STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF FOREST FIRES IN ARGENTINA It is important to analyze the high number of forest fires that are produced in our country and that affect the whole global environment. The forest fires provoke important economic, hygienic and environmental effects such as the destruction of habitats, the acceleration of erosion, the boost in floods, the contribution to the gas emission with greenhouse effect and lands without the chance of regeneration. In the news it is common to see information about new fires this is one of the reason why we chose the study of forest fires in the country. We had a general view on the country forest fires throughout the year, and focused in the Pampeana area and a depth study into Cordoba province. The official website used for that is: Commentary: Big extensions of land are destroyed by the several number of forest fires that are developed in the country mainly in the Pampeana area. Throughout the years, the 50% or even more of the affected surface consists in the surface belonging to the Pampeana zone probably because of the type of land and the weather. Commentary: The major percentage of forest fires is produced in the Pampeana area with a 57% of the total number of forest fires in the country. The province of Cordoba is situated within this region. This province will be studied in depth now. Commentary: The figures belonging to the forest fires due because of intentional cause are the highest ones since the year 2003 to In Cordoba and the highland area there are large extensions of pines and fields that if activities in them are not done with extreme care big fires can occur. In the previous years there are more fires because of negligence or for unknown causes which mean that before neither the government nor the public were concerned with analyzing neither the cause of fires nor their existence. The fires because of natural cause are unusual, and the highest register of that is in 2006 due to several droughts. Central trend and dispersion trend in the affected surfaces in relation to the causes of forest fires in Cordoba from 2001 to 2006 The highest average of fires per year confirms that about fires are a result of intentional causes. And also it can be seen that there is high variability within figures. Taking into account these data, the intentional cause for fires as years pass by is the most worrying one as this one can be avoided or reduced. Commentary: In the year 2006 the major affected surface is registered, and mainly it is the native forests and pastures surfaces. In the previous years the figures registered are lower and also there is the pastures surface the most affected. CONCLUSION: CONCLUSION: Along the years a huge number of forest fires have been registered in our country, especially in the Pampeana area. After analyzing the causes and surfaces affected in Cordoba, it is discovered that most of the fires occur in the pastures where the weather, the type of land and vegetation in likely to expand and provoke these incidents. However it is important to think and reflex on the fact that fires are mainly provoked by men either by negligence or intentional as the previous statistics shows. This means that it is in men hands, in our hands the possibility of reducing this fires and improving our country´s situation on this environmental matter. Also it is interesting that governmental secretaries could promote the mission of making the public aware of this problem by publishing up-to-date figures since data include up to the year 2006 and some figures from 2008 and Años Distribution of forest fires in the Pampeana region and in the rest of Argentina: YearsAffected area (Hectares) Pampeana Rest of Argentina Pampeana Rest of Argentina Years Native forest Cultivated forest Groups of bushes Pastures Native forest Cultivated forest Groups of bushes Pastures Negligence Intentional Natural Unknown Negligence Intentional Natural Unknown