In Pozharsky County, some large burns from the past are still marked on maps. In 1932, communists set the woods on fire to smoke out Old Believers, a Russian Orthodox splinter group which had a village hidden in the area, Dudov said. I was there in 1974, and the ground was still black and hard as a brick, said Dudov. Nothing was growing on it. The spring fires are generally not so bad, since there is still snow in the woods.
Some people think that spring fires are even useful as they burn the fuel accumulated in the ground.
The main forester of the krai Alexei Popov thinks otherwise the ground is more productive if not touched by fire, he says. And sometimes the fire rages out of control, so there is more damage than benefit, he says. First it was paid-for parking. In the first two weeks of operation Spetzsignal at the end of March GAI officers confiscated 37 radio transmitters and anti-radar devices and 27 flashing lights. Further rules on what car accessories and colored signs are admissible are expected shortly, following a federal government decree on the issue.