Once again about fires…
In accordance with Article 16.40 of the Code of the Republic of Belarus on Administrative Offences:
for the illegal burning of dry vegetation, grass in the stalk, as well as stubble and post-harvest residues in fields, or failure to take measures to extinguish fires, guilty persons shall be brought to administrative responsibility in the form of a fine ranging from ten to thirty basic units;
for setting fires in prohibited places, except for violations of fire safety requirements, the responsibility for which is provided for by other articles of the Special Part of the said Code, shall entail a fine of up to twelve basic units.
In addition, the illegal burning of dry vegetation, grass in the stalk (except for lawns, flower beds, forest litter, living ground cover), as well as stubble and post-harvest residues, is an act of causing harm to the environment and entails civil liability.
The amount of compensation for environmental damage is determined according to the rates approved by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus of June 24, 2008 No. 348 "On rates for determining the amount of compensation for environmental damage".
Statistics show that the absolute majority of fires due to dry grass burning are caused by people, and only 5-10% of ecosystem fires arise due to meteorological conditions.
Since a significant part of dry grass fires in spring is caused by good intentions, it makes sense to mention the apparent benefits of such fires and compare them with the harm caused by grass fires.
The main argument of supporters of burning last year's grass is that it enriches it with ash, as a result of which grass appears faster and grows better in the burned areas.
Specialists assure that the ash remaining after burning grass does not affect the improvement of soil quality, as nitrogen compounds are lost (the main part of nitrogen bound in vegetation is released into the atmosphere, becoming unavailable to the vast majority of plants).
Mineral elements contained in ash pass into a soluble form and are easily washed away by surface and groundwater. Only a small part of them is absorbed by plants.
After a grass fire, only grasses that reproduce by rhizomes, such as couch grass, sprout again. Honey-bearing flowers, cultivated grasses suitable for feeding livestock, including haymaking, reproduce by seeds, and seeds burn during grass burning.
The combustion process is accompanied by the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and oxygen is consumed. Fertilizers and pesticides residues burn in the fire, forming volatile toxic organic and inorganic compounds. Burning grass along roads leads to air pollution with heavy metals.
As a result of burning dry grass, the species composition of meadow vegetation and wildlife is impoverished. Wherever fires have passed, there will no longer be the former variety of grasses; weeds will "occupy" the cleared territory.
Invertebrates, insects, frogs, lizards, and other animals die in fires. Burning dry grass causes the destruction of clutches and nesting sites of birds such as the mallard, lapwing, reed bunting, common bunting, field lark, wood lark, and crested lark, and meadow pipit. The nesting period for these birds begins in early April.
The Miory District Inspectorate of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection appeals to the residents of the district to approach this problem with understanding and a sense of civic duty, and to prevent agricultural fires and the burning of dry vegetation!
Chief Specialist of the Miory District Inspectorate of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection A.E. Voevodov