(Baonghean.vn) -In the Pù Hoạt Nature Reserve, the centuries-old red fir trees, tens of meters tall with diameters ranging from 2 to 5 meters and trunks so large that it would take a dozen people to encircle them, are a source of pride and a symbol of the area. However, since the end of June 2015, in plot 11, sub-area 59 (part of the strictly protected primary forest area of the Pù Hoạt Nature Reserve), three centuries-old red fir trees have been ruthlessly felled by heartless illegal loggers..
The perpetrators have been apprehended by authorities along with the evidence; however, only by setting foot in this pristine forest area and witnessing firsthand the destruction of the country's precious forest resources can one truly understand the pain.
Below are images taken by reporters from Nghe An Newspaper at the scene of the red fir trees that were felled by illegal loggers:
 |
| The Pù Hoạt primeval forest area, where three red fir trees were felled by illegal loggers, is located in Hạnh Dịch commune, Quế Phong district, bordering the Vietnam-Laos border. |
 |
| To enter this border area, we needed the permission of the border guards, and also had to be escorted by other authorities. |
 |
| The journey there is arduous and difficult, crossing many streams and steep mountain passes. |
 |
| and are constantly attacked by leeches. |
 |
| After more than four hours of climbing mountains and crossing streams, we finally reached the fir forest area in plot 11, sub-area 59. |
 |
| The first fir tree was cut down at the base by illegal loggers. |
 |
| At the cuts, the sap of the Sa mu tree oozes out and clumps together. According to officials at the Pù Hoạt Nature Reserve, when the sap runs out, the tree will dry up and die. |
 |
| The trunk of this fir tree is over 2.7 meters in diameter, with a circumference so large that it would take a dozen people to encircle it, and it is about 35-40 meters tall. |
 |
| To cut down the trees, the illegal loggers opened their saws so large that an adult could fit through them. |
 |
| And they wedge into the cuts. |
 |
| Due to the steep mountainous terrain, to cut down the fir trees, the illegal loggers erected scaffolding around the base of the trees. |
 |
| Both sides of this fir tree's base have been completely destroyed by illegal loggers using chainsaws. |
 |
| Following the authorities, we climbed uphill for another 20 meters or so, to the scene where fir trees had been felled and cut down by illegal loggers. |
 |
| The two felled fir trees were just as large as the fir tree whose roots we witnessed earlier being cut by illegal loggers. |
 |
| The fir trees were cut down. |
 |
| The stumps of the fir trees have been cut down by illegal loggers. |
 |
| The illegal loggers cut a fir tree into four sections and sawed it on the spot into seven planks, each measuring 1.1m wide, 3.3m long, and 0.15m thick. |
 |
| The shacks were set up by the illegal loggers to facilitate their tree felling activities. |
 |
| To build their shelter, the illegal loggers cut down several large trees. |
 |
| According to Mạnh Danh Ngọc, an officer at the Hạnh Dịch Commune Forest Protection Station (under the Pù Hoạt Nature Reserve Management Board), who directly participated in apprehending the illegal loggers, the authorities had received information that the loggers would be destroying the fir trees since the end of 2014. From the beginning of 2015 to the present, the Hạnh Dịch Commune Forest Protection Station, along with officers and soldiers from Border Guard Post 517 (located in Hạnh Dịch Commune), conducted 12 patrols. At the end of June 2015, they received information from residents of Sub-area 59 about illegal loggers infiltrating the area. The station reported this to the unit's leadership, and subsequently, the Pù Hoạt Nature Reserve Management Board, in coordination with Border Guard Post 517 and the Hạnh Dịch Commune People's Committee, organized a raid, arresting five perpetrators who had been killing the rare fir trees. |
 |
| In the Pu Hoat Nature Reserve, there are many rare and valuable large trees such as the scale-leaved Shorea tree... |
 |
| ... ground sen tree |
 |
| ...Táu mật tree |
 |
| ... Banyan tree |
 |
| Along with the magnificent, centuries-old red fir trees, they are always targets of malicious individuals. Therefore, to protect this precious natural asset and the invaluable green belt of our nation, the authorities must severely punish the perpetrators and implement effective protective measures. |
Nhat Lan - Viet Long
