According to logging manager Johan Nordlund, the risk of spark formation increases with dryness, which can easily lead to ignition. In an effort to prevent forest fires, the company has resorted to operating forest machines during more humid nighttime hours. However, Stora Enso believes this precautionary measure may not be sufficient, especially after a major forest fire in Västmanland in 2014 caused by sparks from a contractor’s forest machine that was hired by the company.
– There is a risk of spark formation, and the drier it is, the easier it is to ignite, logging manager Johan Nordlund told the channel.
Recently, the forest machines have been running at night because it is more humid and there is less risk of fire then, but now that is not enough as a precautionary measure, the company believes.
The large forest fire in Västmanland in the summer of 2014 is believed to have been caused by sparks from a forest machine from a contractor that Stora Enso had hired.