• ¨   Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forests and Climate Change presented its 412th report on forest fires in the Himalayan region in August 2026.

    ¨The report examined causes of forest fires, mitigation measures, pine-needle management, biomass utilisation, satellite-based monitoring, and disaster-response capacity.

    ¨     Forest fires are uncontrolled fires occurring in forests, scrublands, or grasslands.

    ¨     Forest fires are generally classified into surface fires, crown fires, and ground fires.

    ¨   In the Himalayan region, dry pine needles, steep slopes, and seasonal dryness are major physical factors that contribute to the spread of forest fires.

    ¨     Chir Pine forests account for around 57% of forest-fire incidents in the Western Himalayas.

    ¨     Dry pine needles are commonly known as “Pirul” in several Himalayan areas.

    ¨     Pirul accumulates on forest floors as dry biomass, increasing the availability of combustible material.

    ¨     The Committee recommended that the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change formulate a National Pine-Needle Utilisation Policy in consultation with State Governments.

    ¨     The proposed policy includes identifying fire-prone zones and providing financial incentives for collecting dry biomass.

    ¨  The Committee also proposed a Himalayan Biomass Management Framework and a Himalayan Pirul Management Mission.

    ¨     It recommended a minimum procurement price of ₹3–4 per kg for collecting pine needles.

    ¨   The Committee suggested establishing a National or Regional Pine Needle Management Board to oversee the clearing and utilisation of pine needles.

    ¨     It recommended using processed pine-needle pellets for co-firing in thermal power plants.

    ¨     Pine-needle pellets have an energy value of approximately 5,500 kcal/kg.

    ¨  The Committee urged the Department of Space to prioritise a dedicated geostationary satellite for forest-fire monitoring.

    ¨ It also recommended establishing at least two regional National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) centres in the Himalayan region for forest-fire response.