strict Assembly spends 
.g. food, sleeping mats, 
utensils etc) for such 
inities by assisting with 
d roofing sheets when 
Bushfires: Land cover 
these extensive fire 
esulting in the reduction 
of wild life, burning of 
arms. 
  
at ETM+ 2002 
2002 and 2003. In pre- 
es greater than zero and 
es less than zero (Miller 
uch of the greens which 
e cloud cover. The real 
52. In post-fire images, 
with decreasing values 
in Fig.4, except at the 
Katanga fire severity is 
ty increasing from -0.02 
R indicate a positive 
sitive values indicate a 
ity) (Eidenshink et al, 
indicates a reduction in 
ts in 2003 with values 
Areas of re-growth in 
tern part of the District 
River, Asuokoko River 
ese areas are under the 
ldlife Services Division 
etation of this section of 
  
Fig.4: NBR of Post-fire Landsat ETM+ 2003 
  
  
Fig.5: A dNBR image indicating change in Vegetative cover 
Studies have shown that farm fires which heat the soil to 
200°C are actually beneficial because they increase nutrient 
availability to plants (potash from the burnt ash). However, 
temperatures in excess of 400°C are detrimental because they 
completely destroy the soil organic matter and reduce the cation 
exchange capacity. They also cause the volatilization of soil 
nutrients. The effects can be damaging to soil structure and 
plant stability. A deterioration of the soil structure hinders the 
43 
quick regrowth of plants and facilitates crust formation. This is 
particularly common during the months of January to March 
when the vegetation is completely dried. Also fires which burn 
large tree trunks or destroy heaped plant material at confined 
spots can also reach temperatures in excess of the threshold 
value resulting in serious damage to soil micro-organisms such 
as termites, earth worms and rodents (Nsiah-Gyabaah, 1996). 
Literature has it that indiscriminate bush burning has been one 
of the major factors in the change of forest to woodland, 
woodland into savannah and savannah to shrub land. The Sudan 
and Guinea grasslands are anthropogenic climax communities 
maintained by grazing, bush burning and crop cultivation, and 
they will revert to scrub and then woodland and forest if these 
controlling factors are removed. Fire produces immediate 
effects on aerial vegetation, which become evident by total plant 
death or by partial destruction. High canopy trees may escape 
ground fires because the vertical discontinuity of fuel prevents 
fire reaching the canopies. Plant composition is also affected by 
fire in an indirect manner through species substitution (Nsiah- 
Gyabaah, 1996). 
5. CONCLUSION 
The battle against bush fires in the district is far from over. The 
people’s way of life and their economic well being are closely 
associated with the setting of wildfires in the District. Other 
factors include weak legislative instruments as well as the lack 
of political will on the part of the government to prosecute the 
policy of anti-bushfires. These acts are not only negatively 
affecting the economic activities of the local people in the form 
of the destruction of their food, houses as well as domestic 
animals, but it is also destroying the physical environment. 
Plants and animals are destroyed by the wildfires resulting in a 
reduction in biomass cover. Discussions with some chiefs, 
queen mothers and assemblymen and women revealed that they 
are unhappy with this state of affairs and suggested the 
promotion and intensification of anti-bushfire education through 
local chiefs, opinion leaders and school children, equipping 
agencies and the rearing of animals such as grass cutter and 
other small ruminants to serve as a source of protein to the 
people will help curb the menace. 
REFERENCES 
Alo, C. A., and Pontius Jr, R. G., 2008. Identifying systematic 
land-cover transitions using remote sensing and GIS: the fate of 
forests inside and outside protected areas of Southwestern 
Ghana. Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design 
2008, Vol. 35, pp.280-295. 
Archibald, S., Scholes, R. J., Roy, D. P., Roberts, S., and 
Boschetti, L., 2010. Southern African fire regimes as revealed 
by remote sensing. International Journal of Wild land Fire, 19, 
pp.861-878. 
Diaz-Delgado, R., Lloret, F., and Pons, X., 2010. Influence of 
Fire Severity on Plant Regeneration by Means of Remote 
Sensing Imagery. International Journal Of Remote Sensing, 
Vol.24, No.8, pp. 1751-1763. 
Dickson, K.B., and Benneh, G., 1995. A New Geography of 
Ghana. Longman, London, pp.21-33.