Abstract

Fire is the most important disturbance factor which affects the stand productivity considerably. It influences directly by consuming the entire vegetation in a particular area or indirectly by weakening the trees which often predispose to decay and disease causing organisms. The effect of fire varies with nature, itensity and frequency of its occurrence. A severe ground fire injures the roots and the basal trunk and causes root rot and butt rot. An estimate shows that more than 60 percent of the decay in natural forests are butt rot and most of these may have developed through fire injuries. Fire-induced diseases and disorders are common in forest plantations of teak, sal, Albizia, etc. where fire occurs frequently. Successive fires evolve fire adapted species which develop over space and time and often cause considerable menace to the existing stands. Fire also affects the soil microflora and microfauna and alters the physical, Chemical and biological nature of the forest