Hot on the heels of China's controversial smoking ban, Beijingers now face the prospect of heavy fines for lighting up during woodland picnics.

According to a newly released draft regulation, officials are looking to increase the penalty for puffing away or starting campfires in forests from 5 yuan to 1,000 yuan. Anyone found guilty of causing a blaze could even be fined up to 3,000 yuan.

As much as 95 percent of all forest fires are caused by human activity, said a press statement from the city's landscape and forestry bureau on Tuesday. "I wouldn't call it an exaggeration if you made that figure 99 percent," added Li Jingrui, a fire prevention officer in the bureau's public safety department, in a phone interview with METRO.

Apart from the occasional lightening storms, "the three main causes are (the traditional Chinese practice of) burning paper money for ancestors upwind of forests, discarded cigarettes, and grass burning in March and April, which is often done by farmers before seeding", he said.

"There are hardly any forest scenic spots where using fire is allowed, especially from March 1 to April 15, which is when there is the highest fire risk. That's when all fire usage is prohibited," said Li, adding that residents can report fires by calling the 12119 hotline.

However, he revealed that the draft regulation "will not include downtown areas", meaning police and park rangers will still be unable to stop smokers in city center parks.

Feng Yongfeng, founder of Da'erwen, a Beijing-based environmental protection group, expressed his concern that the proposed changes will not deal with the serious fire risks in downtown parks densely covered with trees.

"Isn't it self-contradictory if they (the government) count trees in the (downtown) parks when calculating the capital's forest coverage, yet don't include them when it comes to management?" he said.

Although Li was unable to explain the exclusion, he said the question raised "a very good point" and should be recorded as part of the ongoing public consultation. "Park officials, police and landscape bureau staff all have the right to persuade people to stop smoking in parks. Yet, we have no right to fine them if they refuse to cooperate," he added.

If approved, the new fines will be issued during the forest fire prevention period, which runs from Nov 1 until May 31.

Among the comments already left in online consultation is one from "Renxinghua", who calls for forest firefighters to get a pay rise. "They risk their lives every day without a day off unless they are sick," he wrote. "When there is a high fire risk, they can't even go home at night and receive no overtime pay."

A job advertisement for a forest firefighter on a popular Beijing recruitment website states the monthly salary is set at "no less than 1,300 yuan".

China Daily

(China Daily 05/12/2011 page)