Fire Situation in Argentina

Fire environment, fire regimes and the ecological role of fire Extending from 22°S to 55°S, Argentina presents a great diversity of ecosystems associated with the different climates. Fire is present in the different vegetation associations, varying in frequency, intensity and time of the year in response to the different habitat types, frequency of lightning storms, strong dry winds and rainy seasons. In the southern territories where the rainy season occurs in winter, wildfires start in late spring and last until early summer. Moving northward in the country, fires tend to occur in autumn and winter associated with the dry seasons. In addition to the environmental factors, fire occurrence in the different regions is affected by such human factors as cultural practices, varying population density, tourism affluence and characteristics of fire suppression activities. Narrative summary of major wildfire impacts on people, property and natural resources that occurred historically According to anthropological evidence, indigenous pre-Columbian populations used fire extensively for hunting, clearing land for grazing and other purposes. These fire influence may date back to 8000 years B. P., or generally to the early Holocene (Goldammer 1991). It should be pointed out that natural fires have been present in the different ecosystems in a degree that has not been well documented