PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
In 2008, the total forest area in Poland was 9 048 million ha, equivalent to 28.9% of the country’s area. Forests in Poland are mainly publicly owned (82.2%). Unfortunately, Poland's forests are particularly vulnerable to fire. One explanation is the high proportion of coniferous forest habitats, which account for 51% of the area under control of the beneficiary, and the dominance (around 60%) of Scots pine in the species composition of stands. The age of tree stands is also of significance, since those below 40 years of age burn most easily and this accounts for around 29% of the State Forests area. In 2007, there were 2 818 fires within the State Forests, covering some 550 ha. The most frequent causes of these fires were arson (46%) and a lack of care (24%).
OBJECTIVES
The FORESTFIRE project aimed to reduce the risk of forest fires caused by human activity, by raising awareness of forest fire prevention among rural residents and people using forests for recreational purposes. This aim was to be achieved through the implementation of a regional media campaign, the production and distribution of information addressed at specific target subgroups, and the preparation and running of forest fire prevention training courses.
RESULTS
The FORESTFIRE project achieved its expected objectives, with more than a third of responders from the voivodeships (provinces) where the project was implemented saying in a survey that they had learned about the project and its objectives. The project increased the knowledge and awareness of both the general public and rural residents concerning the threats linked to forest fires and the ways to prevent such fires. Forest fires set on purpose by humans decreased by 41% in the four voivodeships where the project was implemented (Warmińsko-Mazurskie, Podlaskie, Kujawsko-Pomorskie and Mazowieckie). The incidence of such fires fell by an average of 577 cases between 2005 and 2009, to a low of 343 cases in 2012.
Dyrekcja Generalna Lasów Państwowych prepared five 30-second radio spots, covering rational behaviour in the forest; risky behaviour related to forest fires; intentional arson; burning of grasslands; and raising the alarm. These were broadcast by regional radio stations in the four voivodeships, 1 600 times during prime time and 1 600 times in off-peak morning and evening slots. Five 30-second TV spots on the same themes were also prepared, to address different age groups. These were broadcast by regional TV stations, 300 times during prime time and 600 times at other periods of the day.
The project beneficiary produced a 56-minute documentary film called ‘Deadly fire’ and two 26-minute films: the first on the effects of grass burning entitled ‘Dangerous blaze’ and the second on the rules for safe recreation in forest areas titled ‘Enjoy the forest safely’. On YouTube, by the end of the project, ‘Dangerous blaze’ and ‘Enjoy the forest safely’ were seen 960 and 620 times, respectively; while on the Internet TV channel AlfaTV they were seen 3 109 and 2 588 times, respectively. The three films were also broadcast on two well-known Polish satellite TV channels: Polonia and TVR Television. Five sponsored articles concerning threats relating to forest fires and fire prevention rules were published in two regional daily papers. The beneficiary also prepared three whole-page advertisements with similar information, which were also published in these regional newspapers.
The beneficiary produced 800 copies of educational material for teachers, 300 copies of educational material for members of Voluntary Fire Brigades and 500 copies for priests to disseminate. Within the LIFE project, eight training workshops were organised for a total of 400 teachers working in primary and secondary schools and eight training workshops were organised for 300 members of Voluntary Fire Brigades. The level of teachers’ knowledge about forest fire prevention increased in a significant way due to the LIFE project. This is important to the ongoing success of the project, as the teachers will be able to inform new student groups in schools about fire prevention for years to come. In addition, the beneficiary produced and distributed numerous small promotional items (e.g. hats, t-shirts, calendars, pens, pencils, bookmarks and bags) and 50 000 DVDs with information materials and the films produced in the framework of the project. These were distributed among local communities and students of primary and secondary schools. All the materials produced during the project are freely available in Polish on the FORESTFIRE website (ogienwlesie.lasy.gov.pl). It is expected that these materials will be used by other units of the beneficiary (in other voivodeships not covered by the project). Prevention of forest fires reduces economic losses to forestry in terms of wood production, increases the safety of people in the forest (e.g. tourists and forestry workers), reduces threats to fire fighters, protects forest biodiversity, and also reduces carbon dioxide emissions. Forest fires are an important source of greenhouse gas emissions and it is estimated that one fire incident results in the emission of approximately 80-94 Mg CO2 per ha of burnt forest. Therefore, it was calculated that the project helped save around 20 000 Mg of CO2 emissions in 2012 due to a lower incidence of forest fires.
Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Communication Plan (included in the Final report) (see "Read more" section).
