The fight against forest fires requires an incredible cost of funds and resources. To reduce the risk of their occurrence, preventive measures are being developed. Some are aimed at preventing fires, while others are aimed at fighting fire and not spreading it to vast territories. A properly arranged mineralized strip plays an important role in this.
Appointment
Mineralized strip is an artificially created fire barrier. It is created by cleaning up a linear section of the territory bordering the forest from combustible materials. As a rule, this is done in a mechanized way: the tractor plows the soil to a certain width.
The mineral layer of the soil is exposed, and sod, grass, needles, leaves and other materials that can burn, in the process, are sprinkled with earth. In case of focal fires, such a plowed strip prevents the spread of a lower fire to other parts of the forest.
Another purpose of the mineralized strip is the creation of a reference line, from which an adjustable counter pallet (annealing) of the forest will be made. A streak of fire going towards the main fire destroys all combustible materials on its way. Having met, the flame dies away, since there is nothing more to burn.
In this case, the mineralized strip is arranged along the line of the propagating fire at some distance from it. It sets fire to the approaching elements. The process should be constantly monitored by firefighters so that the fire does not transfer to a site behind the demarcation line.
Requirements
As an independent barrier, a mineralized strip is not just a condition for the organization of recreational areas where open fires are allowed. Such a barrier is mandatory for any work in the immediate vicinity of the forest.
It is equipped on cutting sites in the storage areas of fuels and lubricants, in the area of cutting and felling of trees and their storage. Territories with young plantations are also fenced with such stripes. Barriers are also being built along roads, along the border with farmland, around housing and production facilities.
The width of the mineralized strip can be different, and it depends on the destination and the terrain. To equip a line of controlled annealing, it can be 0.3-0.5 m. For the prevention of fire, it is recommended to arrange strips of at least 1.4 m. It is better if such a line is even wider (2.5-4 m), since The protective effectiveness of the barrier depends on this.
In conditions of the spreading fire in the forest, the decision on the width of the arrangement of the barrier is made locally and depends on many factors. In a territory with shrub plantations, it will be enough to withstand a gap of 1.5–2 m, while in the forest stand a width of up to 4 m will be required. If there is a high risk of a top-fire spread, then mineralization of the soil with a strong wind will not be enough.
Arrangement
Mineralized fire strips are created by tillage tools. In most cases, this happens in a mechanized way using tractors, bulldozers, special equipment for laying lanes. Combination plows most commonly used are forest fire plows (PKL-70 and PLK-2.0). In one pass, such a tractor hitch provides an opening of the soil layer to a width of 1.4 to 2 meters. In some cases, it is possible to manually clear the soil, use explosives, and treat with herbicides to destroy vegetation in the steppe zone.
Mineralized strip involves the complete cleaning of the territory from combustible materials. Therefore, in addition to plowing, cutting down of trees and shrubs on the way of its laying may be necessary. In addition to arranging new lines, 1-2 times a year, it is necessary to care for them, update and restore them, since the accumulation of a layer of combustible materials (needles, foliage, branches, grass) occurs constantly.
To control the quality of the strip, a visual assessment is made of the degree of mineralization (openness of the soil layer). Also check the completeness of the soil filling of combustible forest materials to the required width. In the complex of measures, the degree of coverage by the network of mineralized strips of the entire forest area is estimated. Industry standards, in addition to the width of the protective lines, determine the standards for the area of the areas of restriction by such barriers and the distance between adjacent bands.
Features
The mineralized strip on the slopes is arranged with a groove in the middle so that burning materials rolling from a height can be delayed in it. Branches near the dry land near the demarcation line, if time permits, are cut. The tractor can only be used with a protected cab. Make sure that it is in good technical condition. It is better if the equipment will work in tandem. Time should be calculated in order to have time to finish the strip before the approach of the fire front and to have time to produce counter annealing.
The route is laid in accordance with the topography of the area. The direction is chosen in a straight line, avoiding sharp corners and gaps. If possible, natural barriers (roads, routes, rivers and lakes) should be used. When arranging the lane during a fire, safety precautions should be followed and work should be carried out at an acceptable distance from the fire line.