Fire in Pish Poro, report: 365 hectares of pine trees burned, 1.2 million dollars in damage

The fire of September of this year in the protected natural area of ??Pishë Poro, in Fier, has completely burned a forest area with pines of 365, 78 hectares which can no longer be generated in natural ways.

The National Agency of Protected Areas in response to a request for information from the Voice of America said that the value of the estimated damage, according to legal acts, is 1.2 million dollars. According to the Agency, the fire that started on September 23 and continued for several days covered a total area of ??818.5 hectares.

The data on the damage caused by the massive fire were collected in the field by a group of representatives, not only of the institutions, but also of the Faculty of Forestry Sciences and civil society organizations. A report drawn up by them gives more data on completely burned forest areas that cannot be regenerated and need to be cut, and areas where forest plot clearances need to be carried out.

The consequences of the burning of large forest massifs in the protected natural area "Pishë Poro-Nartë", according to specialists, are expected to be great in terms of erosion and sea penetration into the land.

The belt of softwood pines, planted about seventy years ago, served as protection, and fire damage from time to time is degrading this protective measure in much of this coastal area. The drone footage of these days on the coast of Seman speaks of the large forest areas that have completely burned and no longer have a protective role, as well as the sea waters that penetrate deep into the earth.

The fire in September of this year had the biggest consequences in recent years, and for 10 days the authorities were unable to bring it under control due to strong winds and the inability to penetrate the interior of the fires.

The Ministry of Defense in response to a request for information told VOA that 910 operational forces and 106 vehicles were engaged in the operation and in support of them on the ground, 2 CANADAIR aircraft operated from the air, provided by the Greek state as part of the activation of the European Civil Protection Mechanism carrying out 24 water drops from the air.

Environmental specialists estimate that Albania should improve the capacities for fire management since the municipalities have few tools, most of them outdated, while this year the Albanian civil emergencies did not have any effective means for interventions from the air to extinguish fires./ VOA