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March 14, 2023
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Plant-for-the-Planet

Fires on the Yucatán Peninsula during dry season – under control thanks to effective management

Fires have occurred this week at Las Américas 1 and Las Américas 11. None of our trees have been affected, but the ecosystem was damaged. 

On Thursday, March 9th, a 32-hectare fire occurred at our Las Américas 1 restoration site on the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. The fire partially affected 2.6% of the total 1,251-hectare Las Américas 1 site.

 

The map shows the area of Las Américas 1 affected by the fire on March 9th, 2023.

While working in the nearby Las Américas 6, some of our team members observed smoke emanating from Las Américas 1 and subsequently reported a fire. Our restoration team responded immediately and cut firebreaks to stop the fire and prevent further spread. Fortunately, none of the trees we planted were impacted by this fire, but there was significant damage to the site.

Thanks to the quick action of the restoration team, the fire was brought under control.
Foto by Restoration Coordinator Ivett Reynoso

On Tuesday, March 14th, a 1.58-hectare fire broke out at our Las Américas 11 restoration site, also located on the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. The fire resulted in partial damage to 3.2% of the total 50-hectares of former cattle pasture. The restoration team acted promptly with a firebreak to contain the fire.

The map shows the area of Las Américas 11 affected by the fire on March 14th, 2023.

As the fire was detected promptly, it did not have a chance to spread extensively.
Foto by Restoration Coordinator Ivett Reynoso

Right now, we are in the middle of the dry season (January – June) on the Yucatán Peninsula where fires regularly occur. We usually face several fire incidents every year, though luckily most are not as severe as the Las Americas 1 fire.

Forest fires are fueling the climate crisis and pose one of the greatest threats to planting projects, such as those run by Plant-for-the-Planet. With the FireAlert app, Plant-for-the-Planet is developing an app that can report fires worldwide in real time and enable even more effective mitigation. The app uses FIRMS (Fire Information for Resource Management System) technology developed by NASA. It will be available free of charge starting in summer 2023.