Fire management in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone

• Task for scientific and organizational support of development of safe system of fire management in forests contaminated by radionuclides in the Chornobyl Exclusion were permanently in focus since 1997 and were supported during different periods by Prof. Chadwick Dearing Oliver from Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies (2005-2017), Prof. Johann Georg Goldammer from the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC), Council of Europe, OSCE (all-2007-current), United State Forest Service (2005-2018) and other donors.    

  As an important and separate direction of REEFMC activities wildfire management on contaminated terrains started with publishing in 2013 by GFMC a comprehensive White Paper directed to the United Nations and International Organizations entitled “Vegetation Fires and Global Change: Challenges for Concerted International Action”. This White Paper includes an analysis of dangerous wildfires affecting human security in the landscapes of Eurasia, including threats of fires burning on lands contaminated by radioactivity, UXO and land mines:

  ·          UN White Paper: Chapter 22 – Wildfires and Human Security in Cultural Landscapes in Transition  Examples from Temperate-Boreal Eurasia (by J.G. Goldammer) (PDF, 0.2 MB)

  ·          White Paper directed to the United Nations and International Organizations Vegetation Fires and Global Change Challenges for Concerted International Action (PDF, 3.7 MB)

  Safe Fire Management on Contaminated Terrain
  In 2014 the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) commissioned the Report”Best practices and recommendations for wildfire suppression in contaminated areas, with focus on radioactive terrain” (Goldammer, J.G., Kashparov, V., Zibtsev, S., Robinson, S., Freiburg-Basel-Kyiv, 53. p.)

  ·          English Version (PDF, 3.1 MB)

  ·          Russian Version (PDF, 3.8 MB)

  ·          BCMS Version (PDF, 4.5 MB)

  ·          Version for use in FYR of Macedonia (PDF, 4.6 MB)

  ·          Albanian Version (PDF, 4.4 MB)

  In 2018 the Regional Eastern Europe Fire Monitoring Center (REEFMC) developed the pocket guidelines for fire management in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, a result of cooperative efforts between REEFMC, the State Agency on the Exclusion Zone Management and the U.S. Forest Service:

  ·          Pocket Guidelines for Fire Management in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone (in Ukrainian) (PDF, 13.0 MB)

  International Consultation on Fire in Irradiated Forests
  An International Meeting on “Reduction of Disaster Risk from Catastrophic Wildfires in the Chernobyl Irradiated Forests” was held under the auspices of the National Agricultural University of Ukraine, Yale University, GFMC / UNISDR in Kiev, Ukraine, 25-28 July 2007.

  ·          Chernobyl programme (PDF, 1 MB)

  ·          Chernobyl conference report

  ·          GFMC Calendar with visual impressions

  Ukraine: Second National Round Table and Consultation on Irradiated Forests
  The Ministry of Ukraine on Emergencies and Affairs of Populations Affected by the consequences of the Chernobyl catastrophe convened a Round Table on “Reduction of Risk of Disaster from Wildfires in the Chernobyl Irradiated Forests. The meeting was held on 6 October 2008 at the Ministry and cosponsored by Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Global Institute of Sustainable Forestry (U.S.A.) and the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC).

  ·          Meeting report (PDF, 17 KB)

  Advanced Seminar “Wildfires and Human Security: Fire Management on Terrain Contaminated by Radioactivity, Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) and Land Mines”
  This seminar addressed the consequences of wildfires and fire management on contaminated terrain and was conducted in Kiev and Chornobyl, Ukraine, 6-8 October 2009, by the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) in the frame of the activities of the Council of Europe (CoE) and the joint project “Enhancing National Capacity on Fire Management and Risk Reduction in the South Caucasus” (Environment and Security Initiative [ENVSEC]), the UNISDR Regional Southeast Europe / Caucasus and Central Asia Wildland Fire Networks and the UNECE / FAO Team of Specialists on Forest Fire.

  ·          Background information (English) (PDF)

  ·          Background information (Russian) (PDF)

  ·          Seminar brochure (PDF, 3.3 MB)

  ·          Letter of Endorsement by the Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament Mr. Litvin

  ·          Seminar report (PDF, 0.1 MB)

  ·          Chernobyl Resolution on Wildfires and Human Security: Challenges and Priorities for Action to address Problems of Wildfires burning on Terrain Contaminated by Radioactivity, Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) and Land Mines (PDF, 52 KB)

  International Conference”Twenty-five Years after the Chornobyl Accident”
  The International Conference”Twenty-five Years after Chornobyl Accident. Safety for the Future” was held in Kyiv / Chornobyl, Ukraine, 20-21 April 2011. A joint presentation”Needs for Development of Wildfire Management in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone” was given by C.D. Oliver, S.V. Zibtsev, A.M. Hohl, J.G. Goldammer, J. McCarter, M.M. Petrenko and O.A. Borsuk.

