Published: International Caucasian Forestry Symposium, 2013. — РР. 241-246.
The Crimea peninsula is one of critical region in Ukraine from point of view of wildfire risks. Forests of Crimean Mountains play an essential role in regulating the water resources in the regions and protecting biodiversity as well important social and recreational roles creating unique Semi Mediterranean climate. More than 5 millions of tourists visit Crimea every year. Conifers which grow mostly in Mountains conditions cover 18 % of forest land of the peninsula are most fire prone type of vegetation. Numerous ignition sources originated mostly from peoples together with drought conditions resulted in regular fire events all over the peninsula. During the period 1991-2012 2826 wildfires occur and burnt totally 3928.8 ha, including 630.8 ha of crown fires. Annually 0.46 wildfires per 1000 ha of forest fund occur and burnt area is 0.6 ha per 1000 ha of forest fund including 0.1 ha of crown fires. Within the Crimean Peninsula 30.4% of total number of wildfires and 71% of crown fires occur in Yalta Mountain-Forest Nature Reserve (Yalta MFNR). Most often (84%) wildfires damaged Pinus nigra var. pallasiana Lamb. and Pinus sylvestris L. stands, which occupy 50% of Yalta MFNR forests. Suppression of forest fires in Yalta MFNR is extremely difficult and costly because of absence of regular forest management due to reserved regime of the territory, intensive accumulation of fuel, lack of forest roads in steep terrains and lack of fire pounds that make delivery of water to fire very complicated and slow. For improving forest protection from wildfire the European Union project of the Joint Operational Programme Black See Basin 2007-2013 with title Utilizing Stream Waters in the Suppression of Forest Fires with the Help of New Technologies program has started in 2013. Fuel sampling, fuel models and integrated fire system for mountain forests will be developed in frame of the project.
