Fires in Iran's Forests

As reports emerge about the destruction of over 70 hectares of forests in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province due to fires, the police announced that 25 hectares of natural pastures in Kuhdasht County of Lorestan province also 'burned in the fire.' The report from Iran's police news agency on Thursday, June 21, cites Lorestan police stating that 25 hectares of forest and natural pastures and 23 hectares of four farmers' fields in the 'Siah Chal' area of Kuhdasht were burned. Lorestan police declared the cause of this fire as 'unknown' and did not mention its date. Meanwhile, Saeed Nazari, head of natural resources in Boyer-Ahmad County, announced that 20 hectares of forests in the 'Kheklan' area, 5 kilometers from Yasuj, the capital of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, were 'destroyed' due to a fire on the evening of Wednesday, June 20. Previously, the commander of the natural resources protection unit in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province reported that in a fire on Tuesday, June 19, in the village of 'Rah Mali' in Boyer-Ahmad County, over 50 hectares of oak forest and 'Pivar' plant 'burned and were destroyed,' leading to a total of 70 hectares of forests in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province being burned within a few days. However, this is not the only statistic related to forest fires in Iran. According to reports, eight fire incidents also occurred in natural and environmental areas of Ilam province last Thursday and Friday. According to Khairollah Azarkardar, director-general of natural resources and watershed management in Ilam province, 'about 120 hectares of the province's forests were consumed by these fires, with 10 to 15 percent of the trees in 40 hectares being damaged, while the remaining trees were dry.' These statements come as the head of Iran's Environmental Organization and some officials from Ilam province had reported just days earlier that about 100 hectares of forests in this province had burned in these fires. Additionally, fires in the northern provinces of Iran should also be added to this list, as the director-general of the environment in Mazandaran province reported that about 20 hectares of forests in this province burned in a fire last week. In past years, the northern provinces of Iran have repeatedly experienced forest fires, and according to reports, over 500 hectares of Golestan National Park burned in fires over the past two years. Massoumeh Ebtekar, head of Iran's Environmental Protection Organization, announced on Tuesday the formation of a national headquarters to combat forest fires, stating that the coordination of this headquarters would be under the National Crisis Management Headquarters.