The goal of the project is to institutionalize and decentralize forest fire management at village level to ensure that forest resources are managed by community's own principles and values. This would ultimately enhance the group to maintain social capital within the communities. The outcomes from the project will also be used as a basis for development of community-based forest fire management and prevention, identified as one of the priority projects on climate change under the Bhutan National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA).

The objective of the project are as follows:
1. To reduce threat to human life and community property from forest fires;
2. To build local capacities on forest fire management and institutionalize forest fire management at community level;
3. To pretect the water catchment area, and;
4. To rehabilitate degraded land with appropriate management strategies and techniques.

Description on Project Activities:
1. Environmental Awareneww Worksop;
2. Capacity Building of Forest Fire Management Group;
3. Development Community based Forest Fire prevention posters, pamphlets and other aids including Dzongkha version of group by-laws and distribute in forest fire prone Dzongkhags;
4. Procurement of Forest Fire Management Tools;
5. Reduction of Fire Hazards;
6. Protection of Water Catchment and Rehabilitation of Degraded Areas;
7. Experience Sharing Workshop.

PROGRESS REPORT:

1. Forest Fire Fighting Training - was conducted at Domkhar on 29/4/08 to 1/5/08 for three days. The training was conducted in collaboration with the Dzongkhag Forestry Sector and the Geog Forestry Extension. The objective of the training was to:
i. Create Awareness on the causes of forest fire in Bhutan;
ii. Impart knowledge on how to tackle forest fire;
iii. How to handle the fire fighting equipments.

The training mainly focused on the following:
1. Fire behaviour;
2. Causes of forest Fires in Bhutan;
3. Types of fuel;
4. Parts of fire;
5. Forest fire suppression;
6. Hazard Reduction;
7. Forms of damages to forest;
8. Forest Fire Fighting Safety;
9. Forest Fire Prevention Activities;
10. Fire Fighting Equipments Handling.

2. Nursery Raising 6-7/8/08:
Two day activity. 65 farmers participated in the Nursery Raising Training. The main objective of the nursery raising training was to encourage:
1. To supply continuous flow of seedlings for their plantation;
2. To generate income through the sale of excess seedlings.

The nursery was constructed in the private fallow land in consultation with the owner. The is approximately 1 acre and the forest type in this area falls under broad leaved forest for which both tropical and temperate trees species can be favourable. In the nursery they have shown two different species of seeds i.e. Melia Azedarrech and Leucocephala and have been collected locally.

3. Plantation around Farmland :
The DUFMG in consultation with the Geog Forestry Extension have planted Melia Azedarach on 2/6/08 during the constitutional day celebration holiday in their own farmland to create buffer zone and also to protect their farmland from soil erosion and landslides in the future. Melia Azedarach is a fast growing species as compared to other local species.

The objective of the plantation around the farmland is to:
1. Create the buffer zone around the farmland;
2. Protect from the risk of soil erosion and landslides;
3. Use as fencing poles and firewood.

Before carrying out the plantation activity, the technical persons demonstrated the standard for hold digging like depth and diameter dimension and how to plant the seedlings inside the dug holes. Also demonstrated the standard spacing requirements to be noted between the seedlings for proper growth.

67 farmers participated in the plantation activity and planted approximately 700-800 numbers of seedlings around their farmland.