit the communities to inform the population about precautionary measures to avoid fires. A prevention campaign also will be developed in the media, the agency said.

According to specialists, since December of last year, the country's agriculturists began cleaning vegetation using controlled fires. This has caused during January three forest fires near some protected wild areas, said SINAC. Sugar cane growers routinely burn off the vegetation in their fields to make cutting the cane easier and to eliminate dangerous pests. Smoke from the burning each year usually generates complaints form expats.

According to the data provided by the organization, the months of March and April are the most critical for forest fires to occur due to the increase in dryness, the practices of cleaning land with controlled fires, high winds, high temperature and low humidity.

From a technical point of view, the country will have more critical seasons each year due to the effects of climate change, which is modifying the structure and conditions of the plants making it easier burn, and in addition, there is a large accumulation of biomass, said SINAC in its statement.

Officials remind the population that only with the authorization of the Ministry of Agriculture, controlled fires can be an instrument for cleaning properties of unwanted vegetation.

"It is forbidden to burn in empty lots, or make fires in protected wild areas," said SINAC in its statement.



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