Over 1,000 Hectares Damaged by Forest Fires in Cuba so Far This Year

HAVANA, Cuba,   -The Cuban Forest Ranger Corps (CGC), says over 1,000 hectares of land have been damaged by forest fires across the country since the start of the year.

In an update, provided as part of the XXV national campaign against wildfires , the CGC said there were reports of 186 events over three and a half months – an average of one per day. 

According to the Ministry of the Interior’s National Monitoring Center of the CGC, the province of Artemisa was the worst hit, with 230 hectares affected by 33 fires, as opposed to the Special Municipality of the Isle of Youth 

The most damaged tree species have been listed as mahogany, soplillo, sabicú, guao and yarey.

The Minister of Interior says the current crusade of the Forest Ranger Corps will be extended until May 31 – that is the first day of the rainy season in Cuba.

The number of expected fires for this year is 320 – equivalent to an average campaign in terms of intensity and conditioned by the influence of the La Niña-Southern Oscillation event, based on a large-scale cooling of the ocean surface temperature in the central and eastern parts of the equatorial Pacific.

According to 2020 statistics, 504 wildfires damaged 5,343.68 hectares across the country.