ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF FOREST FIRES (ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE URAL FEDERAL DISTRICT)

Forests protection from fires, their timely localization and extinguishing are urgent state problems. Forest fires are extremely dangerous, they develop rapidly, covering large areas, and accompanied by dense smoke and intense thermal radiation. Fires cause enormous damage to the national economy, often leading to loss of lives. Climate warming in the conditions of boreal forests, forming the basis of Russian forests, has led almost year-round forest fire season in Russia. Fires occur throughout the country, being a truly catastrophic phenomenon. Their consequences are increasingly compared with natural disasters (earthquakes and flood). Forest fires cause significant losses in economics, environmental and social consequences. In this regard, there is a need to study and analyze reliable information on forest fires. The purpose of this article was generalization of the research data within the Urals Federal District, studying and analyzing the information of the Department of Forestry on forest fires over the past few years. The most fire-damaged regions were identified; the causes of fires in forests and the economic consequences of forest fires were clarified. Authors made an attempt to understand the problem of improving measures to prevent and combat forest fires and offered recommendations for improving forest fire measures.