  ·          Final agenda of 25 years Chornobyl Accident Conference (with wildfire contributions) (PDF, 1.8 MB)

  ·          Abstract of presentation „Needs for Development of Wildfire Management in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone“(PDF, 3.1 MB)

  ·          Forest fires around Chernobyl could release radiation, scientists warn (The Guardian, 26 April 2010)

  

  

  
  Opening addresses of the Chornobyl Conference were given by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and Prime Minister of Urkaine, Mykola Azarov (top and middle), and the Head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Yukiya Amano (bottom)

  Regional Consultation Meeting “Environment and Security”
  Regional Consultation Meeting: Initiative “Environment and Security”: Perspectives of Environmental Cooperation in Eastern Europe, with the participation of the Regional Eastern European Fire Monitoring Center (REEFMC), with inputs on fire management needs in contaminated forests; Minsk, Belarus (8 September 2014).

  ·          CIS Agreement on Transborder Cooperation in Fire Management (2013) (PDF, 0.1 MB)

  ·          ENVSEC Eastern European Meeting 2014 Agenda (PDF, 0.2. MB)

  ·          ENVSEC Eastern European Meeting 2014 Outcome Statement (PDF, 0.2. MB)

  Letter of the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) directed to the Government of Ukraine
  On 11 February 2016 the GFMC sent a letter to Prime Minister Yatsenyuk and suggested the further development of fire management capacities in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (ChEZ) (establishment of an innovative system of early detection of fires in the ChEZ and continuation of cooperation in developing fire management capacities in Ukraine between GFMC and Ukrainian partners) (11 February 2016)

  ·          GFMC Letter to Prime Minister Yatsenyuk (PDF, 2.0 MB)

  Conserving, Enhancing and Managing Carbon Stocks and Biodiversity in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone
  Inception Workshop of the UNEP-GEF Project “Conserving, Enhancing and Managing Carbon Stocks and Biodiversity in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone” with the fire management component ; Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine (MENR) and State Agency of Ukraine on the Exclusion Zone Management, Kyiv, Ukraine (18 April 2016)

  ·          https://www.thegef.org/gef/project_detail?projID=4634

  ·          GEF Project Summary (PDF, 0.2 MB)

  ·          GEF-UNEP Chernobyl Project Launch Workshop Agenda(Ukrainian, PDF, 1.1 MB)

  ·          GEF-UNEP Chernobyl Project Launch Workshop Agenda(English, PDF, 0.8 MB)

  Kick-off of the OSCE Project on collaborative efforts in fire management in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone between Ukraine and Belarus
  Consultation on the project “Improving radiological and environmental awareness in territories affected by the Chernobyl accident in Belarus and Ukraine with a focus on wildfire management” (2016-2018); OSCE Office Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine (18 April 2016)

  ·          Final project fiche (extract) (PDF, 0.3 MB)

  First Coordination Meeting on Enhancing Fire Management Capacity in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone
  First National Coordination Meeting on Enhancing Fire Management Capacity in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, a cooperative meeting organized by the Regional Eastern European Fire Monitoring Center (REEFMC), the U.S. Forest Service and the GFMC, with GFMC contribution on the International Wildfire Preparedness Mechanism (IWPM) and the EuroFire Competency Standards; preparation of the National Round Table on Fire Management, Ukraine, and the Regional Consultation on Cross-boundary Cooperation in Fire Management (to be held in Kyiv in 2017) under sponsorship of the Council of Europe (CoE), Secretariat of the Euro-Mediterranean Major Hazards Agreement (EUR-OPA); Kyiv, Ukraine (22-23 September 2016)

  ·          Regional Eastern European Fire Monitoring Center (RFMC): http://nubip.edu.ua/en/reefmc

  ·          UNISDR Regional Eurasia Wildland Fire Network:
  https://gfmc.online/GlobalNetworks/BalticRegion/BalticRegion.html

  ·          Council of Europe (CoE) EUR-OPA Specialized Center: http://www.coe.int/en/web/europarisks/gfmc

  ·          Coordination Meeting Agenda (English, PDF, 0.3 MB)

  ·          Coordination Meeting Agenda (Ukrainian, PDF, 0.3 MB)

