Rising temperatures are increasing the risk of forest fires. The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture is urging residents to exercise extreme caution when traveling through the forest and to comply with established restrictions.

"In the territory of forest, it is forbidden to light a fire under the branches of trees, in the burning young forest, in old fires, in damaged areas of the forest, in the forests that have not been cleaned from the residues of production, in the areas of manufactured wood left unexcavated, in areas with peat and dry grass.

In the rest of the forest area, it is allowed to light a fire in the cases of preliminary arrangement of the fire place (platform). The preliminary arrangement of the fire pit involves cleaning of easily flammable materials (hay, dry grass, leaves, wood) within a radius of 1.5 m from the hearth of the fire.

According to the Code of Administrative Offenses of Georgia, the violation of fire safety requirements in forests, which resulted in the occurrence of a fire in the forest or its spread over a certain area, as well as destruction or damage to the forest as a result of arson or negligent handling of fire - will lead to a fine of 300 to 500 GEL. In the case of a forest fire caused by negligence, the law provides for imprisonment for four to eight years", - reads the statement.