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When
you think of the Russian Far East, you think of the
taiga-an ocean of boreal forest. The taiga is home to
fire on a scale so vast it defies the imagination. In
1976, for example, a complex of fires burned 2 million
acres (800,000 ha). In 1998, another complex scorched
almost 5 million acres (2 million ha). That's more than
twice the number of acres burned during the entire 1998
fire season in the United States.
Fires
on this scale have reduced and fragmented the native
forest and greatly impeded regeneration efforts, particularly
in Korean pine forests. Seeds from Korean pine are an
important food source for wild boar, elk, and other
prey of the Siberian tiger-an endangered species now
down to 350 animals.
In
1994, the USDA
Forest Service and Russia's Federal Forest Service-with
funds from the U.S.
Agency for International Development-joined forces
to address the problem of catastrophic wildfires. The
USDA Forest Service provided equipment and expertise
for fire detection, prevention, suppression, and dispatching,
as well as for land management planning and computer
operation. The focus was on protecting habitat for the
Siberian tiger and its prey.
The
two countries also exchanged fire specialists. At least
30 Russian specialists have visited the United States,
and an equal number of U.S. fire specialists have visited
Russia. The Russians learned about the United States
use of firelines to control fires, and the U.S. visitors
learned about the Russian emphasis on using water, a
resource far more abundant in the Russian Far East than
in the American West.
Both
sides have benefited. In April 2001, a Russian delegation
toured the National
Interagency Fire Center and local fire dispatch
offices in Idaho and the Geographic
Area Coordination Center in Alaska. Based on what they
learned, the Russians are studying the feasibility of
incorporating the U.S. model of dispatch and coordination
centers into their own fire management organization.
For
its part, the United States has much to learn from the
Russians on using satellite technology to detect fires
and gather information. The National Aerial Fire Center
in Pushkino (near Moscow) and the airbase in Krasnoyarsk
are two locations with some of the latest technologies
in satellite imagery. The United States is also studying
parachute designs in Russia and other countries for
ways to improve parachutes and deployment systems used
by U.S. smokejumpers. It's a partnership with payoffs
for all.
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