  

  Participants of the Coordination Meeting

  
  

  Introductory remarks by Petro Lakyda (National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine), Johann G. Goldammer (GFMC), George Kent (Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of the United State to Ukraine)
  

  

  Introductory remarks by Sergiy Zibtsev (REEFMC)
  

  

  Introductory remarks by Vitalii Petruk (Head of the State Agency of Ukraine on the Exclusion Zone Management) and Shelia Slemp (U.S. Forest Service International Programs)
  

  

  Audience members from different ministries and agencies of Ukraine. Photos: REEFMC / NULESU

  Regional Workshop Landscape Fire Management in South Eastern Europe 
  The workshop was organized by the Regional Fire Monitoring Center For SE Europe / Caucasus (RFMC) and GFMC, on behalf of the Office of the Coordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities. It addressed fire management on terrain contaminated by unexploded ordnance (UXO) and land mines; 17-19 December 2018, Skopje, North Macedonia.

  ·          https://gfmc.online/globalnetworks/seeurope/SEEurope_8.htmlhttp://www.rfmc.mk/

  ·          GFMC-OSCE Best Practices on Fire Management on Contaminated Terrain (BCMS language) (PDF, 4.5 MB)

  ·          GFMC-OSCE Best Practices on Fire Management on Contaminated Terrain (for use in FYR of Macedonia) (PDF, 4.6 MB)

  ·          GFMC-OSCE Best Practices on Fire Management on Contaminated Terrain (Albanian language) (PDF, 4.4 MB)

  ·          GFMC Publication on Prescribed Burning on Contaminated Terrain (for use in FYR of Macedonia) (PDF, 1.3 MB)

  ·          GFMC Publication on Prescribed Burning on Contaminated Terrain (BCMS language) (PDF, 1.2 MB)

  ·          GFMC Publication on Prescribed Burning on Contaminated Terrain (Albanian) (PDF, 1.2 MB)

  ·          Workshop Agenda (PDF, 0.2 MB)

  ·          OSCE Press Release (19 December 2018) (PDF, 0.4 MB)

  Recent Publications

  The following publications describe a first and leading project devoted to develop safe prescribed burning techniques on terrain contaminated by Unexploded Ordnance (UXO), first published in 2012 (in German with English abstract) and again after termination of the project in 2016 in English, and since 2018 also available in three additional languages:

  ·          Prescribed burning on terrain contaminated by Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) (2012, in German with English abstract) (PDF, 0.9 MB)

  ·          Prescribed burning on terrain contaminated by Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) (2016, in English) (PDF, 6.1 MB)

  ·          Prescribed burning on terrain contaminated by Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) (2016, for use in FYR Macedonia)(PDF, 1.3 MB)

  ·          Prescribed burning on terrain contaminated by Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) (2016, BCMS language) (PDF, 1.2 MB)

  ·          Prescribed burning on terrain contaminated by Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) (2016, in Albanian) (PDF, 1.2 MB)

  Hohl, A., A. Niccolai, C. Oliver, D. Melnychuk, S. Zibtsev, J.G. Goldammer, M. Petrenko, V. Gulidov. 2012. The human health effects of radioactive smoke from a catastrophic wildfire in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone: A worst-case scenario. J. Earth Bioresources and Life Quality 1, 1-34, ISSN 2221-1713.

  ·          http://gchera-ejournal.nubip.edu.ua/index.php/ebql/article/view/24

  ·          Mirrored at GFMC Repository (PDF, 0.5 MB)

  
  Satellite images in May 2003 show numerous forest fires in and around the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone on lands with different contamination levels that bring radioactive smoke toward Kyiv city.

  Zibtsev, S.V., Goldammer, J.G., Robinson, S., Borsuk, O.A. 2015. Fires in nuclear forests: Silent threats to the environment and human security. FAO Unasylva 66 (243-244), 40-51.

  ·          Fires in nuclear forests (PDF, 0.9 MB)

  Interview of the Ukrainian Magazine FOKUS with Sergiy Zibtsev:

  ·          FOKUS Interview with Sergiy Zibtsev on Wildfires and Fire Management in Ukraine (PDF, 90 MB)

  Recent fire situation in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (Kraine) as monitored by the GFMC:

  ·          Radioactive wildfires in April 2015

  ·          Radioactive wildfires in August 2015

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• Cooperation with Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies on Chornobyl fire reserach

• Chornobyl Firest Risk Project - Landscape Management System (LMS). Yale University, New Haven, CT, Jan 31-Feb 2, 2007

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