Green forest fire notification in Nepal

Supply-chain Risk Briefing: Nepal Forest Fires

1) Summary Forest fires that persisted from April 10-16 in Nepal destroyed 4,500 hectares of forest in the Ramechhap region alone, with 9 districts classified as high-risk. This medium-grade fire occurred during the dry season, affecting extensive forest areas.

2) Supply-chain impact

• Timber and forest product supply chains: The loss of 4,500 hectares of forest is expected to reduce local supply capacity for timber, bamboo and other forest products in the short term
• Agricultural production base: Fire smoke and ash-induced soil contamination may negatively impact crop productivity in nearby agricultural areas
• Water resource management: Forest destruction creates medium to long-term risks to water supply stability in downstream areas due to watershed changes
• Regional transport networks: Possible temporary operational constraints on roads and transport infrastructure near fire-affected areas

3) Watch points

• Fire spread scope: Need to monitor potential additional spread to the 9 high-risk districts and expansion of damage scale
• Monsoon season impact: Tracking required on how the start of the rainy season and forest recovery plans affect supply chain normalization