Forestry – what are the risks and how can you reduce them?

Highly combustible materials, such as wood, sawdust and dry vegetation are commonplace in the forestry industry. However, these materials create a wide range of fire risks, so it’s crucial to have the right fire protection measures in place to reduce risk and protect valuable assets, teams and the surrounding environment.

As fires within the industry become all the more common, the importance of fire safety continues to heighten.

So, what are the key risks for the forestry industry and how can business control them effectively?

The key fire risks

• Harsh environment

As the forestry industry is largely based outdoors, it is often subject to harsh weather conditions. Strong winds and high temperatures increase the risk of fire, and are often a detrimental combination for the ignition and spread of fire across woodlands.

• Vehicles

The industry heavily relies on vehicles and machinery to support its operations. These vehicles and machinery often store and carry large amounts of flammable oils and fuels, which have the potential to ignite any surrounding combustible materials if not monitored closely.

• Build-up of debris in machinery

The nature of forestry and its operations often creates a large amount of dust and other debris. This debris can be highly flammable and can create clogging in machinery, which can result in overheating.

• Highly combustible materials

The fundamental materials used in the forestry industry are highly flammable. Forests are also often surrounded by dry crops, chaff and straw, all of which contribute to increased fire risk.

How can you reduce the risks?

1. Create a forest management plan

The Forestry Commission explains how to create a forest management plan to reduce fire risk. This plan should include details of the objectives you are hoping to achieve, the key risks within the facility, fuel sources and details of those who may be at risk if a fire were to break out.

A forest management plan can allow you identify all potential risks and implement the appropriate measures to mitigate them.

2. Regular maintenance of equipment

Issues can be identified and resolved quickly with regular maintenance procedures. If left unnoticed, certain issues can cause overheating, which could act as an ignition source for fire.

In addition, as forestry operations often create a build-up of dust in machinery, regular cleaning can help to remove this dust and reduce its associated fire risks.

3. Manage vegetation

Vegetation should be controlled to avoid fuel build-up. These controls should involve creating patterns in vegetation to mitigate fire risk and allow for easy extinguishing of fire.

Existing forests and woodlands can reduce fire risks through vegetation treatments, such as thinning and felling. Additionally, natural fire resilient elements, such as rivers and wetlands can also help to reduce risk.

For new forests and woodlands, or when reforming an existing forest, fire risks can be mitigated by planting naturally fire resilient vegetation to improve the effectiveness of fire breaks or fire belts.

4. Create fire breaks and fire belts

Fire breaks and belts are protective barriers which stop or slow the spread of a fire. Fire breaks are gaps in vegetation or other combustible materials, while fire belts are strips of woodland, made from fire-resistant species. Both fire breaks and fire belts aim to reduce the risk of fire spreading across segments of forests.

These should both be designed to create an interconnected network surrounding high-risk areas of woodland. They can be situated at critical points to prevent extreme fire spreading, or created close to other fire-resistant features, such as rivers or wetlands.

5. Choose the right fire suppression solution

Each forest is unique, with various purposes, shapes and sizes. To reduce fire risks effectively, it’s crucial to select the most suitable fire detection and suppression system for your site’s individual needs. Your forest management plan will be able inform your decision on which fire suppression solution is most suitable for your facility.

For advice or support in choosing the right fire detection and suppression solution for your business, get in touch.

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