Fresh palm ‘planted’ on haze hotspot: what’s wrong with this picture?

Peatlands are waterlogged areas in the forest which do not burn easily unless they were drained and left to dry, according to scientists at the Bogor-based Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR). However, rampant clearing of forests and drying of peatlands for palm oil or timber plantations have left these areas highly at risk to fires, especially during the dry season. “The dried-out peat ignites easily, burns underground and creeps under the surface,” CIFOR said on its website.